All About
Beyonce KnowlesRecently L'Oreal decided that Destiny's Child singer Beyoncé Knowles, 19, was worth it -- worth a big bucks, five year endorsement contract, that is, following in the footsteps of such stars as Andie McDowell, Heather Locklear, and Jennifer Lopez.
But Beyoncé isn't alone. Other African American rap and R&B stars -- including Lil' Kim, Mya, and Mary J. Blige -- have become the new faces Madison Avenue is using to hawk products to mainstream America. ''Urban artists have destroyed the rock & roll hegemony and are dominating the charts, and these companies have wised up,'' says Caroline Meaby, a researcher for the BBC documentary ''Ghetto Fabulous.'' ''The media is accepting images of black beauty.'' And how!
EW.com takes a look at the deals these new musical style queens have made, and lets you know if singing or selling is the path to their future success.
WHO Beyoncé
WHAT L'Oreal
HER WORDS The ads haven't come out yet, but Beyoncé can't stop saying L'Oreal's name. ''This is the icing on the cake,'' she told the Houston Chronicle. ''I can't wait to open a magazine and see myself in L'Oreal!'' You can bet those ads will be everywhere come May, when the new Destiny's Child album, ''Survivor,'' hits stores.
WHAT THE PROS SAY ''Beyoncé speaks to young women, and her look is very hip and trendy,'' says Julia Chance, beauty editor of Honey magazine. ''If L'Oreal's goal is to reach a younger audience, they'll try to work with her existing look.'' But with Destiny's Child getting more airtime than President Bush these days, are we going to be burnt on Beyoncé? ''I don't think people are tired of her, because she's about to morph into a new direction, which will keep people interested,'' says Chance. ''She's got a solo album and an acting career in the works. And in this industry, all press is good press.''
BETTER SINGER OR SELLER? Beyoncé can do no wrong. She's golden -- unless L'Oreal dyes her hair bright orange or Child's other two singers, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, announce they've got ''creative differences'' with her.
WHO Lil' Kim
WHAT MAC cosmetics; Iceberg fashions; Candie's shoes
HER WORDS It's not ALL about the payday. ''I love money, money is a necessity, and power is, too,'' Kim, 25, told the San Francisco Examiner. ''But I'm an artist who cares about outside things, such as people living with AIDS.'' She's putting her money where her mouth is: The Viva Glam line of MAC lipsticks she endorses gives 100 percent of the proceeds to the MAC Aids Fund. In just two months, the line has raised $750,000 for the cause.
WHAT THE PROS SAY The 5'2'' star is drowning in hype, and a backlash is in the works. ''There have been rumblings from her fans that her image is more important to her than her music now,'' says Meaby. But representing MAC, especially for a good cause, is still a savvy move for Kim. ''In the urban community, there is heavy brand loyalty to MAC, and both she and the line represent the cutting edge,'' says Chance.
BETTER SINGER OR SELLER? More people noticed her little purple pasty at the 1999 MTV Music Awards than bought her last album, so Kim should focus on promoting her raunchy femme fatale image. C'mon, we haven't had a flamboyant, trash talking bleach blond since Dennis Rodman!
WHO Mya
WHAT Iceberg jeans
HER WORDS Though Mya, 21, doesn't mind preening in designer fashion, she is feeling uncomfortable with the sexier image she unveiled for her latest album. ''You feel a little guilty because people do look up to you,'' she told People Online. ''They feel what you do is okay and they have the right to do it also.'' Not to worry, 99 percent of America couldn't fit into her sequined hot pants anyway.
WHAT THE PROS SAY Mya's followers are the stuff of retailers' fantasies. ''She always has a hot single out, and she appeals to a young crowd that's a little older than the teenyboppers,'' explains Tasha Turner, beauty and accessories editor of Vibe. ''Her fans are at the age where they have their own money to spend and they're going out to a lot of parties.'' Plus, as a spokesmodel, Mya's hip to cutting edge fashions. ''When I talk to kids about what they like, they always say Iceberg,'' says Chance. ''It's just wildly popular right now.''
BETTER SINGER OR SELLER? Seller, by far. But if she's worried that her saucy stage outfits will lure young girls to reveal excessive cleavage, she may be MUCH too nice to be a model.
WHO Mary J. Blige
WHATMAC's Viva Glam cosmetics line; Dolce & Gabbana and MAC sponsor her tours
HER WORDS Sure, she's shilling eyeshadow with Lil' Kim for a good cause, but the soul singer and admitted shoe freak, 30, really has an eye to selling her own designs. ''I'm not creating a clothes and shoe line just yet, but it's on the way,'' Blige told the New York Daily News.
WHAT THE PROS SAY ''Young women love Mary, and they love MAC,'' says Chance. And the critically acclaimed Grammy winner, who used to tromp around on stage in a baseball jersey and hightops, is impressing fans with her glam new image, which she shows off in the MAC ads. Already established as her generation's queen of soul, her recently uncovered sex appeal is gravy.
BETTER SINGER OR SELLER She sure looks hot in the thigh high boots and the miniskirts, but there isn't another model anywhere who can sing that brassy brand of soul. Sorry, Milla.
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