Carey, who has seen her stock rise and fall, and then rise again, is said to have a monster hit with her new album from Island/Def Jam Records. And she hasn't even finished recording it yet! First listeners say it is "the strongest album of Mariah's career." In a career that has seen some stratospheric highs, that's saying a lot.

The label's big honcho, LA Reid, has worked closely with Mariah on this effort, as has producer Jermaine Dupri, who has a current hit with Usher and Alicia Keys.


Mariah Carey's got more men than she knows what to do with — working on her upcoming record, that is. So far, the singer has enlisted a host of top rappers, R&B stars and producers for the project, now slated for a spring release.

When asked about the album recently, Carey responded coyly: "Oh, you don't want to hear about that now. You can just wait. No, the record is cool. I'm happy with it. We got ballads, we got uptempos, we got a lot of things."

So far, Carey has collaborated with Kanye West, R. Kelly, N.O.R.E., Jermaine Dupri, Swizz Beatz, James Poyser, Randy Jackson and, most recently, the Neptunes and Snoop Dogg. "I just did two records with the Neptunes, and one with me, Snoop and Pharrell," she said.

Jermaine Dupri worked with her recently as well, putting what he calls the "JD bounce" on a track called "Shake 'Em Off" and then stepping out of the producer's chair to duet with Carey on a song called "Can I Get Your Number." "Mariah is singing unlike we've heard her in a while," Dupri said. "Sh-- is hot."

N.O.R.E. concurred, saying that after he worked with the singer for her album, he immediately enlisted her services for his own forthcoming LP, One Fan a Day, due out December 21. One of his tracks — at first tentatively called "Friends" and now currently without a title — features a previously unreleased verse from the late Big Punisher. Carey, however, didn't have the benefit of hearing that verse before she came up with the chorus.

"I told her to think like Pun was still alive," N.O.R.E. said. "I told her to think of [Pun's] 'It's So Hard' and 'I'm Not a Player.' I know she was mad at me [because she didn't get to hear it], but I know the world is going to love it."

Yet another collaboration — this time with Scott Storch — was just as fruitful, but for someone else's album. Hearing a beat Storch made for Jadakiss' single "U Make Me Wanna" made Carey wanna ... be on the song.

"I was just like, 'This is hot tamale. We need to do this together,' " she said. "And then we went into the studio, and basically they had the 'La-La-La' part, and I started singing 'K-i-s-s me' because I was thinking of his name ..."

"She made it a hit," Jadakiss interrupted.

"No, I'm not trying to take no credit," Carey continued. "It's just that it was cute, so I started singing it, and they decided to make it the hook of the song, and then it came to be."

Now that she's softened up Jada's single, she's eager to have the rapper return the favor.

"When are you going to get some Kiss vocals on there?" the rapper asked her.

"I have a nice track that I would love for you to be on," Carey told him. "It's a Swizz Beatz record that's hot tamale, and we need you on it."

"No doubt. It's a done deal," Jadakiss said. "And I heard it first."

Since Carey's album is still in progress, it hasn't been determined which, if any, of Carey's pairings will make the final cut, her label rep noted.

She seams really desperate with all these colaborators.

origmnd said:

What else is new???

*GROAN*

So much for the "jazz album". Trot out the wheelbarrow full of rappers. Maybe she can duet with Lil' Bow Wow.

And it seems like she always enlists fifty producers to go and talk about her "hot shit" new album months before it's due. What the fuck is up with that? Has Jermaine Dupri ever said anything else about a forthcoming Mariah record?
[Edited 11/1/04 15:16pm]

I know what ur saying, but te album is going to be mostly accoustic, sure there will be a few "hip hop made for mtv" tracks, she is a commercial artist with a multi million dollar contrack, u know there was always going to seome tracks the label can ship to modern radio. but from what some people have heard the album is accoustic based, and she has worked with a jazz band on half the tracks.

twink69 said:

Too bad, becuase I'm sure the rappers are going to fuck up what might have been a very pleasant artistic move for her (and probably a very commercially savvy one, too, judging by the success of quasi-jazz artists like Norah Jones and covers albums by Queen Latifah, Rod Stewart, etc.)

ok i dont know whats the deal with all yall haters hating on mariah but it needs to stop.hating sure wont make u famous so just squash and keep living ur life

ABeautifulOne said:

Zelaira?

no im a damn Man not a girl that makes strange stuff that makes people wonder

twink69 said:

Could she be a little more enthused?

origmnd said:

i wish she would just put out a "Mariah" cd. no collaborations!

just hope that this one won't bomb like the roll she has been on for the past 6 years. It's amazing how 10 years ago she was hot and now she's not. I don't care what nobody say, any album she makes now won't be half as decent as the ones she made when she was sony.

My nephew will be excited. I wonder if he's heard? oh well, I hope she does ok

twink69 said:

We hear this all the time before a Mariah album comes out. It's getting tired.

I like Mariah alot,but it seems that,these days,she's just making the same album over and over.With all of these guest rappers and the usual crop of trendy R&B producers,it all sounds like 'Glitter Soundtrack Part 2',or 'Charmbracelet:The Sequel'.


She's got an incredible voice.Too bad she wastes it on second-rate songs

twink69 said:

I predict that,by the time this CD comes out,most of the more "acoustic" and jazz-tinged songs will be removed.It will be yet another glossy,over-produced R&B album,filled with rap cameos.

Ugh. The canned music (meaning a play list of about 12 songs over and over) at work features Make It Through the Rain by Mariah. After hearing this song numerous times I have concluded that its one of the worst songs ever written and performed. She's practically shouting through the whole thing, not singing. This experience alone makes me never want to hear from her again. She really fell from my graces when she went thug-ho and started wearing napkins for clothing.

AcidRockGemini said:

looka here i got a few choice words 4 ALL of YALL if u were mariah u wouldnt last one damn day in her shoes and u wouldnt know what the hell music is if it slapped u in ur damn face.just because u havent been anywhere doesnt mean u have to show how u act so if u dont have anything nice 2 say hold it 2 ur damn self and stop and think because HATERADE does not make things better 4 u

ABeautifulOne said:

Oh get off your high horse


No one is "hating" on Mariah.I happen to be a fan of hers.But that doesn't mean I have to like everything she does.

lol when's someone gonna toss this miserable weasel lookin assrat off the planet

TheRealFiness said:

Mariah Carey is SO LAME to me..always has been!! She is so predictable and dont like to take musical risks...I recently seen her in somebody rap video just last week...acting all coy and sexy singing the hook and I thought to myself..she back to prostituting herself commercially(ala..Whitney in the 80's) what a crock!

TheRealFiness said:

im not ur momma im not an ass rat like ur crooked ass OK dont get me started..BUT DavidEye if u read close enough u see that if someone talks bad u get mad

ABeautifulOne said:

Mad? No,I never get mad.I love a good,juicy debate (just ask Gman1966).

ABeautifulOne said:

are we havin' a bad day??? i wasnt talking about U but Mariah..but if the shoe fits..

TheRealFiness said:

VoicesCarry said:

heh. no shit. that's what i was going to say. maybe she'll call her album DamitaJo too ... "the album i wanted to be brazillian jazz but ended up being more of the same old lazy bullshit"

twink69 said:

from the article:




yeah, that sounds real acoustic to me.

It seems to me that Mariah has been desperate for years. Once she married Tommy M. and got those awful breast implants, I lost interest in her. She does have a very nice voice, but she's a complete joke. I don't think anyone really takes her seriously anymore. Her videos over the past 5 years have been so bimbo-like, it's just plain hilarious to watch her. You have to wonder what she thinks when she looks at her videos and sees herself As far as the new album goes, there will always be someone who will buy it and think it's great.

You are correct, Beautiful One, I couldn't last a day in her shoes as I am a man and have bigger feet than her. Damn my dogs would be barking. I do know what music is: Prince, for one. I always find it fascinating behavior to see people take others' opinions as a personal assault. If someonoe says to me that Prince sucks, for example, so what? They aren't saying that I suck. I like to read everyone's views. Sometimes it opens my eyes to thing I wouldn't otherwise see. You write about if 'you don't have anything nice to say...' (you know the cliche) while in the very same post you write such negativity. That's not to mention the curse words. My Grandpa always said curse words are an idiot's way of expressing himself, damn it! LOL. btw it spelled HATRED
[Edited 11/2/04 14:09pm]

AcidRockGemini said:

i wrote bad bout mariah where?