Ladies, don’t give me that look. You know it’s true.
I’m sure you remember:
Gangsta Boo – Where Dem Dollas At
Just about every song Lil Kim and Foxy Brown released
Destiny’s Child – Bills, Bills, Bills
Destiny’s Child – Stimulate Me
And those are just one ones off the top of my head. Boy, Beyonce n’ dem sure were greedy.
At the time, most of my female friends were saying that this attitude was long overdue – ladies were tired of being hip hop’s doormat. If dudes were going to objectify them, they could do the same.
Sorry sistas, two wrongs don’t make a right.
But what do I know? Apparently I’m just a scrub.
Anyway, the last significant hit from the money grubbing era came from Blu Cantrell.
You remember Blu – rumored to have dated Jay-Z; showed up nude in one of those freaky magazines; looked and sounded exactly like superior R&B singer Faith Evans? Still doesn’t ring a bell? I’m here to remind you.
And coincidentally, today marks 34 years that Blu Cantrell has graced the earth with her presence. We’re so lucky.
Blu, aka Tiffany Cobb, hooked up with hitmakers Dallas Austin and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in preparation of releasing her 2001 debut So Blu. It featured the smash single “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops).” Her advice to the ladies – if your man cheats on you, steal his credit cards and leave him broke.
Y’all should be ashamed.
The song was absolutely unavoidable in the summer of 2001 and reached No. 2 on the charts. The gold-selling album wasn’t half bad either. The vastly superior singles “Till I’m Gone” and “I’ll Find A Way” didn’t make a mark, even though I remember the latter being touted as a 9/11 tribute at one point. But then again, everything was a 9/11 tribute back then – even this.
Blu’s often-forgotten sophomore album, Bittersweet dropped a couple of years later, but the world was in the midst of Beyoncemania at the time, so no one noticed. “Breathe” even featured reggae mushmouth Sean Paul – just like this song. You can see how she was overshadowed. Luckily, “Breathe” did much better overseas than in the U.S. Honestly, I preferred “Sleep In The Middle.” But honestly, if you missed this album, you didn’t miss much.
And that was the last we’ve heard from Ms. Blu. Serves her right for stealing that poor guy’s money.
Should she come back: Apparently, she’s been trying. She has recorded a new album and hopes to release it independently. I wouldn’t mind if she returned – she had a great voice and decent charisma. And since Faith is MIA these days, I wouldn’t mind hearing her doppelganger.
Just stay out of brothers’ pockets this time.
nothing but pure ignorance and mis-information. dont believe evrything u read, people!
Hi, Blu! Thanks for reading!