badujunkie said:

Timmy84 said:

Huh? I didn't say that.

good answer

Uh ok.

Cocaine. It's a helluva drug.

I'm sure somebody has already said that, though.

^But what I dont get is Whitney gets this stigma bout being a drug addict? Like shes the only one that has had drug issues. Please??? Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues and every other types has had their addicts, but for some reason she, guessing that reality show, has dogged her for the last 15 years.

The woman was never really sold as a "brand" if thats the right word. She just sung songs well and went bout her business. She never chased trends or style or hipness. From what I recall she just basically went into the studio did what Clive told her do, did it well, got paid and went back home.

lazycrockett said:

^But what I dont get is Whitney gets this stigma bout being a drug addict? Like shes the only one that has had drug issues. Please??? Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues and every other types has had their addicts, but for some reason she, guessing that reality show, has dogged her for the last 15 years.

The woman was never really sold as a "brand" if thats the right word. She just sung songs well and went bout her business. She never chased trends or style or hipness. From what I recall she just basically went into the studio did what Clive told her do, did it well, got paid and went back home.

I agree with you, and I almost mentioned it myself. But I do believe that for whatever reason it really did affect the way people viewed her as an artist - past, present and future. The fact that it clearly affected her voice (at one point, anyway - I hear she sounds better now) probably didn't help.

As far as her "brand" goes, she was definitely a good girl. The Bobby Brown married, reality tv show havin', cocaine doin' Whitney is not the one a lot of people remember from her heyday.

lazycrockett said:

^But what I dont get is Whitney gets this stigma bout being a drug addict? Like shes the only one that has had drug issues. Please??? Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues and every other types has had their addicts, but for some reason she, guessing that reality show, has dogged her for the last 15 years.

The woman was never really sold as a "brand" if thats the right word. She just sung songs well and went bout her business. She never chased trends or style or hipness. From what I recall she just basically went into the studio did what Clive told her do, did it well, got paid and went back home.

It's the classic story: "a cherished talent going down the tubes due to drugs". It's a story that gets a lot of hits on tabloids. I'm guessing they're expecting someone like Madonna or whoever to be controversial but Whitney has more of a story. Don't know how that is because that's unfair but we have to remember she WAS sold as a "brand". Clive put her out to be a singer that appealed to everyone a'la Diana Ross and tried to make her as far from the "norm" of '80s rock stars that were controversy either intentionally (Prince, Madonna) or unintentionally (Michael). And when that started to crack, it became a top news story.

Honestly the only thing I remember is alot of people complaining that she didnt know how to dance.

cause you know.................

lazycrockett said:

Honestly the only thing I remember is alot of people complaining that she didnt know how to dance.

cause you know.................

lazycrockett said:

Honestly the only thing I remember is alot of people complaining that she didnt know how to dance.

cause you know.................

Whitney shouldn't have let that bother her either but I'm thinking she might have had self doubt because she tried to incorporate it in '91. She claimed Bobby was the reason she "got loose" onstage. She always said she felt "uptight" when she was onstage. Even now her lack of dancing gets mocked (check out the MTVIcon parody). Whitney never got a break, she was always attacked for something.

Cerebus said:

lazycrockett said:

Honestly the only thing I remember is alot of people complaining that she didnt know how to dance.

cause you know.................

FLIP IT BOY! FLIP IT BOY!

Terrib3Towel said:

Cinnamon234 said:

Do you know what Diamond means? That's 10 million records sold. Madonna has eight albums that have sold 10 million+, including two in the 20+ million range I believe. Michael has four albums that are in the 20+ million range and he only has the biggest selling album worldwide of all time "Thriller". Poor things. Such low record sales that can't even compare to Whitney's.

You're here bragging about three almost diamond albums? Ha. Mike and Madge done passed Whitney in that regard long ago.

At the end of the day "Pedo Pan" is still more iconic, legendary and successful than Whitney anyday.

Here's the big difference between Whitney and the "big three". They are all still RELEVANT TODAY in 2011. WHITNEY is NOT. Prince and Madonna have done very well on their recent tours and continue to be highly respected, Prince in particular. As far as MJ goes, he's more respected as an artist and his back catalogue has been doing better than hers for years now and i'm talking about when he was alive. Even after all the controversies, his career was still in better shape. Sold out all 50 dates at the 02 in London in 2009 before his death. Whitney couldn't do it. Whitney is sadly a laughing stock (Yes I know MJ was too but he's still more respected as an artist) who sounded awful on her last tour. Had people walking out at her shows. Her voice is shot. Such a shame.

Now with all that said Whitney's accomplishements are nothing to look down on. People are downplaying her talent and influence in here and I don't get it at all. She was HUGE in the 80's and 90's and did influence people like Mariah, Christina, etc. NO ONE was bigger than Whitney during the "Bodyguard" especially. She was the BIGGEST superstar then and everything she touched turned to gold. Give her credit where it's due.

But to say she's an icon on the level of Michael,Madonna and Prince is just not true.

They changed the game forever. For sure I can say with great confidence there will NEVER be another MJ, Prince or Madonna. I'm not sure I can say the same about Whitney. What about her is so unique and what did she do that was so special that it can't be duplicated again? It's not that hard to imagine another talented, beautiful singer with memorable songs coming along. Yes when Whitney was younger she was beautiful with a fantastic voice and memorable songs, but she was not an innovator. She had tremendous cross over success and her incredible voice touched many, including me. She was an inspiration for many but she is definitely not in the league of the other three. Not musically or artistically.

As I said, the sad truth is that Whitney is not even that relevant anymore, lets be real. Michael, Madonna and Prince are and always have been. The younger generation knows who they are. Everyone knows "Thriller". Everyone knows "Like A Virgin". Everyone knows "Purple Rain". People know "I Will Always Love You" as well but she is just not as iconic as them. Their appeal is much broader. Artists today always name those "big" three as influences. I hardly hear many people mentioning Whitney.

Whitney is NOT as relevant as the other three and hasn't been for a long time. She will not be remembered as being innovative. She is an icon, but not on their level.

And i'm done with my rant now, MJ is MY Boo lol.

jsluva pretty much said what I was gonna say. I'd like to add that relevance is pretty much a terrible argument, Prince and Madonna haven't been 'relevant' for some time now. Sure people know who they are, but they are passed their prime. MJ's death put him out of obscurity, the last 15 years of his career (and life) he was considered a washed-up has been and his eccentricities had over-shadowed his music. I know the cool thing to listen to MJ now, but he was a spent force when he died. I would even argue that Whitney has more influence than Prince does.

it all depends on how you define "relevent".Just a few years ago,Madonna completed a world tour that grossed around $400 million.She didn't just play arenas,she played stadiums on this tour.Prince's recent tours have been really successful as well.Whitney toured last year,but I don't think her tour was as successful as Madonna's last tour,or Prince's current one.With all due respect to Whitney,she truly has not been relevent since the mid-90s.And I'm saying this as someone who actually likes her.

she´s not in the same league, she´s seriously overclassed by Prince, MJ and Madonna...

I think I will have to speak the unspeakable. Whitney is more famous than Prince worldwide... And if people remember Whitney only for the Bodyguard songs, same is pretty much true for Prince and Purple Rain. Do I love Prince more? Absolutely, but Whitney is more popular than Prince

The woman was never really sold as a "brand" if thats the right word. She just sung songs well and went bout her business. She never chased trends or style or hipness. From what I recall she just basically went into the studio did what Clive told her do, did it well, got paid and went back home.

That's basically what I remember about her from the 80's as well. Back when her first album was selling like hotcakes I recall a conversation about how Clive had so much input into her songs and producers for the first album, and this was before album #2 was even out yet. Another thing to keep in mind that this was the time when visual images was really beginning to make a major impact in pop music via music videos. And compared to MJ, Prince and Madonna, well Whitney really didn't have anything to make as much of an impact as the big 3. I think the video for How Will I Know is about the closest she got to making a classic video during the 80's. Think about it, she never really had a signature look like Prince, Madonna or MJ from that period that helped define it.

LightOfArt said:

I think I will have to speak the unspeakable. Whitney is more famous than Prince worldwide... And if people remember Whitney only for the Bodyguard songs, same is pretty much true for Prince and Purple Rain. Do I love Prince more? Absolutely, but Whitney is more popular than Prince

Hmm. Good point...

lazycrockett said:

^But what I dont get is Whitney gets this stigma bout being a drug addict? Like shes the only one that has had drug issues. Please??? Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues and every other types has had their addicts, but for some reason she, guessing that reality show, has dogged her for the last 15 years.

The woman was never really sold as a "brand" if thats the right word. She just sung songs well and went bout her business. She never chased trends or style or hipness. From what I recall she just basically went into the studio did what Clive told her do, did it well, got paid and went back home.

It's not a big deal when a cool motherfucker like Rick James or someone is on drugs. Hell, it's almost expected. But when someone who had a sweet little goodie two shoes conservative image like Shitney ends up on drugs, it's like a Republican being caught in an airport men's room sucking a dick.

Why Don't People Mention Whitney Houston When They Mention Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson?

Cause she wasn't born in 1958, the magic year!

Timmy84 said:

LightOfArt said:

I think I will have to speak the unspeakable. Whitney is more famous than Prince worldwide... And if people remember Whitney only for the Bodyguard songs, same is pretty much true for Prince and Purple Rain. Do I love Prince more? Absolutely, but Whitney is more popular than Prince

Hmm. Good point...

yeah

I too have always wonderd why Whitney is never mentioned either. I mean she's a way better singer than Madonna and was very popular in the 80's and 90's

LightOfArt said:

I think I will have to speak the unspeakable. Whitney is more famous than Prince worldwide... And if people remember Whitney only for the Bodyguard songs, same is pretty much true for Prince and Purple Rain. Do I love Prince more? Absolutely, but Whitney is more popular than Prince

That's true. Bin Laden wanted her some kind of bad. I wish he could have had her too.

Because Whitney wasn't a real artist. She was a made up person that was just for stage and interviews. Her hair, make up, clothes were all picked out, to make her into this wholesome person. But behind closed doors she was as ghetto and hood as U can get. A person can only pretend to be that way for so long before they crack. Yes! she had the most beautiful voice that rivaled Ms. Streisand at one point. But a person can only pretend for so long before they go behind closed doors and sniff Elton John under the table.

People blame Bobby. But Whitney was way more corrupt than Bobby and she actually ruined his career. Not the other way around. When Janet came out with "Control" & hit it big. It was open season on Whitney. All of a sudden she had no soul or rhythm. She turned into the laughing stock of the black community.

I remember sitting attending one of the early Soul Train Awards and when she came out to her seat she was booed. It had to have an affect on her. She was tired of that wholesome image and wanted to show people who she really was a hood chick. So she married Bobby. Then she just completely gave up on her goody goody image & stopped singing completely. The sad thing about the whole thing is her daughter. Whose tell all book I will be in the front of the line to purchase. Can U image the things that poor little girl witnessed?

lazycrockett said:

^But what I dont get is Whitney gets this stigma bout being a drug addict? Like shes the only one that has had drug issues. Please??? Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues and every other types has had their addicts, but for some reason she, guessing that reality show, has dogged her for the last 15 years.

The woman was never really sold as a "brand" if thats the right word. She just sung songs well and went bout her business. She never chased trends or style or hipness. From what I recall she just basically went into the studio did what Clive told her do, did it well, got paid and went back home.

I agree.

It has a lot to do with the fact that she's a black female. If she were white then people would view her as "rebellious", not a crackhead.

Timmy84 said:

lazycrockett said:

Honestly the only thing I remember is alot of people complaining that she didnt know how to dance.

cause you know.................

Whitney shouldn't have let that bother her either but I'm thinking she might have had self doubt because she tried to incorporate it in '91. She claimed Bobby was the reason she "got loose" onstage. She always said she felt "uptight" when she was onstage. Even now her lack of dancing gets mocked (check out the MTVIcon parody). Whitney never got a break, she was always attacked for something.

I never understood that parody until I saw this

RKJCNE said:

lazycrockett said:

Change a word and claim a third doesn't impress me.

Well she is credited as the only writer of her first top 10 hit Lucky Star, if she pulled that kind of BS you know one of the hundreds of her producers/co-writers would speak up about it like they have with Bey or Rihanna.

Uh, not really. Artists didn't lean on their producers back then to supply them with hits the way they do these days .

trueiopian said:

lazycrockett said:

^But what I dont get is Whitney gets this stigma bout being a drug addict? Like shes the only one that has had drug issues. Please??? Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues and every other types has had their addicts, but for some reason she, guessing that reality show, has dogged her for the last 15 years.

The woman was never really sold as a "brand" if thats the right word. She just sung songs well and went bout her business. She never chased trends or style or hipness. From what I recall she just basically went into the studio did what Clive told her do, did it well, got paid and went back home.

I agree.

It has a lot to do with the fact that she's a black female. If she were white then people would view her as "rebellious", not a crackhead.

If Whitney was born a real white female, she'll be Molly Ringwald!

^K That makes no sense or Im missing the humor.

LightOfArt said:

I think I will have to speak the unspeakable. Whitney is more famous than Prince worldwide... And if people remember Whitney only for the Bodyguard songs, same is pretty much true for Prince and Purple Rain. Do I love Prince more? Absolutely, but Whitney is more popular than Prince

Try tell THAT^ to the people of Australia & New Zealand when they booed Whitney right off the stage for losing her once talented singing vocals.

lazycrockett said:

^K That makes no sense or Im missing the humor.

You're missing the humor. But don't worry. You have to had been there in the 80's to understand.

Whitney is boring.

TonyVanDam said:

LightOfArt said:

I think I will have to speak the unspeakable. Whitney is more famous than Prince worldwide... And if people remember Whitney only for the Bodyguard songs, same is pretty much true for Prince and Purple Rain. Do I love Prince more? Absolutely, but Whitney is more popular than Prince

Try tell THAT^ to the people of Australia & New Zealand when they booed Whitney right off the stage for losing her once talented singing vocals.

She canceled New Zealand at the last minute lol but yeah Australia let her have it lol

TonyVanDam said:

trueiopian said:

I agree.

It has a lot to do with the fact that she's a black female. If she were white then people would view her as "rebellious", not a crackhead.

If Whitney was born a real white female, she'll be Molly Ringwald!