By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Only days after “Soul Train” creator, Don Cornelius died in Los Angeles, another star is gone in the form of Whitney Houston. While she was not a hip hop artist, she has had an incredible impact on the hip hop community over her twenty plus year career. Houston was the golden voice of America for years, providing such hits as “I Am Every Woman.”
Aside from her music, Whitney Houston is perhaps best-known for her marriage to R&B bad boy, Bobby Brown. When Whitney Houston married Bobby Brown, it shocked the public, as the two appeared to be polar opposites. However, it was soon revealed the two were actually very much alike, leading to many fights between the couple.
By the 2000s, Whitney Houston had become the subject of punchlines, regarding her abusive relationship with Bobby Brown and her use of drugs. Whitney Houston came clean about her drug use during a 2002 interview with ABC’s “20/20.” During the interview, Houston confirmed using every drug except for crack, infamously saying “crack is cheap.”
Whitney Houston enjoyed a nice comeback in 2002, as rumors began of her and husband, Bobby Brown, possibly joining Irv Gotti’s then-popular record label, Murder Inc. These rumors grew when Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown made a cameo appearance in a Murder Inc. video and when Bobby Brown recorded a song with Ja Rule. Houston never signed with Murder Inc., but did make a splash in reality television on Bobby Brown’s “Being Bobby Brown,” eventually stealing the show from her husband.
All of this would not be enough to keep her marriage to Bobby Brown in tact, as she would divorce him in 2006. Whitney Houston eventually began dating another R&B bad boy, Ray J. While Ray J is much younger than Whitney Houston, the two said they had strong feelings for each other. At one point, Ray J even recorded a diss record aimed at Bobby Brown, despite the two being friends at one point with Brown making a cameo appearance in one of Ray J’s videos.
In 2009, Whitney Houston enjoyed a brief comeback, with her album I Look For You. During this period of time, she made appearances on Oprah and other outlets, discussing her comeback. While her album was well-received, Whitney Houston had bigger things in store for the future. Among the announcements Whitney Houston made in 2009 was her being drug-free for the first time in years. With her young daughter acting out, Whitney Houston hoped to lead by example.
Until recently, Whitney Houston has been on the backburner, with her name only coming up when Ray J or Bobby Brown is mentioned. Initially, she had plans of changing this, as she had a new album in the works and was making a film appearance. This weekend, Whitney Houston was spending time in California, where her publicist discovered her in her Beverly Hills hotel room dead. There were previous reports of Houston’s death back in September of 2011, which were denied by her family and close associates.
Unfortunately, the stories tonight about Whitney Houston’s death are indeed true. Whitney Houston leaves behind her daughter, Bobbi Christina, with Bobby Brown.
