In Defense of “It’s Thanksgiving”

| Senior Cadenza Editor

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but I have no way to express my excitement in song—or at least I didn’t until Nicole Westbrook released her catchy single “It’s Thanksgiving.” Westbrook has conquered the previously empty Thanksgiving song market; since it was posted to YouTube, it has racked up over 9 million views. But the video is overwhelmingly disliked. The Huffington Post referred to her as “Rebecca Black without the talent.” Does an innocent twelve year old deserve such vitriol? Here is my impassioned defense of Nicole Westbrook and her “It’s Thanksgiving” music video.

The lyrics are incredibly wholesome and encourage being thankful and spending times with friends. One of the lines in the chorus is “mashed potatoes, ay!” What’s to hate about this? This isn’t some “Toddlers and Tiaras” exploitation of an innocent child. She is celebrating one of the best food items to exist. This is no worse than Rihanna’s nonsensical new single “Diamonds” or anything LMFAO has ever put out. Her vocal tone is much less grating than Rebecca Black’s nasally whining. And the beat was probably recycled from a Carly Rae Jepsen demo. She even decides to say grace in the video. Except instead of saying grace, Westbrook raps it. It’s harmless fun celebrating an American holiday. The song actually celebrates a number of American holidays, from New Year’s Eve to the 4th of July. And the 4th of July segment features green-screened fireworks. If that isn’t the culmination of the American Dream, I don’t know what is.

Maybe it’s just because I spend a large chunk of my life watching the Food Network and looking at FoodPornDaily, but I loved all of the gratuitous shots of Thanksgiving food. That mac and cheese looks delicious. The mashed potatoes might have descended from heaven. And the turkey. The turkey has crisp golden brown skin and looks perfectly juicy and now Westbrook is using the drumstick as a microphone. Who among us hasn’t tried to use a turkey drumstick as a microphone? Don’t hate Westbrook for managing to make a highly viewed music video out of something you did last Thanksgiving after a little too much tryptophan. Hate yourself for not thinking of it first.

The most unfortunate part of the video is that Patrice Wilson raps in it. You may remember him from the “Friday” video. He is the evil Nigerian mastermind behind ARK Music Factory who now has his own label, Pato Music World. If you don’t like the song, direct your rage at him. He’s a grown man. Westbrook is a child. Cyberbullying is a real problem in modern times, and uploading videos about how much Westbrook sucks helps no one. That isn’t in the Thanksgiving spirit.

So this Thanksgiving, put on “It’s Thanksgiving.” Help your family cook a delicious meal. Don’t invite over Nigerian rappers wearing turkey costumes. And remember why we have the holiday in the first place. As Westbrook would say, “Give em thanks, y’all.”

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