There is one name that comes rushing into my mind when I think of the music that shaped my generation: Mariah Carey.
She did something around 29 years ago, which was mind-blowing and forever changed the music scene. It was a big thing for me because it gave birth to pop-rap collaboration.
Imagine this: *the queen of pop; Mariah Carey and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, a gritty rapper from Wu-Tang Clan on one track together."
It was like mixing oil and water - two completely different worlds colliding. While Mariah had sweet angelic voice and chart-topping hits, Ol’ Dirty Bastard brought raw unfiltered rap right off the streets.
No one expected such a collaboration would work then. I mean, her label went berserk since they were worried she could sabotage her pure image by trying to get involved in urban music scene. This was not what Mariah wanted at all. She put up a fight against various control issues determined to rely on her instincts while taking risks.
And I must say, when “Fantasy” was just out, it was like nothing we had ever heard of. Combining silky vocals of Mariah with gritty rhymes of Ol’ Dirty Bastard made the magic to happen.
It became a huge hit and topped all the charts in no time. At once pop and rap fans were grooving to the same music tearing down boundaries and narrowing difference between two contrasting genres.
Certainly, Mariah wasn’t the first artist to dabble in rap collaborations but she set an entirely new phase for herself.
The Achievement of “Fantasy” made sure future pop-rap fusion works would conform with a new level expected in this industry.
Still, it went beyond mere music. What I gained from Mariah’s audacity and her daring me towards risk. She exhibited that it is fine to be innovative; that one can trust his/her gut even when people do not think about them so highly.
In an environment where conformity usually triumphs, Mariah well appeared on ground and showed that truth never fails at last.
When I look back now, it’s obvious Mariah Carey was more than just a singer- she was a visionary who was a trendsetter and molded the future of music. Her legacy remains alive today in terms of many artists who still push limits and defy norms.
So here’s to you, Mariah. Thank you for being unconventional, which allowed many join your league as an artist.
You may have started out as a pop princess but you will always be the queen of reinvention to us.