http://www.realitytvworld...?s=1004859

"American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino reveals in her book "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale" she is just learning to read and write.

The 21-year-old single mother's new autobiography also reveals she was raped as a ninth grader, People magazine reports.

"Illiteracy is the same as having blinders on," she told ABC's "20/20" Friday night.

"You're illiterate to just about everything. You don't want to misspell," she said. "So that, for me, kept me ... in a box and I didn't, wouldn't come out."

Barrino said she kept her secret throughout the "Idol" competition. But the worst part is not being able to read to her 4-year-old daughter.

"That hurts really bad," she said.

She dropped out of school the year she was raped by a popular boy in her class.

At "one point in time I was saying it was my fault," she said. "Just because of the way I was dressed, I caused it on myself."

I like Fantasia; never knew that she was raped and that she is just learning how to read and write. But at least she is doing something about not being able to read and write, which is good.
[Edited 10/1/05 21:01pm]

why am i not suprised by this....

she also has no talent.

byronic said:

I respectfully disagree. That woman can sing! She brought the house down at last years BET Gospel Awards when she sang "The Lord Is Blessing Me".

ThePunisher said:

good singers are a dime a dozen, talent comes from being able to create a song, untill she does that, she has no talent....



and there have been plenty of illiterate songwriters in american history, so that's no excuse.

byronic said:[quote]

ThePunisher said:

good singers are a dime a dozen, talent comes from being able to create a song, untill she does that, she has no talent....

quote]

I never knew writting songs was the "ONLY" form of talent in music,

twink69 said:[quote]

byronic said:

me neither. why does she have to write songs to have talent?

the j5 didnt start out writing their own songs but i bet u thought they were a talented bunch of kids. or what about early stevie wonder?

byronic said:

-----
It good singers are a dime a dozen than how come we don't see more of them in popular music. Most people singing pop and rnb today just can't sing at all.

Your off on another planet if you don't think singing counts as talent and as far as writing is concerned thats what professional song writers are for. The major record companies have employed them since the begining of the industry.

I swear some of you guys on this board are so quick to come with a mean and smart ass comment that you don't take the time to know what the fuck you are talking about. Give it a rest. You don't have to like decent RnB singers but don't say is not a talent to be able to sing.

twink69 said:[quote]

byronic said:

a singer, is just an instrument, like a guitar...

the person who puts the words in her mouth is the one with talent. today, do we remember the opera singers of the 18th century, no, we remember the songwriters.


singers can be replaced, songwriters can not.

untill she creates her own music, she's just an instrument.

byronic said:

So, you're telling me most people are going to remember who wrote At Last rather than Etta James' famous rendition of it? It takes more than one person to create a recording.

Bigotry... No!



Illiteracy... No!

CinisterCee said:

Count! 1, 3, 4, 2...er.

RipHer2Shreds said:

like some other people said, she also has no talent and is very annoying

Doesn't she spell in her song Baby Mama? "B-A-B-Y-M-A-M-A"....She had me FOOLED!!! I feel used.
[Edited 10/2/05 10:35am]

twink69 said:

Thats only according Byronic. And his opinion is about as valueable as dogshit.

RipHer2Shreds said:

byronic said:

Don't be fooled by the American idol machine...that girl has one of the better voices out there...very powerful...

byronic said:

No disrespect...But, that has to be some of the misinformed, most elitist shit I've ever heard on this site...Trust me, that kind of voice is not a dime a dozen...That girl would have a strong voice in any era...Before you make sweeping statements, do a little homework on "singers" who didn't write their own shit...A lot of the names on the list will surprise you...Now, does writing your own material add to your standing as a great and complete artist? Yes, it does...But some voices are just too damn freakish to deny...and I think that Fantasia chick has an impressive voice beyond all the hype and bullshit...Now if you are a glorified back up dancer with the singing talents of wood (Britney Spears), then I can deal with such a statement...But you can't lump every "singer" in the same box...
[Edited 10/2/05 14:05pm]

PAPAROBBIE said:

murph said:

LOL, you don't read this site much, do you?

I do agree with what you said though, the stats on VERY TALENTED singers who didn't write the songs they sing are huge, that doesn't take anything away from their talent!

murph said:

oh i'm fully aware of the number of singers who never wrote their own stuff, and i'm not really a fan of any of them. a singer, no matter how nice the voice sounds, is an instrument of the songwriter. a tool used to convey the message of the song, much like the guitar, or saxophone or drums. you can have an incredibly expensive guitar, that sounds wonderful and is the greatest example of that instrument on the planet, and unless someone strums it's strings, it ain't nothing but a hunk of wood.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

What you said: "why am i not suprised by this.... she also has no talent."

That doesn't sound like the same post...Also, in another post you basically infer that if you are purely a "singer" you have no talent...Remember your own words, "singers' comes a dime a dozen..." I'll say it again...it's a misinformed statement....No disrespect....

RipHer2Shreds said:

exactly. its like do most people know george gershwin wrote summertime? no, but they know that janis joplin did a killer version of it. there are many examples of this, its not neccesarily about who wrote the song, i could write i song right now, but it means nothing if theres noone to sing it, noone to put some emotion into it

What byronic said:

"oh i'm fully aware of the number of singers who never wrote their own stuff, and i'm not really a fan of any of them. a singer, no matter how nice the voice sounds, is an instrument of the songwriter. a tool used to convey the message of the song, much like the guitar, or saxophone or drums. you can have an incredibly expensive guitar, that sounds wonderful and is the greatest example of that instrument on the planet, and unless someone strums it's strings, it ain't nothing but a hunk of wood."


Murph says: Listen, I get it...Writing your own songs and playing your own instruments certainly adds up to having more talent... (ie---Prince over Michael Jackson) But this is not always the case because you wouldn't say Alecia Keys has any more talent than say, Patti Labelle...Like you said, it all comes down to what you do with your musical prowess, not the fact that you have it...By the way, here are some people you deem "talentless"...

Sarah Vaugn
Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald
Etta James
Aretha Franklin (wrote some of her own songs, but most of her biggest hits were by outside writers)
Joe Williams
The Temptations
The Jackson 5
Donna Summer
Janis Joplin

Wow, those people sure are hacks (LOL).....!!!!
[Edited 10/2/05 15:50pm]

My concern is that she's careful signing contracts she can't comprehend....

The music business is very shady....

funkpill said:

indeed.

funkpill said:

well hopefully she had some lawyers to read and interpret the documents to her before she signed.

Maybe Fantasia or Ms. Barrino understands more than you think!! Maybe she understands that type of information will sale books!