kelis is the blueprint

Give Kelis the Flowers She Deserves, She’s the Blueprint.

Harlem’s own Kelis Rogers has been changing the game for 20 years, using her creativity to become a force to be reckoned with and paving the way for a unique take on female artistry in the music industry.

Known as “the first girl to scream on a track,” singer-songwriter Kelis broke out onto the R&B/Soul scene in 1999, with a feature on “Got Your Money,” a single by Wu-Tang Clan’s very own, Ol’ Dirty Bastard. That same year, she solidified her position in the music industry when she released her debut album Kaleidoscope (which was produced by The Neptunes, a talented duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo).

Kaleidoscope, despite being mostly R&B based, contained elements from multiple genres and sounds, which made it very experimental for its era. During a time where female singers were being forced by their labels and studios to sing love ballads about wanting to please men, Kelis wasn’t afraid to highlight relationship problems and issues that often came with romance in her songs. With songs like “Caught Out There” and “Mafia” Kelis took no prison ers, making sure to be brutally honest about where her emotions stood. On her song, “Get Along With You,” for example, Kelis calls out the man in her life for taking advantage of her feelings, and betraying her, singing, “You took my heartbeat from me, this is the saddest story/ What was wrong with my love?”

Moreover, not only did her album address relation ship issues, but it also dug deep on unconventional topics such as aliens, spaceships, and dreams. Kaleidoscope was the manifestation of Kelis’ individuality and nonconformity as an upcoming artist who was looking to be heard and taken seriously.

In addition to her eclectic sound, Kelis chose to look the part as well. Although fashion choices such as multicolored hair and dyed eyebrows were not the norm for Black artists at the time, Kelis dared to be different. In music videos for songs like “Good Stuff,” she can be seen rocking blue and green hair, a daring look that was reserved almost exclusively for white musicians, and that Black artists wouldn’t pick up for another few years.

Due to her distinctive style, though, Kelis was told that her music was not considered “Black enough” to be played on R&B stations—a statement which she did not take kindly to.

During an interview with The Fader this year, Kelis recalled this incident and gave her thoughts regard ing it. “I never felt like that made any sense. I always felt like, You’re wrong,” she said. “How is a white guy going to tell me what’s Black enough, first of all? Sec ondly, how is anybody going to tell me what’s Black enough for that record, you know what I mean? I had no identity issues, so the fact By refusing to succumb to pressure or change her sound, Kelis made her mark on the industry and became a role model for many Black women in music. We can thank Kelis for artists like Normani, Lizzo, Dawn Richard, Alex Mali, and Rihanna, all of whom create music that often crosses and blends genres. It’s because of singers like Kelis that these artists are allowed to have territories in multiple genres, with out having to subscribe to one particular sound.

In 2003, Kelis released “Milkshake” on her third album, Tasty. The track—which was originally written for and rejected by Britney Spears—was picked up by Kelis and became her biggest charting record to date. The song (followed by a promiscuous music video) was an ode not only to her sexual power, but the unearthed sexual power that is held by women everywhere.

Kelis has always been known for her defiance—and in the vein of not wanting to boxed in, she proved to be more than just the “Milkshake girl” by collaborating with the likes of Calvin Harris, Björk, Skream, and Duran Duran.

In 2010, she released her fifth studio album Flesh Tone, a dance and electronic album. The album was released by the will.i.am Music Group and had a host of brilliant tracks like “22nd Century,” “Brave,” and “Acapella,” which is a song dedicated to mother hood and her son, Knight, who was a newborn baby around the time the song was released.

Finally, 2014 was the year that Kelis put out her most recent album, Food, which was dedicated to her life as a professional chef and graduate of international culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu. Food was a return to her R&B roots, with soulful tracks about delicacies like “Cobbler,” “Jerk Ribs,” and “Biscuits n’ Gravy.” Along with the many cooking references that she makes throughout the album, Kelis also includes details and small hints about her personal life and the struggles she has been through.

Throughout her entire career, Kelis has proven to be not only to be an amazing artist who has used her craft and creativity to be honest about who she is, but also a tastemaker in pop culture who people look up to for guidance. It’s time that society give her the credit and appreciation she deserves for being such an influential figure and role model. Without compromising her sound or identity, Kelis has managed to create a legacy that will impact future generations of artists to come. 17