50 Mind Blowing R&B Music Facts
We present 50 little known but incredibly interesting facts about R&B music and the amazing artists that make it.
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1. Rihanna released a forgotten debut mixtape back in 2005.
17-year-old aspiring singer Rihanna introduced herself to the music industry with a little-known mixtape called 'This Is Rihanna'. The 12-track project, which was released before her debut album 'Music Of The Sun', included a mix of Hip-Hop and R&B songs. However unfortunately the project didn't catapult her to fame in a similar way to Drake's 'So Far Gone' or Frank Ocean's 'Nostalgia, Ultra'.
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2. Before he was famous, Ne-Yo wrote Mario's hit song 'Let Me Love You'.
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3. Justin Timberlake, Aaliyah, Beyonce and Usher all started on US TV show 'Star Search.'
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4. Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez's casket is engraved with her verse from hit TLC song 'Waterfalls'.
Picture: Getty
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5. Rihanna's hit single 'Umbrella' was written with Britney Spears in mind, but her label rejected it.
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6. Britney spears' 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' was originally offered to TLC, who turned the song down.
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7. Sting receives 100% of the royalties from Diddy and Faith Hills 'I'll Be Missing You'.
The song samples the Police track that Sting wrote 'Every Breathe You Take' - because Diddy never asked permission to use it, Sting receives 100% of the publishing royalists - it is one of the best-selling singles of all time.
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8. Kelly Rowland has sold over 27 million records as a solo artist.
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9. Aaliyah and Missy Elliott once had a bet on who would wear a dress first as neither wore dresses.
(Aaliyah lost!) Picture: Getty
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10. John Legend plays the piano on Lauryn Hill's 'Everything Is Everything'.
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11. Jhené Aiko's musical career started contributing vocals to several B2K releases in 2002.
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12. Aaliyah was originally cast as Jessica Alba's 'Honey', but passed away before filming began.
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13. TLC's Left Eye co-wrote and rapped on Spice Girl Mel C’s 'Never Be the Same Again.'
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14. R Kelly wrote Michael Jackson's 'You Are Not Alone'.
Michael Jackson
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15. The majority of songs on Alicia Keys' 2001 album 'Songs In A Minor' are NOT in A Minor.
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16. At Aaliyah's funeral 22 white doves were released to symbolize each year of Aaliyah's life.
Picture: Getty
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17. Between 1997 - 1999 Usher appeared in four episodes of 'Moesha'.
Picture: Facebook
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18. Cee Lo Green sang on TLC's 'Waterfalls'.
TLC Cee Lo Green 'Waterfalls'
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19. Amerie's label refused to release '1 Thing', so she leaked it herself, getting it radio airplay.
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20. 'The Element Of Freedom' was Alicia's first non No.1 album in the US, and her first No. 1 in the UK.
Alicia Keys - The Element of Freedom
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21. A 13-year-old Lauryn Hill was booed performing at the Apollo’s Amateur Night in 1987.
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22. Usher lived with P Diddy in New York when he was starting out in the industry.
Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
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23. Mary J's name 'The Queen of Hip-hop Soul' was born from Diddy calling her 'The Queen Of Ghetto Love'
Singer Mary J. Blige attends the premiere of 'Notorious' in New York.
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24. Nelly's 2001 single 'Ride With Me' features vocals from his brother 'City Spud'.
Nelly Ride Wit Me
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25. TLC's 1994 album 'CrazySexyCool' was certified diamond by the RIAA, a first for a female group.
Picture: Getty
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26. Destiny's Child was originally called 'Girls Tyme'.
Destiny's Child (original line up) attend Maxwell Party, 1998. Beyonce Knowles, aged sixteen. Picture: PA
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27. L.A Ried offered Chris Brown a recording contract on the day they met, but he turned the offer down.
Singer Chris Brown.
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28. In 02' Whitney Houston said in 10 years she'd be "Retired... Looking at my daughter grow up."
She died in 2012. Photo by Lionel Hahn/AbacaUsa.com Date: 10/02/2007
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29. Aaliyah kept 'Rock The Boat' for 2 years before release, as her label thought it was too sexual.
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30. Chris brown Signed to Jive Records at the young age of 15.
A very young looking Chris Brown way back in 2005.
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31. Before she was in Destiny's Child Michelle Williams was a back up singer for Monica.
Michelle Williams
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32. Brandy and Snoop Dogg are first cousins.
Picture: Getty
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33. Part 2 of Destiny's Child's 'Independent Women' was originally the actual song and part 1 the remix.
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34. Mariah Carey's godmother is R&B icon Patti LaBell.
Picture: Getty
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35. Ne-Yo was contracted to work on Michael Jackson's new album, but MJ passed away before they met.
Picture: Getty
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36. Dame Dash and Aaliyah were one of music’s hottest couples before her untimely death in 2001.
Picture: Getty
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37. 'The Cosby Show' gave Alicia Keys her first acting gig at just four-years-old.
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38. Destiny's Child shot the 'Bills Bills Bills' video in a hair salon as a tribute to Bey's mum.
(Tina Knowles use to let the girls rehearse in the hair salon she owned.) Picture: Getty.
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39. Ne-Yo’s former stage name was 'GoGo'.
Ne-Yo arrives at the Millenium Stadium.
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40. How did Trey Songz get his stage name? From producers labelling his tracks 'Trey's songs.' Simple.
Trey Songz Never Again
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41. In 2014 Beyoncé was named the highest paid black musician in history by Forbes.
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42. It's heavily rumoured that Mariah Carey's song 'Obsessed' is about Eminem.
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43. 'Why are you so obsessed with me?' is a reference to the movie Mean Girls, Mariah's favourite film.
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44. Lauryn Hill attended Columbia University in 1993, before dropping out to pursue a music career.
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45. In 2003, The Neptunes produced 43% of songs on US radio, and 20% on British radio.
(via http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/12/1084289744331.html)