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Mariah: Mama Said Knock You Out

Posted Wed Mar 5, 2008 1:00pm PST by Billy Johnson, Jr. in Hip-Hop Media Training

Mariah sure knows what she's doing.

Have you seen her "Touch My Body" video? It prompted me to write her a letter.

Dear Mariah,

Great video. Good job MC. Considering the popularity of the geek slap stick films Superbad, 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up it was genius to incorporate the idea into your "Touch My Body" video. What a treat it must have been for 30 Rock page Jack McBrayer to roll up to the mansion in the Compu Nerd Wolkswagon Bug only to have you open the door for him in your underwear? How did you pick him? This is funny. I'm going to watch it again, again, and again.

How are you able to make this whole music thing look so easy. You stepped in the ring in 1989 with "Vision Of Love," and nearly 20 years later, you are still knocking out the competition.

[Whispering] I know we don't like to talk about this, but you're almost 40, but you're hanging with the baby girls. Dang. Go Mariah!

If Janet's Discipline album debuted today at No. 1, selling a buck eighty during its first week on sale, I wonder what E=MC2 is going to do on Wednesday, April 23 when its first week numbers are revealed. Might then E=Discipline2? (I'm just joking Janet.)

Mariah, I know you're going to uphold your status as the best selling female artist of all time. Hopefully, that's a title that won't get Aretha Franklin upset.

Best,
Billy J

 

Here's why Mariah is different from the other Queens. The answer is in Glitter and the decisions it prompted her to make.

Mariah really believed that her pre-Glitter 'Tommy Motolla and J. Lo are out to get me' meltdown was going to sell her some movie tickets and soundtracks, thus jumpstarting her new $81.6 million, four album deal with Virgin Records. But when that approach backfired, MC fired back.

Mariah left Virgin Records after only releasing one of those four albums. But that one album that sold just 1 million copies, compared to the 5 to 10 million albums she generally sells, had to earn her the biggest payout. She signed to Virgin for a $81 million deal, but she walked away with $49 million after only releasing ONE album. She essentially received 60 percent of the profits for doing 25 percent of the work. Sorry Frank Lucas and Jay-Z, I think this makes her the true American Gangster.

Turned out that the so-called Glitter flop was better than any medicine Dr. Phil could have prescribed. It was the reality check Mariah needed to prompt her to get her career back on track. You would have thought Mariah was a single mother with five hungry kids. She singed with Island Def Jam, threw the Charmbracelet together really quickly, and started gearing up for The Emancipation Of Mimi.

The Emancipation came back so hard that it reminded me of that scene from the Color Purple when Sophia told Celie that she had to beat up her husband Harpo. "All my life I had to fight," Sophia said. "I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers. A girl child ain't safe in a family of men, but I ain't never thought I'd have to fight in my own house!" Mariah's comeback gave me those kind of chills.

Mariah went from Glitter to "We Belong Together" which set a BDS record for having the largest one-day and one-week total audience.

That's a comeback.

That's why people don't talk about Glitter anymore because Mariah has new news, and today it's the "Touch My Body" video.

All artists struggling to make a comeback please take note. If Mariah won't start doing workshops, please pick up her catalog and do your own research. In memory of the late famous attorney Johnnie Cochran I must rhyme, "Make a hit, they will forget." It is not that complicated.

Now that Mimi has been emancipated, she's back to doing what she does best: taking off her clothes, singing seductively and forcing on us that unnecessary, yet impressive, high pitch octave range.

If she couldn't sing so well and write and produce, she would be just another struggling, bargin bin wannabe diva.

But it is amazing that she has maintained relevancy for 20 years like no other pop artist has done.

Mariah, sometimes you get on my nerves, as do some of my relatives, but I still love you. You are a great talent.

How you manage to do this at nearly 40 is remarkable. As our old friend MC Hammer used to say, Please don't hurt 'em. And I mean that.

890 Comments

41. Lotus Bellydancer -
Bellydance
www.LotusDanceStudio.com

42. Yahoo! Music User -
hang it up girl

43. Jason G -
I could watch that over an over.......

44. World Wide Raceing -
Mariah You Rock My World Im Glad you got over your nervous breakdown you and I can make Beautiful Music Together

45. Linda -
Love it!! the song, the video,& down to mariah in those cute outfits.

46. A.L. -
I've been her fan since seeing her perform "Vision of Love" on the Arsenio Hall show in 1990...and she continues to amaze and entertain me! Love her!!!!

47. Yahoo! Music User -
The video stinks and so does the song. The only reason why it would ever make it into the top ten is b/c Mariah is half naked. Put on a turtle neck, girlfriend.

48. Lish -
Mariah is boring. Shes just about in her 40s dressing like she's going to a jr high prom. Its like okay you look good for your age but its not sexy to show the world everything are videos are always one step from porn. I havent cared much for her since butterfly.

49. Yahoo! Music User -
She's hot but I can't get past the way she draws on her eyebrows half way up her forehead. Too Betty Davis for me.

50. S.Matteo Tech Research Services -
Wow, I wish I looked that good in a miniskirt.
Probably the best line in the video ...upgrade to "802.11n" - you know it.

51. Yahoo! Music User -
Go GIRL!!!
cant wait for the concert!!!
wait your having one right?

52. Joey -
What is provocative about this video? This is a typical MC video. Barely Clothed and looking hot and singing up a storm...

53. voodoo -
Mariah is the truth.... when are you untalented critics going to get it. I loved in 89 when i was working at The LOVE discount stores and i love her even more NOW! Lamby can do no wrong in my eyes and ears. Big happy birthday shout out to her buddy RACHEL whos birthday falls on a leap year. CRAZY!!!!!!

Love always!!!
The Man Of Passion

54. director Hugo V. -
Very, extremely, and unimaginative boring video! Not even her lack of wardrobe can save this tired premise!!!!!

55. Shane -
omg mariah is sooooooo beautiful

56. rayne -
I liked her last cd, but this song sounds so so to me. So she's running around in the video half naked. This should be impressing to some who are easily excited. However, Mariah has an absolute briliant voice. I'm just sorry that with today's society, your voice is not good enough, you have to show butt too. Sad reality!

57. Yahoo! Music User -
How old is she? Stop acting like a school girl and cover up your ugly body please.

58. Brian Ciesil -
I'd hit it... :D

59. Yahoo! Music User -
MARIAH CAREY IS A GOOD ROLE MODEL TO THOSE OUT THERE.i had thought that this video is pretty darn funny.:)

60. WackMasterD -
She is hot but its amazing how female singers sing about how hot they are I think it weired
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