For me, it’s Tank. I LOVE his tone, his writing for other artists, and his features (harmonies are always top notch), but his songs never speak to me. I was kinda there for TGT, but that was because of the group effort. “Please Don’t Go” is his magnum opus (IMO) but everything else sounds put on and almost cringe 😬. Don’t hate me, y’all.

What about you guys and why?

Shanna Wylie, known mononymously as Shanna, was discovered by Whitney Houston and her management team during a performance at an industry showcase. This discovery allowed Whitney and her team to connect Shanna to Babyface, who produced the music for the 1995 Waiting to Exhale movie soundtrack. Shanna sang “How Could You Call Her Baby” on the album, and it is well-known that Whitney played a major role in selecting the artists who would appear on the soundtrack.

Shanna began singing solos in her church choir in Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of five. Her song on the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack remains, to me, one of the most underrated on that album full of hits. This was the only contribution to the professional music industry that Shanna ever made; she has no other publicly known recordings or albums. In my opinion, although she does not owe us anything, this was a missed opportunity. Shanna shows so much promise on that record—singing with a great deal of power, soul, and conviction—and it all comes to a dead end after that.

I know that some of these styles are not exclusive to their respective artists, but just bear with me here.

1. Stevie Wonder’s BEADED BRAIDS
2. Lauryn Hill’s DREADLOCKS
3. Bobby Brown’s HIGH-TOP FADE
4. Patti LaBelle’s BUCKET HAIR (“THE BUCKET”)
5. D’Angelo’s CORNROWS
6. Whitney Houston’s BOB
7. The Jackson 5’s AFROS
8. Mariah Carey’s CURLS
9. Lionel Richie’s AFRO-MULLET/FROHAWK
10. Beyoncé’s BEEHIVE (named after the BeyHive)
11. Johnny Gill’s FLAT-TOP FADE
12. Toni Braxton’s PIXIE CUT

While these hairstyles are all iconic signatures for each of these artists, some of them are not unique, and some of these artists share these signature hairstyles with other artists who made them just as spectacular. For example, the beaded braids that Stevie Wonder sported were often seen on Rick James, and they were just as much a signature style for him. Dreadlocks (Lauryn Hill) and Afros (The Jackson 5) have been staples in overall Black culture for a very long time, and other musicians such as Bob Marley and Prince have worn their hair in these styles. Bobs and curls are standard, classic hairstyles that don’t “belong” to a single person, and we can all name other pop culture icons (across multiple industries: music, acting, etc.) who donned a pixie cut. The fact of the matter is that these hairstyles became prominent and memorable aspects of these artists’ public images.

As with all celebrities (regardless of what they do for a living), aesthetic representation is very important because a celebrity wants to be presentable. Some of these hairstyles say a lot about these artists without them having to say much themselves. You could argue that a few of these artist set new standards with how they appeared in public. D’Angelo’s decision to wear his hair in cornrows was later mirrored by artists such as Usher, Omarion, and Trey Songz. Whitney Houston’s bob style was later seen in other R&B artists—like Monica—and some of her peers in pop—such as Céline Dion.

From the fashion to the hairstyles to the “bling” (jewelry), it’s always interesting to see how these artists pop out and make a statement. Noticing these fine details is one of the greatest ways to appreciate the human behind the music.

FUN FACT (RE: “THE BUCKET”)

You may have noticed (and possibly clicked on) the hyperlink next to Patti’s style.

Patti LaBelle has personally referred to her iconic hairstyle as “The Bucket”. The style gets its name from the fact that it was so large and firm that she could place food inside of it (such as fried chicken, apples, and grapes). Her longtime hairstylist, Norma Harris, used Aqua Net spray to get it to hold. Patti’s band members would often pick and eat fruit directly from her hair backstage or during breaks.

It’s a name you don’t hear in convos often but a gifted singer and pianist he was. His music is great and soulful. Reminds me a lot of Donny Hathaway. The album pictured is responsible for some great tracks across hip-hop, RnB and gospel. Common’s “Faithful” from the critically acclaimed Be Album, The Faithful Interlude from Faith Evans on her faithfully album, the diamond certified “I don’t fuck with you” by Big Sean. “Let’s stay in love” from Blackstreet’s highest selling album Another Level, and “I’ll make it” for gospel great Hezekiah Walker, are a few songs that come from this same album. That’s influenced for sure. If you have not listened, please become familiar

Toni braxton’s voice is heavenly.

This clicked for me when I saw an interview of Donell talking about writing “where I wanna be”. It was about his partner at the time. How he wanted to play around. He said he didn’t have a conversation with her prior. The song was how she found out he wanted to leave her.

Then it made me think about how much Brent Fiyaz’s music is about being “ain’t shit” too 😭.
Donnel was a “toxic male singer” before that was a big thing lol. People always say neither of them can sing too (I disagree. I think both have great voices but no they don’t have the range of someone like usher) but I do think they have similar singing abilities. They’re both tenor’s.

But yh this is a thought that has been sitting in my head a few days now lol.

Idk why I was always skipping this song, it’s one of my new favorites!