They probably assumed that because Whitney was black, had that voice and because her music was r&b-tinged enough that urban music lovers would automatically embrace her and so instead they focused on trying to appeal to a white-pop audience that they assumed she would have a tougher time winning over. Might have been off balance in the beginning but it eventually evened out IMO. Waiting to Exhale on up was very r&b.

Shale wrote:

Yeah, that has always annoyed me about black audiences thinking they somehow own a great performer just because they come from black culture. MJ had that same problem from time to time with his crossover stuff and the fact that black audiences actually boo'd Whitney for going 'mainstream' is disgusting.

I am white. I am in love Whitney Houston's voice. "I Will Always Love You" is a country song by a white country singer. The fact that Whitney owns that song now does not bother me. I just can't believe that anyone would be critical of her singing just because it did not fit some black identity.

Last night I watched The Bodyguard. Loved that movie too, perhaps especially because it transcended race with Costner's & Houston's characters falling in love like it was natural or something. But, maybe that's just me - knowing a white boy can fall for a pretty black woman. Or that she may be singing to me, not just the black folks.

Personally, it's not about the black artist "crossing over." I love all the cross over-ness of today, because I was always the weird black girl listening to Korn one minute and Wu-Tang after.

What gets my goat is the severe altering of a black artist to the point where he/she is not himself, in order to fit into another box. It's hilarious sometimes to watch how the real person slips out little by little.

Case in point--Beyonce. Y'all might not be able to see it, but that chick is--and pardon my word usage here--hood. That's my girl, but listen to her sometimes. The lyric that did it for me was "I been knowing you since you were 10"....that's hood talk LOL! And we not even going to get into "Soldier" or who she married or the extensive usage of that same damn blonde lacefront or her desire to be Latina.

And notice how you never really hear Bey talk in public. She comes off completely and utterly boring unless she's on stage. Someone probably done already told her she would completely TANK her image if she starts letting loose and getting real!

Chaka Khan slams Clive Davis's party still going on and the way her entourage handled her last days.

^^ That's crazy, I myself couldn't have attended the party, especially if I was particularly close to Whitney.

Jon Stewart slammed CNN for their coverage of Whitney's death.