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R.I.P. Whitney Houston Print E-mail
Written by Jamal Bell   

rip whitney huston thumb This month, the world, especially the Black community has been hit hard. First we discovered that Don Cornelius, creator and host of the historical “Soul Train” committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Just yesterday, we learned some more shocking news, legendary songstress Whitney Houston was found dead in a Beverly Hills, CA hotel. She was only 48 years old.

Let’s keep things positive. The thing that I hate is that my generation catches the tail end of things, causing us to remember people for different reasons. Mind you, I was born in 1989. While I do recognize her iconic voice and her classic music, growing up a lot of her coverage dealt with her marriage with New Edition’s Bobby Brown and her drug abuse. It’s crazy to me. The perfect example is Michael Jackson. All of his talent, great music, and accomplishments were pushed aside as the focus moved towards him being accused of having sex with little boys and being “Wacko Jacko.”


rip whitney huston red love I’m not here to talk about the negative. Whitney Houston was arguably THE voice of our generation. She was iconic. She was soulful. She let us peek into her life. She was surely the template that following artists followed to break into the music industry. Her rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at Superbowl XXV STILL gives me chills.

Whitney Houston is one of those artists that I have an emotional attachment with. While her music career did start before I was even born, I can still say that I grew up with Whitney Houston. In my household, I was introduced to music from my parents’ time at an early age. While my generation may be tagged with only Hip-Hop music, I can assure you that we know a little something about some “Oldies, but Goodies,” notably Motown. One of my childhood memories that stand out in my mind was my mother’s fascination with Whitney Houston. I remember waking up in the morning to my mother playing her records and singing along. My mother LOVES watching movies and best believe that “Waiting to Exhale” and “The Preacher’s Wife” were definitely in rotation. Whitney’s feature song of the former’s soundtrack was her favorite, I can hear her now singing “Shoop, shoop, shoop/ Shoo be doop.”

Whitney Houston’s passing is one where you will forever remember where you were, and what you were doing when you heard the terrible news. Personally, I was getting ready to leave work when my manager got the call. When I turned my phone back on I read texts and tweets reporting the same information, that Whitney was gone.

Details surrounding the cause of her death are emerging as I type this article. Regardless of the outcome, I can assure you that we’ve lost something BIG. We lost a talent that doesn’t come around every so often. I’m glad I was here to witness part of your legacy Ms. Houston. May you Rest in Peace [ And Power]

 

 

WHITNEY HOUSTON NATIONAL ANTHEM SUPERBOWL XXV

 

 
 
 

 

WHITNEY HOUSTON GREATEST LOVE OF ALL