Many singletons everywhere have been desperate to know the contents of Ciara’s Prayer.
For those without a clue as to what that is, it’s the prayer that Ciara famously made about finding a good partner right after splitting from Future and right before she met now-husband Russell Wilson.
Ciara’s Prayer has become somewhat of a lore and taken on a life of its own due to the Goodies singer never revealing exactly what she said to the Most High before Russell landed in her lap with a halo.
After six years, we finally got some essence of it when R&B singer Summer Walker released her album Still Over It in November, featuring the spoken word piece Ciara’s Prayer.
‘I pray the next man in my life will be my husband / I pray he loves me, leads me, guides me, reassures me,’ Ciara says.
So, y’know, all the important things you need to make a relationship work.
Well sure enough, she went on to meet NFL star Russell before they married and welcomed two children together. Ciara is also mother to eldest son Future Zahir, who she shares with the music producer Future.
It’s no secret that Ciara’s relationship with Future – not to be confused with her son – was whirlwind and Scan**lous. The former couple got engaged in 2013 before welcoming little Future the following year. However, she called off their engagement in August 2014 amid rumours of cheating on the producer’s part, which he later denied.
Relations between the exes have been tumultuous since then with Ciara filing a lawsuit in 2020 to sue Future for libel and defamation before dropping the case, and their tensions also spilling out onto social media.
With all this in mind, I struggle to believe why former NFL player and podcaster Channing Crowder would rather Ciara return to a clearly unhealthy relationship rather than thrive in the stable marriage she currently has.
Channing went viral this month with his eyebrow-raising comments on podcast The Pivot, claiming: ‘If Russell didn’t have that bread, Ciara wouldn’t be with him.
‘You’re going to leave Future for Russell Wilson? He’s so goddamn square.’
Yes, Channing, it’s called levelling up as Ciara so aptly sung about.
His remarks were misogynistic, sexist and perpetuated toxicity.
If Russell is the definition of a square, then may we all find a square.
Over the past six years, Ciara and Russell have blossomed into one of America’s foremost power couples, making major moves like buying football teams and rubbing shoulders with the elite at the White House. From the outside – pivotal word being ‘outside’ – the Wilsons are a picture perfect view of what a thriving and healthy family should look like.
They appear to treat each other with love, respect and genuine admiration and that is why they should be held up as role models.
The showbiz industry is already filled with enough microwave relationships and marriages that thrive off all manners of Scan**ls and, while it may be entertaining to a point, it’s depressing that wholesome relationships are seen as boring for not relying on the courting of controversy for attention.
One particular statement from Channing that irked me was his suggestion that Ciara wouldn’t look twice at Russell if he didn’t have money.
Well, let’s recap; in 2014, the year before Russell and Ciara began dating, Russell reportedly earned $662,434 while signed to the Seahawks – his deal was worth $2.99million over four years.
The quarterback met Ciara in early 2015 and later that year he landed a contract with the Seahawks worth $87.6m – some might say CiCi was his good luck charm.
It wasn’t until 2019, three years into their marriage, that Russell signed a new deal with the Seahawks for a whopping $140m making him the highest-paid NFL player at the time.
Therefore Russell’s financial security has been a steady, yet soaring, climb.
Black women continually have to face being sexually objectified and valued on superficial measures, but Black men can face a hard rap too as, apparently, we’re still supporting bad habits over healthy behaviour and pushing that concerning narrative on wide-reaching platforms.
If Russell and Ciara are the epitome of a so-called vanilla couple, we’re ready to make being square the trend.
