Aaliyah predates Mary J. I'm actually a big Mary J fan, but I ended up leaving her out because I don't think she fits the bill of what I'm trying to get across. Maybe she does. It's kinda like you said though, she was bigger than the title.
Yes, everyone wanted to work with her, but really, most of the songs it was Mary J. featuring ____ instead of ____ featuring Mary J. Blidge.I think she's kind of famous on her own in a way that Rihanna really isn't. Does that make sense? Maybe I wasn't clear enough that I'm really talking about people who were famous for being designated female collaborator. Mary J did a lot more than just be "ooh, we need a bitch to sing hooks"
Missy I had a harder time with. I actually had her in there and then removed her and then put her back and removed her again. What it finally came down to is I consider Missy a rapper in her own right, not an R&B singer. She's actually great vocalist, and her hooks on a lot of Lil Kim stuff are amazing but she's not known for it, in my view nearly as much as she's known for her own stuff. As opposed to J-Lo and Beyonce, who, though they have brilliant solo careers, I think in the annals of hip-hop have definite stars next to their name that say "designated hook singer."
Eve I think is absolutely amazing. And yes she can sing, but even more so than Missy, I think of her as the OPPOSITE of what I'm talking about. You don't hire Eve as a collaborator to sing hooks. You hire her as a collaborator to add a hip-hop verse. I left out Lil Kim and Left Eye for the same reason. I think they're important, but I think they're on their own list which goes the other way. Same with Rah Digga, but as you point out, she never had anywhere near the level of success of the others I mentioned.
Yes, everyone wanted to work with her, but really, most of the songs it was Mary J. featuring ____ instead of ____ featuring Mary J. Blidge.I think she's kind of famous on her own in a way that Rihanna really isn't. Does that make sense? Maybe I wasn't clear enough that I'm really talking about people who were famous for being designated female collaborator. Mary J did a lot more than just be "ooh, we need a bitch to sing hooks"
Missy I had a harder time with. I actually had her in there and then removed her and then put her back and removed her again. What it finally came down to is I consider Missy a rapper in her own right, not an R&B singer. She's actually great vocalist, and her hooks on a lot of Lil Kim stuff are amazing but she's not known for it, in my view nearly as much as she's known for her own stuff. As opposed to J-Lo and Beyonce, who, though they have brilliant solo careers, I think in the annals of hip-hop have definite stars next to their name that say "designated hook singer."
Eve I think is absolutely amazing. And yes she can sing, but even more so than Missy, I think of her as the OPPOSITE of what I'm talking about. You don't hire Eve as a collaborator to sing hooks. You hire her as a collaborator to add a hip-hop verse. I left out Lil Kim and Left Eye for the same reason. I think they're important, but I think they're on their own list which goes the other way. Same with Rah Digga, but as you point out, she never had anywhere near the level of success of the others I mentioned.
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