Throughout her music career, she’s caught a lot of flack about her views on LGBT relations and the standards that people of the LGBT community should be held to. But through it all, she has maintained her stance and continued to remain an open and honest representation of herself.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHO SHE IS & HOW SHE ANGERED THE SAME-SEX COMMUNITY

Her facial features haven’t changed much, and if you look closely at her childhood photo (above), you may now be able to see that the kid is the one and only Meshell Ndegeocello!

Remember her? For those who aren’t very familiar with Ndegeocello, she’s a singer and an incredible musician (bass player) who knows how to perfectly blend her religious rebelliousness/confusion, her political activism, and her diverse sexuality into one big melting pot of soulful gumbo.

She first hit us with her 90’s classics, “Dreadlocs,” and “If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night),” and we can’t forget about her timeless song, “Fool Of Me,” from the Love & Basketball soundtrack. Ndegeocello also caught the attention of many with her songs, “Who Is He and What Is He To You,” a song about her catching her female lover messing around with a dude; and “Leviticus: Faggot,” her religiously defiant joint.

Here’s How Ndegeocello Pissed Off The LGBT Community

Meshell Ndegeocello was one of the very few entertainers of the 90’s era who was openly a lesbian, or so we thought…then we found out that she wasn’t actually a lesbian, but that she was in fact, bisexual. That is where the extreme amount of backlash from the LGBT community began for her.

Embed from Getty Images

You see, initially Meshell was presumed, by most of her fans, to be a lesbian R&B artist. Although her first single was about running her fingers through a man’s dreadlocks, somehow, the lesbian perception was still there. So when her first album came out with songs that were primarily about loving and making love to a woman, but had a few heterosexual love songs sprinkled in between, many within the LGBT community called her a “sellout to a straight America,” according to Rolling Stone.

How Meshell Ndegeocello Responded To The Backlash

Meshell’s response was “I could care less.” She was always focused on staying true to herself and according to her friend and collaborator, Wendy Melvoin (formerly the guitarist for Prince’s Revolution band), Meshell Ndegeocello is a very bisexual woman, who never hides that reality from the world.

Ndegeocello: “I think early on when the music business was a little different, and they had to create some sort of persona to sell, I think I got sold as this angry, black, gay person. I think that’s a huge misconception. Other than that, I don’t really think about it. That’s why I had to ask you,” says Meshell Ndegeocello. [Out Magazine]

“I’ve come up with a new term: I am sexually functional with both genders. I just choose to be with this particular one. Who knows what the future holds? It’s just such a weird concept to me that it’s so important to how you judge my music or my character or anything about me. I’m never assuming what heterosexual people are doing.”

And there you have it. Meshell Ndegeocello is a woman who never bites her tongue – not in her music, nor in her everyday life and that is why we love her.

The post She Grew Up & Became An Openly Bisexual Singer Who Angered The LGBT Community appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Throughout her music career, she’s caught a lot of flack about her views on LGBT relations and the standards that people of the LGBT community should be held to. But through it all, she has maintained her stance and continued to remain an open and honest representation of herself.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHO SHE IS & HOW SHE ANGERED THE SAME-SEX COMMUNITY

Her facial features haven’t changed much, and if you look closely at her childhood photo (above), you may now be able to see that the kid is the one and only Meshell Ndegeocello!

Remember her? For those who aren’t very familiar with Ndegeocello, she’s a singer and an incredible musician (bass player) who knows how to perfectly blend her religious rebelliousness/confusion, her political activism, and her diverse sexuality into one big melting pot of soulful gumbo.

She first hit us with her 90’s classics, “Dreadlocs,” and “If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night),” and we can’t forget about her timeless song, “Fool Of Me,” from the Love & Basketball soundtrack. Ndegeocello also caught the attention of many with her songs, “Who Is He and What Is He To You,” a song about her catching her female lover messing around with a dude; and “Leviticus: Faggot,” her religiously defiant joint.

Here’s How Ndegeocello Pissed Off The LGBT Community

Meshell Ndegeocello was one of the very few entertainers of the 90’s era who was openly a lesbian, or so we thought…then we found out that she wasn’t actually a lesbian, but that she was in fact, bisexual. That is where the extreme amount of backlash from the LGBT community began for her.

Embed from Getty Images

You see, initially Meshell was presumed, by most of her fans, to be a lesbian R&B artist. Although her first single was about running her fingers through a man’s dreadlocks, somehow, the lesbian perception was still there. So when her first album came out with songs that were primarily about loving and making love to a woman, but had a few heterosexual love songs sprinkled in between, many within the LGBT community called her a “sellout to a straight America,” according to Rolling Stone.

How Meshell Ndegeocello Responded To The Backlash

Meshell’s response was “I could care less.” She was always focused on staying true to herself and according to her friend and collaborator, Wendy Melvoin (formerly the guitarist for Prince’s Revolution band), Meshell Ndegeocello is a very bisexual woman, who never hides that reality from the world.

Ndegeocello: “I think early on when the music business was a little different, and they had to create some sort of persona to sell, I think I got sold as this angry, black, gay person. I think that’s a huge misconception. Other than that, I don’t really think about it. That’s why I had to ask you,” says Meshell Ndegeocello. [Out Magazine]

“I’ve come up with a new term: I am sexually functional with both genders. I just choose to be with this particular one. Who knows what the future holds? It’s just such a weird concept to me that it’s so important to how you judge my music or my character or anything about me. I’m never assuming what heterosexual people are doing.”

And there you have it. Meshell Ndegeocello is a woman who never bites her tongue – not in her music, nor in her everyday life and that is why we love her.

The post She Grew Up & Became An Openly Bisexual Singer Who Angered The LGBT Community appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Meshell Ndegeocello usually stays under the radar, but today, she’s a trending topic. Why? Because she opened a big can of worms with her recent interview. As expected, the hella talented 90s musician/singer discussed her career and the moves she’s making these days: new music, great covers, and other opportunities are on the horizon. But the part of her interview that really turned heads, centers around her brutally honest opinion of one of todays biggest pop artists in the game- Bruno Mars. Apparently, Ndegeocello ain’t moved one bit by Bruno, no matter how many records he sells, or how many awards he wins. Her words were loud and clear. In a nutshell, You Made A Fool Of Me” singer doesn’t see the “24K Magic” singer as an example of originality. She broke it all down during her recent interview with Billboard.

All Karaoke, Nothin’ Real:

During the interview, Ndegeocello was asked about Bruno Mars. For those who don’t know, Bruno racked up at the 2018 Grammy’s, taking home six awards for many of the major categories, including Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In fact, his 24K Magic album even won “Album of the Year.” With more than two million records sold, Bruno Mars’ third album has been certified double platinum. We all know with the digital world we live in, it’s hard for a talented artist to get a certified gold album. So, it would seem like Bruno is an exception to the rule, right? Apparently, not to Meshell Ndegeocello. She made it clear she isn’t too impressed with the Bruno’s modern-day version of ‘New Jack Swing’ and other 80s and 90s elements. In a nutshell, she sees it as “karaoke.”

Meshell Ndegeocello: “What he’s doing is karaoke, basically. With ‘Finesse,’ in particular, I think he was simply copying Bell Biv DeVoe. I think he was copying Babyface. And definitely there were some elements of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis back when they worked with Human League. I feel like there’s just all these threads running through there but not in a genuine way.”

When asked about the thin line between karaoke and artistic freedom, she admitted there’s a way to manipulate elements of the past and make it your own but you have to find that balance:

“It’s really a matter of musicality and being able to manipulate the tropes in a way that makes it feel personal. It can’t just be a pastiche, where you’re copying or mimicking an old sound or just doing karaoke. There has to be a form of sincerity.”

Fans’ Reaction:

Of course, Ndegeocello has opened the door for a huge debate. While many people have agreed with Bruno Mars’ ability to slip through the cracks because his music caters to urban culture, others actually defended him, arguing Ndegeocello is intimidated by the singer’s success. However, many social media users are on the fence about the issue, because they feel Bruno just played his cards right by catering to a specific group of listeners. So, it’s obvious there’s a little love/hate goin’ on where Bruno Mars is concerned.

One reader wrote:

“The petty part of me just can’t stand him. I also hate when people use the Puerto Rican defense when way more than half of Peurto Ricans identified themselves as White on the census. Bruno Mars is mediocre in every way, and his love of R&B and soul never seems organic. He, like many of the White artists who do the same thing, know they can become more successful doing that type of music because they aren’t Black. Anybody who is not Black who puts on a Black costume to appropriate the culture can be called out. The fact that Bruno even has an AOTY Grammy proves he’s not Black because some of the most revolutionary Black artists (Prince) of all time never won it. Also, ‘The Story of O.J.’ and ‘XXX’ alone are better than anything Bruno Mars has released in his whole career.”

In Bruno’s defense, another fan wrote:

“I find Meshell’s comments to be hella petty & jealous. Look: Bruno Mars has admitted to admiring and intentionally sounding like lots of artists that pre-date him. But as a true-blue-music addict, a fan of various genres and artists, as a 40-something with musical tastes that go back to the 50’s, I truly do not believe that Bruno is mimicking or doing karaoke-ish replications of anyone’s music. Part of the problem is that those of us on the other side of 35, 40, have a wider range of music in our memory banks than the under 30 set. Whereas everything Bruno does may sound new to them, from start to finish, we are reminded of similar artists & songs from the past. What’s wrong with that? It’s no different from wanting to be an actress because you like Angela Bassett or wanting to cook because you like Rachel Ray. Choosing the same career as an idol doesn’t mean that you’re trying to be them. Damn, let the man live!”

Do you think Bruno Mars (1) straight up jacked 80s/90s legends as Meshell Ndegeocello stated; (2)  just played his cards right, or (3) is he original? Talk to us ILOSM fam.’

The post Meshell Ndegeocello Sparks Racial Debate After Slamming The Hell Outta Bruno Mars, Fans React appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The first hint that something may have been wrong in Meshell’s life was on April 13th when she simply posted this two-word message on Instagram…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BS1dK7bDY7s/?taken-by=officialmeshell

Her fans were confused by what her post represented, but still sent uplifting messages her way, sensing that something was wrong:

@geoff_warner_clayton: Sending you energy for whatever you need right now. ❤

@dmsplace: Lifting you up always. Proud to be a brick in the foundation😏

Meshell N’Degeocello’s Messages About Her Missing Mother

Although Meshell still had not clarified, with her followers, what her prior post meant, it wasn’t until eight days later, on April 21st, that she’d finally submitted to her fans and asked for their help with finding her Mother…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTKmaWgjaNq/?taken-by=officialmeshell

Soon afterwards, her fans began spreading the word and were literally on the search for her Mother. Meshell then shared several more posts and details about her Mom. She also vented about the stress of her contractual obligations to still musically perform through the heart-wrenching pain of not knowing whether Ms. Helen was safe, or if the worst had happened to her as she drove through the streets with dementia. These were the posts that Meshell shared…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTMQe_yD4Gb/?taken-by=officialmeshell

Here’s how the stress and demands of Meshell’s job then began to take it’s toll on her…understandably so…check out her next posts…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTP079ujeRo/?taken-by=officialmeshell

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BTQrvgqDAHU/?taken-by=officialmeshell

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BTQtP69DUY6/?taken-by=officialmeshell

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BTRpifjj7k9/?taken-by=officialmeshell

Meshell N’Degeocello’s Touching Messages Of Gratitude After Her Mother Was Found

On Monday, April 24th, Meshell’s fans rejoiced for her, after she posted a message with one word that had a ton of emotion behind it: ‘Found.’

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTSVu4XjTd6/?taken-by=officialmeshell

Later that day, Meshell posted a throwback photo of her Mother along with a beautiful thank-you message to all of her fans for their help…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTTDs2SjPFE/?taken-by=officialmeshell

We are beyond happy for Meshell and her family to have found her mother, Helen Byrd Johnson, safe and sound. This truly touched us and it just goes to show what the power of prayer, persistence, and social media can do. Sending positive energy to Meshell and family at this time.

By the way, for those of you who aren’t familiar with Meshell’s music, you’re missing out on some REAL classics. So we’ve included a few of her jams below, for all of our non-N’degeocello-informed ILOSM family members…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30QtMpCnmS4

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The post Meshell N’Degeocello Emotionally Speaks Out After Her Mom Goes Missing For Weeks appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Throughout her music career, she’s caught a lot of flack about her views on LGBT relations and the standards that people of the LGBT community should be held to. But through it all, she has maintained her stance and continued to remain an open and honest representation of herself.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHO SHE IS & HOW SHE ANGERED THE SAME-SEX COMMUNITY

Her facial features haven’t changed much, and if you look closely at her childhood photo (above), you may now be able to see that the kid is the one and only Meshell Ndegeocello!

Remember her? For those who aren’t very familiar with Ndegeocello, she’s a singer and an incredible musician (bass player) who knows how to perfectly blend her religious rebelliousness/confusion, her political activism, and her diverse sexuality into one big melting pot of soulful gumbo.

She first hit us with her 90’s classics, “Dreadlocs,” and “If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night),” and we can’t forget about her timeless song, “Fool Of Me,” from the Love & Basketball soundtrack. Ndegeocello also caught the attention of many with her songs, “Who Is He and What Is He To You,” a song about her catching her female lover messing around with a dude; and “Leviticus: Faggot,” her religiously defiant joint.

Here’s How Ndegeocello Pissed Off The LGBT Community

Meshell Ndegeocello was one of the very few entertainers of the 90’s era who was openly a lesbian, or so we thought…then we found out that she wasn’t actually a lesbian, but that she was in fact, bisexual. That is where the extreme amount of backlash from the LGBT community began for her.

Embed from Getty Images

You see, initially Meshell was presumed, by most of her fans, to be a lesbian R&B artist. Although her first single was about running her fingers through a man’s dreadlocks, somehow, the lesbian perception was still there. So when her first album came out with songs that were primarily about loving and making love to a woman, but had a few heterosexual love songs sprinkled in between, many within the LGBT community called her a “sellout to a straight America,” according to Rolling Stone.

How Meshell Ndegeocello Responded To The Backlash

Meshell’s response was “I could care less.” She was always focused on staying true to herself and according to her friend and collaborator, Wendy Melvoin (formerly the guitarist for Prince’s Revolution band), Meshell Ndegeocello is a very bisexual woman, who never hides that reality from the world.

Ndegeocello: “I think early on when the music business was a little different, and they had to create some sort of persona to sell, I think I got sold as this angry, black, gay person. I think that’s a huge misconception. Other than that, I don’t really think about it. That’s why I had to ask you,” says Meshell Ndegeocello. [Out Magazine]

“I’ve come up with a new term: I am sexually functional with both genders. I just choose to be with this particular one. Who knows what the future holds? It’s just such a weird concept to me that it’s so important to how you judge my music or my character or anything about me. I’m never assuming what heterosexual people are doing.”

And there you have it. Meshell Ndegeocello is a woman who never bites her tongue – not in her music, nor in her everyday life and that is why we love her.

The post She Grew Up & Became An Openly Bisexual Singer Who Angered The LGBT Community appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

[kkgallery kid=”1759″ title=”She Grew Up To Be An Openly Bisexual Singer Who Angered The Gay Community”]

She is a woman who never bites her tongue – not in her music, nor in her everyday life and that is why we love her. When we really get down to it, record labels should never filter the true representation of their artists. Otherwise, what’s the point in calling an artist and artist? If we leave it up to these labels, we might as well just call them prepackaged puppets, with a hint of their true selves added.
-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view

The post This Soul Singer Became An Openly Bisexual Singer, Who Angered The Gay Community appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Her facial features haven’t changed much, and if you look closely at the photo, you may be able to figure this one out. She Who She Is & How She Angered The Gay Community…

The post She Grew Up To Be An Openly Bisexual Singer Who Angered The Gay Community appeared first on I Love Old School Music.