The Genie In Aladdin Was Almost A Black Hipster — cinemablend.com

Menken recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to promote his latest musical composition on the ABC limited-run fairy tale, musical satire, Galavant. While discussing a number of behind-the-scenes stories to his signature Disney compositions, a notable factoid would come up regarding the subject of Aladdin. On the approach to Genie’s memorable number, "Friend Like Me," Menken remarks: The evocation of Fats Waller, the hugely popular Depression-era jazz singer and pianist encapsulates perfectly how the muse of popular culture history gets sent through the Disney machine, producing generational-inspiring gold. Never is it more abundantly clear than when viewing Waller performing smooth upbeat numbers like signature hit, "Honeysuckle Rose."

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