Alicia Cook (c. 1979- ), better known by her stage name of Alicia Keys, was one of the top American R&B singers of the 2000s. She is best known for “Fallin'” (2001) , which made her name and is still her most unforgettable song to date. Smokey Robinson says she is one of the best new singers.
So far six of her songs have hit number one on the American R&B chart:
- 2001: Fallin’
- 2003; You Don’t Know My Name
- 2004: If I Ain’t Got You
- 2004: My Boo (with Usher)
- 2007: No One
- 2008: Like You’ll Never See Me Again
“Superwoman” and “Teenage Love Affair” never hit number one.
Half these songs also hit number one on the American pop chart: “Fallin'”, “My Boo” and “No One”.
For comparison, during this same period Beyonce had five number one hits on both the R&B and pop charts in America and Mariah Carey had three each.
Mariah and Beyonce have sold way more records than Alicia Keys: they have been at it longer and their music crosses over to white audiences better.
Alicia Keys is not only talented and successful but beautiful – one of the most beautiful black women according to white people. She is half Italian by blood and looks nearly white.
Her father is black (Jamaican); her mother is white (Italian-American). She considers herself to be black, not biracial or mixed race. Unlike with Mariah Carey, it has never been a question. Also, unlike Carey, her early music was more clearly black too.
She was born in Harlem. Her parents split when she was two. She saw little of her father, a flight attendant, though he did remain in her life. Her mother was often poor but somehow she always found money for Alicia’s piano lessons. Alicia:
I’ve had a deep love for music since I was four… . Music came before everything, everything, everything. I would risk everything for it.
By seven she could play classical piano. By 11 she was writing songs. One of the songs on her first album she wrote at 14. She continued to learn and practise her singing and piano.
In 1997 she got a record deal with Columbia Records – and dropped out of Columbia University. But then Columbia Records did what they did to Aretha Franklin and Bruce Springsteen before her: tried to make her into someone else:
I felt that they wanted me to be a clone of Mariah or Whitney, and I couldn’t do that. I’m not the sequined dress type, or the high-heeled type, or the all-cleavage type. I’m not coming like that for no one.
They parted ways.
Clive Davis, the very man who brought us Whitney Houston, stepped in. He was struck by her talent and beauty. She was struck by how he took her seriously.
After many delays – Davis was kicked out of Arista and formed J Records, bringing Keys with him – she completed her first album in 2001. “Nothing before its time,” she says. Davis got her on Oprah’s television show and the rest is history.
– Abagond, 2009.
See also:
- The Secret Life of Bees – she played one of the main characters
- The most beautiful black women according to white people
- Songs I have posted:
- 2001: Fallin’ – live
- 2003: You Don’t Know My Name
- 2008: Another Way to Die – a rock song with Jack White.
- 2008: Teenage Love Affair
- 2009: Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart
- Beyonce
- The blackness of Mariah Carey
- beyond black – Mariah is beyond black, Alicia Keys is not
- biracial
- black father, white mother
- Oprah Winfrey
- Harlem
- songs: the 2000s
What a wonderful young lady – black, white or whatever she considers herself or what others consider her. She has not allowed anyone to pigeonhole her and use her beauty to market her talent. Go ahead girl!
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Again, Beyonce (as a solo artist) has never outsold Alicia Keys.
Keys is one of the best selling female artists of the decade. Only Mary J. Blige has outsold her and that’s because like you noted, she’s been at it longer.
Keys is a HUGE crossover star and I don’t know how you get the idea that Beyonce is bigger than her. You gotta look at the stats man. Keys’ last album sold over 700,000 copies in its first week in retail. Beyonce’s last album didn’t come close to selling that in its first week of release.
Again, I’m not a fan of Keys. Yet, with all of the records that she has sold, it’s inevitable that many are.
And finally, you’re bugging if you don’t think her looks and racial hertiage didn’t help with her massive crossover success. In a cover story with Blender magazine, she even admitted that if she were a lot darker-skinned, it would have been harder to cross over.
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I don’t perfer Alicia Keys Voices, Its just to raspy for my taste, but anywho, the point of my comment is just to announce that she is a lesbian, or bisexual…I didn’t know that! it was just very surprising to me. and also, it doesn’t matter if she “considers” herself to be black and not mixed race or biracial, she is not black, she is half black and half white. if i decide i want to be an apple and i tell everyone i’m an apple, it doesn’t make me an apple.
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I didn’t know she was lesbian or bisexual.I thought she was dating Swiss Beats.
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Elaina, Alicia Keys can be whatever she wants to be. If she wants to be called black then so be it. Stop the madness.
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I agree Alicia Keys is beautiful and very talented. Beyonce can’t even compare to Alicia keys…whom I believe takes music past the shimmer and bright lights. Alicia Keys is a musician and Bey…well she’s an entertainer.
Mariah Carey started off good but now she’s just a floozy!
Sincerely,
Go
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Alicia K beautiful? I find her average looking.
She is not that talented!lol there are plenty real singer( with a real voice and soulful).
To me she’s a popstar like Bey, I think because of her image people think she’s a “real” artist unlike Bey.
I agree with Myname her racial heritage and her look help her to be so successful without a doubt!
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I agree with that: if she was as dark as Mary J or Chaka Khan, her music would be seen differently by whites even though it would be the very same music.
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Mynameismyname:
Alicia Keys is a crossover success, no doubt, but I think Beyonce is more of one. I base that on how many number one songs they each have had on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2001.
Also: a greater percentage of Beyonce’s number one hits on the R&B chart become number one hits on the pop chart: 80% as opposed to Alicia’s 50%.
I did not look at record sales since 2001. That might tell a different story, like you said.
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i don’t see alicia as a pop star because she’s not one. she’s more of the soul singing and has more talent than beyonce but i think beyonce has sold more records than alicia. at least that’s what i think and she’s beautiful. with or without makeup.
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Nubiah,
I agree with you. As far as looks go, I think she’s pretty average looking. BUT, I think she is one of the most genuine and generous entertainers there are in the business. She is true to herself, which in itself, is majorly attractive.
I also agree with those who say she wouldn’t be as successful if she were a darker woman. Take for instance India.Arie who didn’t win one award the year Keys racked up 7 Grammys! India.Arie can sing circles around Alicia Keys and many of the other popular artists out there, not to mention the fact that she is such a creative and unique talent. To my dismay, she struggles to gain the respect and notoriety she deserves.
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Nubiah,
You pretty stated everything I wanted to say perfectly! LOL.
India.Arie WAS a pop success. She, like Keys, is an average talent but comparing her to Keys is a bad comparison. They are two different artists. I don’t think India wants the same type of pop notoriety that Keys and her spin doctors were after.
And again, Beyonce’s solo sales don’t hold a candle to what she sold in Destiny’s Child. She’s a very successful singles artist.
Mary J. is one of the richest black women in the industry. It’s been 17 years since her first album and she’s still relevant. She’s outsold Keys. Let’s see if AK can still be relevant 17 years from now.
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Aba,
If Keys didn’t have a white mother and was as dark as Mary and Chaka (both of whom are legends in the game at this point), how exactly do you think whites would perceive her differently? I’m just curious.
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I specifically remember her identifying as bi-racial when I first heard her on BET, as to why I liked her. She wasn’t picking sides and denying her mother’s existence or culture. After all, she was the one who raised her!
I don’t like that people have been raised to pick the non-white race as their identity, without option. It only maintains the racial falsehood of white purity and superiority. And then these same people call it colourism, which just measures the treatment you get based on how mixed you are. People aren’t light-skinned for no reason.
Either way, everyone sees she looks different and they treat her differently. But we all pretend there’s no big mixed elephant in the room. Fine.
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Aba, I’m still curious to your answer to my question.
Kandeezie,
Keys always publically called herself a black woman. She’s never denied her mother but she’s always publically identified as black.
See, like I’ve said before, a person who is black/white, WILL NEVER BE SEEN AS WHITE. Ever. They can be black or “mixed”. But they can never be claim to be white. So arguments about what someone who is black/white “should” be considered are futile and just reveals the state of mind of the individual who is making that argument.
Also, you should go to West Africa and East Africa and tell the many light-colored people there that they’re not their shade for “no reason”. Um, black folks come in all shades. Naturally. Without “white blood”. And most “light skinned” black Americans are no more mixed than the remaining majority of black folks.
Just wanted to clear that up.
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“Alicia K beautiful? I find her average looking.”
Wow, I would love to know what you consider beautiful then. I think she is. She doesn’t have a cheap, exotic, swarmy look to her, that seems to be what most people like. She looks very classy and innocent. -like a classic hollywood movie star. She resembles Lean Horne.
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And I love her music.
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Beauty’s subjective, but I find Miss. Keys downright pretty. And regarding her music, I think she’s quite talented. She composes her own lyrics and music and sings her own songs. Not to mention, she’s keeping it real. I love her!
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Wow, I say Keys has the best makeup artist ever because I’m telling you guys, in reality, she looks much different from the pictures you guys are used to seeing!
I’ve seen this woman upfront a decade ago before she was signed to J Records. Before she was a star. Nubiah’s right, there’s nothing beautiful about her.
She’s purely photogenic. A natural fit for the camera. But not pretty. And far from beautiful. Seriously. I’m not hating, I’m just stating the truth. LOL.
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@mynameismyname
I totally agree, I’ve seen some pictures of her without all the make ups, lights and other artifacts (if i can tell). And she is not “marvelousely beautiful”. She is a pretty girl, but average (TO ME, i precise before everybody get flamed on here!!).
Plus, she doesn’t have a pretty body, no real hips, kinda flat to me. She took more from her “white” side than from her “black” side.
But I do appreciate her talent, i’m not a fan of her. But I can recognize that she is a real musician, really talented. She can play piano and certainly other instruments, she can compose and produce and she CAN SING!
And to further the comparison, Beyonce can sing, but cannot do the rest that Alicia can. Beyonce got a nice face and a pretty body but thats all to me, sorry, she can’t dance!
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Mynameismyname or Maluson:
Have you seen any pictures on the Internet that would give us a better idea of how she looks without make-up?
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I think she is beautiful, though I have never seen her without make-up, etc. She has beautiful eyes and a beautiful smile. Her figure is not that great but it is getting better than it was.
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Mynameismyname:
If Alicia were as dark as Mary J then I think she would have fewer white fans. For two reasons:
First, many would see her music as more black, as being mainly for blacks – ie, not for them. They would feel more uncomfortable about being her fan. Just ask Madonna or Justin Timberlake. Which is kind of strange given who performs hip hop and who listens to it. Yet it is no accident that Beyonce and Mariah are as light as they are – and are made to look still lighter. (Does anyone remember what Mariah’s natural hair looks like? Or Beyonce’s?)
Second, she would not seem as good-looking to white people. Good looks, not just talent, sells records. It is part of what Simon Cowell means by “the total package”. Just ask Martha Wash.
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@agabond
Frankly, no i don’t recall where i’ve seen those pictures but it was a studio session or something and some shots were taken either from a phone or a webcam or something, but i saw a close up to her face and were not really thrilled by that sight.
But be reassured, she’s still cute. 🙂
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Maluson said:
Plus, she doesn’t have a pretty body, no real hips, kinda flat to me. She took more from her “white” side than from her “black” side
Wow I thought I was the only one to see that.
Kandeezie said:
People aren’t light-skinned for no reason.
I am still amazed to see that some people believe light-skinned means mixed heritage.
Again in Africa you can find plenty people like Keys or lighter than her without non-black blood.
Island girl said:
Wow, I would love to know what you consider beautiful then.
Actually most of celebrities, pop star etc… I don’t find them beautiful( mabye being famous make you beautiful!?)
I see every day real women(no photoshoped, airbrused and good makeup, good light,etc…) far more gorgeous than them(Bey, Halle, Eva Longoria, Angelina Jolie,Rosario Dawnson, Britney, Gisele Bundchen, Tyra, Kimora Jennifer Lopez, Zoe Saldana, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and many more)………..
and I find Keys really average looking with or without makeup.LOL
Mabye because I am a makeup artist so this alter mabye my perception of beauty and I am more into charisma and style .
Why people see her as a real artist, ? is it the piano thing?
Plenty artist even the less talented one can play of an instrument.
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To Nubiah,
Alicia doesn’t just “play” piano, she do much more in term of composition and the final result to her songs, she’s pretty well involved in it.
And as you say, you’re a makeup artist so you know how it goes in that field.
and me… i’m a producer, composer and i write songs, been doing it for a long time, and trust me, she is talentend, musically speaking.
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Lynette,
The funny thing is My daughter who is 10, told me the exactly same thing about you today(in her french-english, Lynette is jolie!), when I was writing my previous comment. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
I could apply to myself, good light, good makeup and photogenic. LOL!
Maluson,
I think , she’s just not my cup of tea, musically speaking.
I don’t find her talentless but overrated(like Bey) if I can say things like that.
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Awww, lovefest.lol The pictures are so small, how can you see them well enough to tell?
Also, what’s wrong with Alicia’s figure? Just curious.
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For the record, both Nubian and Lynette are very beautiful. I’m saying that as a man. Seriously. And as intelligent and progressive as you two are, your husbands/mates and children are very fortunate.
And for the record, Nubiah and Lynette are FARRRRRRRR more beautiful than Keys!!! No competition.
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Come on guys,
Let’s not be fooled by marketing schemes.
Keys ia a VERY elementary piano player. I’m sorry. I had a promo of her first album before it was released. And it sounded like someone playing “Chopsticks”. LOL. Nothing complex or creative. Also, most of her songs are very derivative. As well as bland. This helps with her fit in with the middle-of-the-roadness that is mainstream pop. It’s the reason why Kenny G sells more than Coltrane. It’s easy to understand. It doesn’t challenge you.
Listen to some old Aretha, Roberta Flack, Nina Simone or even Patrice Rushen to hear a REAL female singer/pianist.
Also check out Amel Larrieux, Ezperenza Spaulding, Jaguar Wright, Joi, Jhelisa and sooo many more contemporary songbirds who make TRULY CREATIVE, beautiful soul music. Not mediorce bland pop/R&B that gets peddled out the masses.
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Good points, Abagond.
Now, I ask this though:
How come the standards of #1 and #2 don’t apply to black male pop artists?
And prior to Keys and Beyonce, most black female crossover artists were fairly dark. Draw the line from Dionne Warwick to Roberta Flack to Natalie Cole to Aretha to Diana Ross to Glayds Knight to Whitney (the reason why Keys and Beyonce even have a record contract) to Janet to Anita Baker to Toni Braxton to Lauryn to Ashanti and so forth. Why didn’t their darkness hurt them with the white audience?
How come Mya, Laura Izibor, Blu Cantrell and countless other mixed race songbirds never took off? More so than the ones who did?
I’m really curious to you answer! Don’t forget this time. LOL.
Also: Good point on Martha Wash. And she’s pretty light skinned! But then again, how come Latifah, Mo’Nique and Jennifer Hudson prosper in the mainstream but she didn’t?
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@mynameismyname
If you re-read my post i said :
“Alicia doesn’t just “play” piano, she do much more in term of composition and the final result to her songs, she’s pretty well involved in it.”
I never claimed that she was “extraordinaire!”.
She is well involved in the composition processed and she knows how a song must go to be efficient… at least she knew! because i’m not really fond of what she do for the moment…
I hate all that popish rnb and rap thing today…
I’d rather listen to some good ol’ Tupac, Keith Sweat and other sweetness back from the 80’s and 90’s (early and mid).
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Yeah, I love Amel Larrieux. Also, I don’t buy the excuse that lighter skinned blacks excel because of the reasons myname mentioned above. Lauryn Hill is very dark and she was all the rage at the time and so were many others.
I wish we could move beyond colorism because it discounts some peoples talent/beauty/ect. and people write it off to complexion.
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well i think alicia has talent and is very beautiful so i don’t see how she is unattractive but i guess that is people’s opinions. she can play the hell out the piano and i think she brings soul back with her music because nowadays you don’t hear it that much and she is not as overrated compared to beyonce. plus i think her figure looks fine because guys i know love her figure, mainly her hips and thighs. she’s one of my favorite artists that’s out right now.
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Lynette,
Yep, I am in the industry. I’m fairly young but my father was in the business as a promoter and manager. I am a bassist and singer on the side and I have lots of info on the business. I also do some work in promotions and marketing, so I get access to lots of new artists and such. Hence, my encounter with Keys ten years ago at a showcase.
Plus, I do work in television and photography as well. Like Nubiah, I know all of the tricks they use. Hell, they’ve used some on me before! LOL.
So, yeah, I have lots of knowledge about the arts. I could supply you guys with lots of insider gossip but only if Aba approves. LOL.
So, Aba, are you going to answer the question from comment #37? I’m seriously curious to hear you answer.
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Lynette,
Kenny G is the king of what is labeled “smooth jazz”. Or instrumental pop. I think the smoothness and easiness of his stuff makes it easy for the general public to comphrend. Perhaps, traditional jazz styles (hard bop, modal, hard fusion) are a bit too “hoity-toity” for the average music consumer. Who knows.
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LOL, Lynette.
I’m still pretty young, so I’m not where I want to be. But the arts are a big part of me.
Don’t worry, I’ll spill some “gossip gems” along the way! LOL.
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islandgirl
Yeah, I love Amel Larrieux. Also, I don’t buy the excuse that lighter skinned blacks excel because of the reasons myname mentioned above. Lauryn Hill is very dark and she was all the rage at the time and so were many others.
I wish we could move beyond colorism because it discounts some peoples talent/beauty/ect. and people write it off to complexion.
you sound like a typical colorism apologist lol. Your comment annoyed me like some white people who write off racism lol. Mynameismyname comment is the truth and I know some people that work in the industry and say that lighter skin Black women particularly are easier to market to the mainstream than darker skin black women especially at this time in the industry. People always bring up L-boogie but forget that when she came out it was a different era. Black people were celebrating the variety in Black beauty during the 70’s-90’s but somehow the black media wanted to compete against the mainstream and diverted back to the putting more lighter skin Black women in the forefront to make money and colorism started to surface. Yes there are light skin black women that are not selling as much but simply does not discount that it doesn’t exist. Just because someone mentions colorism does not discredit their talent it means that it could’ve helped their success not that it was all to their success. However name one darker complexion upcoming black woman that is on the level of success like Alicia, Beyonce and Rihanna and are pop stars? Mary doesn’t count lol She benefitted from an era where Black people marketed Black women without the color politics intervening lol Even Alicia mentioned that it was true that if she was darker she wouldn’t be as successful. So she must know something for her to make that bold statement.
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@mynameismyname
you said you’re fairly young, which to me implies that you’re somewhere in your early 20s, but then i’m fairly young myself.
I just wanted to say that you have always struck me as someone very mature and wise, so I imagined you to be somewhere in your forties.
But age is very subjective, right?
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also, all these comment have lowered Alicia, in my eyes, greatly.
i used to love her
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Court,
Thanks for the compliment! I’ve always been said to be “wise beyond my years” as many say. You’re right though, age is subjective. I hear some teens call 25 year olds “old”! LOL.
Dani,
Right on. Since Aba won’t (or can’t) answer the questions I posed earlier, I will just say that I asked them to merely show a different perspective on a situation. ‘Tis my style. I believe that everything is multi-directional. Nothing is cut and dry or “one way”. While a bias for whiteness greatly influenced Keys’ (and Beyonce/Rihanna to a lesser extent) pop success, those patterns aren’t completely rigid.
And man, ain’t nothing changed in the game. Things just evolve. The music industry has always been shady.
Although, I can concede that the industry is on its death bed. Nobody’s buying music anymore. Sales are almost nonexistant. Most labels have evaporated into two or three mega-conglomorates. It’s a crazy situtation.
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Alright Lynette,
As promised, I can give you some gossip on Miss Keys herself.
Aba should change the 1981 birthdate because she’s older than that. You can think Clive Davis for the “push back” in age.
Also, a heterosexual she’s not.
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@mynameismyname
I’m sorry but I’m just so curious now to know how old you are.
also, ignorance is bliss!
I love the gossip but I can’t read these comments anymore. I was happy when I had As I Am on repeat.
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alicia without makeup
http://realtalkny.uproxx.com/2007/09/topic/artists/alicia-keys/pics-alicia-keys-without-the-make-up/
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court, i still think she’s a beautiful woman, even though she has acne but it shows she’s human like me. plus i have a hard time dealing with it myself.
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Myname says:
Plus, I do work in television and photography as well. Like Nubiah, I know all of the tricks they use. Hell, they’ve used some on me before!
I WANNA SEE THE PICS!!! BEFORE AND AFTER!LOL.
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Bad skin is common in Hollywood.
Most of them have bad skin due to the heavy, thick make-up they put on them.
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Mynameismyname can drop gossip if it is on topic.
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Mynameismyname:
How come the standards of #1 and #2 don’t apply to black male pop artists?
Part of it is that black men can be considered to be good-looking by whites more easily than black women.
But a bigger part is how hip hop unfolded in the 1990s. Unlike every form of black music before it, it was not taken over by white acts. (It was still coopted but in a different way.)
And prior to Keys and Beyonce, most black female crossover artists were fairly dark. Draw the line from Dionne Warwick to Roberta Flack to Natalie Cole to Aretha to Diana Ross to Glayds Knight to Whitney (the reason why Keys and Beyonce even have a record contract) to Janet to Anita Baker to Toni Braxton to Lauryn to Ashanti and so forth. Why didn’t their darkness hurt them with the white audience?
Like you said there no one simple rule. Times change, as was pointed out. Etc. But at a guess my broad answer is that sometime in the 1990s the balance of power shifted from singing talent to producers. So whereas before you would start with a Whitney Houston or a Natalie Cole and try to make her as raceless as possible, now singers are just frontmen for producers. Now it is more a matter of finding a pretty face that can sing. Like what goes on at “American Idol”. Which means that looks – and therefore race and colourism – play a bigger part, even if people do not mean it to.
Music videos play a part too: With disco in the late 1970s, for example, most people had no idea what many of the acts looked like. (But on the other hand I think part of the backlash against disco was racist.)
Comparing Whitney and Alicia is interesting because the same man is behind them both: Clive Davis. Davis semed to have given Keys more freedom when she was starting out than he did to Whitney. Maybe he is just older and wiser, or maybe he feels he can afford to give Keys more freedom because she is whiter looking.
Notes:
White Americans in the 1960s were way more open to black music. So were their children in the 1990s. Expect the same again in the 2020s – it will not be hip hop but something new that will arise in the 2010s (because hip hop is played out and, besides, who wants to listen to the same music as their parents).
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Mynameismyname said:
Aba should change the 1981 birthdate because she’s older than that. You can think Clive Davis for the “push back” in age.
That makes a ton of sense because 1981 has her dropping out of Columbia University at age 16!
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court:
Thanks for the pictures.
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He seems like he is in his 30s to me too, but I do not want to put him on the spot. If he wants to say, he can say. If not, then not.
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I think Myname is btw 24-26 years old
I think that coz I am 26 years old and he sais in an older post Tatiana Ali was his crush when he was young.
and me she was someone I can relate to, so I just figured out his from my generation.
His maturity ; it’s mabye due at the fact he has lived outside the USA, (Ghana in Africa)
So this I think gave him the opportunity to learn more about the world .
And finally he’s half Ghanian and most of men I know from this country are like him ( in term of maturity)and they are well educated even they are young( less than 30).LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I mean He said no he sais and I just figured out he’s surely from my generation.
damn typing!
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And If I remember he has said the last presidential was the one that he started to have an interest in politic because before he wasn’t in age to vote or something like that.
I am not sure about the exactly sentence.
Eh Myname help us , tell if I get closer and if I can be the feminine version of Columbo!
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LOL, Court, Lynette and Nubiah,
Y’all putting me on the spot! LOL. No, I don’t mind. To answer the question but to still keep a tiny bit of a mystique, I’ll say that Nubiah’s in the right range. I’m somewhere around that bracket. Perhaps, a little younger, maybe a little older but in that arena.
Those Maia Campbell and Tatyana Ali references dated me! LOL.
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Nubiah,
Good observation about West Africans. I also notice this. Many young WAs do seem to have a unique wisdom to them. I mean if you go to any law firm, any university, any medical center, WAs are well-represented. The Pharmacy department of my alma mata (dating myself again- LOL) was dominated by Nigerians!!! LOL.
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Abagond,
Interesting perception on your part in your answer of my questions.
Yet, one can argue that most of the black female crossovers that I named were all products of the post-MTV generation. And the music industry has always been producer-driven. Perhaps, because the music industry is on its last legs, they need a cheaper, faster sell? Hence the shameless promotion of white-looking female (non)talent?
I mean Brandy was one of the biggest female artists of the 1990s. She was much more of a crossover draw than the lighter and arguably more attractive Monica and Aaliyah. All three of the ladies were SQUARELY of the MTV generation and very producer-driven.
You really think that hip hop is played out? Really? And when did whites ever stop being open to black music??? They never stopped. Whites have always been the key supporters of black music. From rag-time to hip hop.
I personally think (and know, really) that the corporate music industry as we’ve known it will just die in the next decade. It’ll be interesting to see what will come up from the ashes.
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Myname says:
I’ll say that Nubiah’s in the right range. I’m somewhere around that bracket.
I knew it!!!!!!
but I keep thinking you are 25?! I know you wanna keep it secret.
I can join the casting of CSI Miami!LOL!
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Aw, I think she’s still pretty even without makeup. I’m not surprised that most stars have acne, it seems like all of that heavy makeup would do wonders on your pores. Haven’t there been rumors that Alicia is gay/bi since she came out (as an artist)? I’m not really surprised, though I can’t say what made my gaydar go off.
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still out of topic,
it s funny the fact that the media never portray West African, such as lawyer, doctor, businessman etc…a lot do really well in UK , Canada and USA.
I was a fan of Brandy back in days.
But in 90s the Black singers(R&B etc…) were far more diverse in term of looks (this included skin tone) but after Lauryn Hill, this has stopped .
and White(females) singers were more diverse in term of looks too in 90s.
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Thank you, Lynette!
I really strive to be better and better, though.
Nubiah,
See, that’s why we should all really learn to take the images that are protrayed before us in the media with a grain of salt. Most of what we see isn’t real or unbiased. Hence, why WAs are rarely represented in higher positions in the media YET they are the most educated group of people in the U.S.
You’re right, most of the white pop sensations, post-Britney, are skinny, young and blonde. Exactly what White America famously values in women.
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@nubih
I think myname is twenty-five too!
@MYNAME
What’s your other half? besides the Ghanian?
I agree that media representations of West Africans are pretty bad. As I type this, I’m thinking of a new episode of monk that premiered a couple of weeks ago. It featured a Nigerian man whose wife was hit and killed by a car. They made the guy look like an country bumpkin, which was so wrong especially because Nigerian tend to be the flashiest when it comes to their education and success.
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I agree with Jasmin11, she is still pretty without makeup. And if she’s older than 28, she looks very young.
Poor Alicia, can’t catch a break.lol
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Islandgirl,
You are so pretty! 🙂
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Awww, so are you! I noticed that on one of your other comments.
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What is up with all the pretty ladies lately?
Jasmins11 and islandgirl, you ladies look good!
Alicia who? 😛
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@leigh204, pot calling the kettle black.lol Just goes to show you that there is a variety of beauty.
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Still out of topic,
As you can see, all the pretty ladies(Lynette, Island girl, Jasmine, Leigh204 etc..) on this blog confirm what I was saying before, the every day woman is far more beautiful than plenty celebs.
Myname,
I agree with you since Britney,JLO, and Bey( even I think Bey is just the noire version of JLO) they all look the same, someone like Cindy Lauper couldn’t have been so successful in 00s.
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I agree, Nubiah, ladies like you, Lynette, Jasmine and the others show that everyday women blow away dolled-up celebs. Anyday.
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You are all so sweet! I agree that there are a lot of gorgeous women who post on this blog. 🙂
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Myname,
I guess I’m one of “the others” so thanks.
Nubia, thanks for including me, you’re pretty as well.
It’s nice when women support each other.
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I meant you too as well, Islandgirl! LOL.
Is that pic really you? I ask because it looks professionally done.
What island do you descent from, if you mind me asking?
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Yeah, it’s me. It’s a pic that I use for business.
I chose this name because of my love for Island culture and reggae/dancehall. Also, when I lived in NYC, people from those regions always asked what island I’m from. Actually, I’m from the Midwest.blah
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I always found Alicia not only attractive but also very bright. This was exemplified during her interview with David Letterman.
When she does not get into a debate about whether she is mixed or biracial but just black, you know you are dealing with someone who has a strong sense of who she is. She is one of my favorites.
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so if a mixed race person says they are mixed instead of black that means they are not bright. oh please. I think that mixed race people should be able to identify as they please. I don’t think alicia keys’s worth should have anything to do with how she identifies racially. i’m mixed and see myself as a person of colour, black, but also mixed race regardless. if i sign a census i’m going to put mixed if the option is there because that is what i am. but i still identify more as black than white.
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Race is not a choice in America, not for most people. If you have a black parent and live in America and do not understand that nearly everyone is going to see you as black (unless you can pass), then you are not too bright. And if you think denying your blackness is going to make anything better, you are likewise not too bright. That is how I understand Canuck’s comment.
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Please, to all black people – dont get here mixed beauty girls as BLACK, Alicia Keys has Scottish mother ( white ), blacks are that persons who have both black parents.
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http://1001gallery.com/Alicia%20Keys/
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Alicia Keys is so amazingly beautiful and talented. I really like her voice too but I’m not so keen on the kind of music she makes. It’s a bit too boring to me.
Regards,
The Alicia Keys discography Guy
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Alicia Keys is REALLY pretty to me. I like the fact that her songs our memorable, and more importantly likable, years after she releases them(unlike Beyonce).
Her music has its own unique feel that helps her stand out against all of the other female pop stars.
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Lmao. What is all this nonsense in the OP post and the comments section?
So much wrong (in several senses) in the OP post.
“Alicia Keys is not only talented and successful but beautiful – one of the most beautiful black women according to white people.” – According to white people? Lmao
“Her father is black (Jamaican); her mother is white (Italian-American).”
– Her father is NOT Jamaican, he is African America. She’s corrected this several times before.
“She considers herself to be black, not biracial or mixed race. Unlike with Mariah Carey, it has never been a question. Also, unlike Carey, her early music was more clearly black too.”
– What. Keys has acknowledge she is biracial or mixed, and even credits it and growing up in the city with helping her related to different cultures. She said that women of color are generally considered black in America so she identifies as black. Also, “black music”? Seriously?
“She was born in Harlem.”
– She was born in Hell’s Kitchen, not Harlem. She later lived in Harlem.
“She saw little of her father, a flight attendant, though he did remain in her life.”
– No he didn’t, said by herself. She said he and her mother didn’t really have a relationship, and he was not there for them at all throughout her upbringing. She reconnected with him years later as an adult.
“Her mother was often poor but somehow she always found money for Alicia’s piano lessons.”
-Right, her mother had multiple jobs and worked long hours to provide for both of them. Alicia’s first piano was an old upright that was gifted to her by a friend in their neighborhood.
Also, Alicia Keys is a singer-songwriter, classically-trained pianist, producer, composer, arranger.
Clive Davis ‘discovered’ or notable supported more and greater talent than Whitney Houston, including Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith.
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@ Jen
That “or notable supported” renders the whole statement so vague as to be useless.
I do not know much about Patti Smith, but I know he did not discover Springsteen or Joplin.
He signed Joplin AFTER she appeared at the Monterey music festival in 1967, which made her nationally known in the US along with The Who and Jimi Hendrix.
Springsteen was discovered by Columbia Records, but it was by John Hammond not Clive Davis. That is not to say Davis did not help him later.
I do not know enough about Patti Smith to know if she is a greater talent than Whitney Houston.
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@ Jen
I wrote this post in 2009 to what was then the best of my knowledge.
I clearly remember her saying she identifies as Black. If she had avoided saying that, like some mixed-race people do, I would have noticed that.
I did a post on the most beautiful Black women according to White people. There is a link to it in the See Also section. That is what that bit of the post was referring to.
I will look into what the deal is with her father. It seems maybe she has become more forthcoming on that topic.
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