FOCUS: Baddest Broads In The Game!

SYLEENA JOHNSON – I don’t understand why she’s not as big as she deserves to be! This woman has an amazing voice! One of the best in the biz. Please do yourself a favour and listen to ‘No Words’ and ‘I Believe in Love’ by this woman. #Power

Syleena Johnson

12. AMEL LARRIEUX – My favourite song of all time is ‘Tell Me’ by Groove Theory, which Amel co-wrote with my boo Bryce Wilson.  Amel Larrieux is such a beautiful soul...inside and out. Her wonderful spirit shines through in every note she sings.  I love ‘Get Up’, ‘Make me whole’, ‘For Real’, ‘Lucky’ and many other awesome pieces of music

Amel Larrieux

 
11. BRANDY – No artist is touching Brandy in as far as background vocal arrangements are concerned. This woman goes the extra mile on every track she laces. Her layering is just insane!  If you really, REALLY listen to music, you’ll hear the subtle riffs, runs and ad libs she does in the background on all her songs. KILLS it! Jealous Down! I bet you if you killed the lead vocals (voice solo’s) on all her songs and just left the background vocals, she would still sell!

Brandy

10. GLADYS KNIGHT – This woman’s voice!!! Hhayi! I still get goose bumps everytime I hear that ‘End of the Road’ medley! I have no words!

60s: A young Gladys

9. JANET JACKSON – There’s no one that does sensual like the old Janet did. That’s the way love goes, Again, Let’s wait a while, Rope Burn, You want this, Got till it’s gone...man!! Don’t get me started on Miss Janet. I love her!

Janet Jackson

8. SALT –N- PEPA – The most successful female Rap group of our time, Salt-N-Pepa deserve credit for helping push Hip Hop into the mainstream with clever wordplay and catchy lyrics and hooks. I am a huge fan of their work and still bump ‘Whatta Man’ and ‘Push It’ whenever I can. The other day, I was bumping ‘Shoop’ in my ride and got a couple of honks, smiles and ‘rap-alongs’ from fellow motorists throughout the day Lol! It was hilarious!  

Salt-N-Pepa

7. MONICA – Don’t sleep on Moe! This girl’s voice is like an engine! Sooooo talented! I bump a lot of her old stuff from her ‘Miss Thang’ album and I kid you not, her sound is still fresh and relevant. I can’t wait for her new album to drop in Feb 2012!!

Monica and her son

6. BEYONCE – Baddest chick in the game right now, whether you like it or not. This is a black girl making money and showing other black girls all over the world that anything is possible. I Respect her hustle!

Child, have a seat! I'm the baddest!

  

5. QUEEN LATIFAH – When Queen Latifah barked “Who you callin’ a b*tch?” you should have seen my little eyes sparkle. I fell in love with Hip Hop that very moment and I’m still hooked! One of the Greatest of All Time!!! Love her!

The Queen!

4. TLC – The first song I ever heard by TLC is ‘Baby, Baby, baby’. It’s one of my favourite songs to this day. When I laid my eyes on that video, I was stunned. Left Eye had balloons in her hair, which I grew up and later discovered were condoms Lol! After seeing the ‘What about your friends’ video, there was no turning back! I was hooked!  Their 1994 album ‘Crazy, Sexy, Cool’ is my favourite from the New Jill Swing era. These girls were feisty, ballsy and were such bosses, most of the chicks that are running the game right now cite them as a major influence, as it should be!

TLC

3. MARY J. BLIGE – Mary is the Queen! I don’t care what anybody says! I’m a Stan! Raw, hood, real, emotional...Mary is EVERYTHING!!  Her debut album ‘What’s the 411’ is one of my favourite albums of all time. She was the first R ‘n B chick to successfully merge Soul and Hip Hop, hence the ‘Queen of Hip Hop/Soul title, which she rightfully deserves. ‘Share My World’ and ‘My Life’ are also classics that can’t be touched, shem. Run and tell that! Mary joins Sade as another artist I have to experience ‘Live’. The way she speaks to my soul, I have a feeling I’d cry the entire duration of her concert though. Many artists have tried to emulate her ‘blonde hair, stunnas and boots’ swag over the years, in attempt to pass it off as their own; Keyshia *cough* Cole, Beyonce *cough cough* Knowles tltltl) but you know what, there can only be one Mary!

MJB the MVP

2. SADE – My parents were huge Sade fans when I was a kid (‘round the late 80s) and had her music on heavy R.O. at the house. Now that I’m all grown up, I understand why. Sade is the prototype of what I feel a true artist should be. Apart from having one of the most alluringly haunting voices in the world, Sade is gorgeous and decidedly sexy. The difference with her is, she lets her work speak for itself and keeps it classy at all times. No thrusting and coochie-poppin’ over here. No Sir! Just grown and sexy vibes! Seeing this wonderful songstress ‘Live in concert’ is a dream I have had since I was a kid. One day, it will become a reality! I promise!

Sade

1. LAURYN HILL – The hottest verse I have ever heard a feemcee spit on wax, is without a shadow of a doubt Lauryn’s verse on ‘Ready or Not’ by the Fugees. (My second favourite is Lil’ Kim’s verse on Mobb Deep’s ‘Quiet Storm’ Remix) The way this woman murked Pras and Wyclef...in heels even, is criminal!!! Straight fire!! My favourite album of all time is Miss Hill’s debut solo album, ‘The Miseducation’.  This incredible work of art is so honest and so full of depth it forces you to question everything you think you know about God, Love and everything in between. Some of my fave joints on there include Zion, Ex Factor, Lost Ones, Nothing Even Matters featuring ma future baby daddy D’Angelo (Lol) and Doo Wop That Thing (That bass and those horns!!! #Depth) Also, Lauryn’s MTV: Unplugged album has many hidden gems including ‘Mr. Intentional’ and ‘Like the Water’ Crazy or not, I love me some Lauryn!!!

Baddest: Lauryn Hill

 - By SereNgeti

*Images sourced from the net