Bracket C
2) Mariah Carey vs. 15)Kehlani: We have a matchup between two very different artists. MC a legend vs. The still up and coming Kehlani. This could be interesting.
Vocal Ability-The Songstress Supreme wins this category but I like Kehlani’s edginess. 7-3
Albums-This is hard to call. All in all Kehlani has some good albums but Mariah has a lot more. I’m going to say what ive heard from Kehlani has been just about on par with the best of MC, plus Kehlani doesn’t have any duds yet. 5-5
Collaboration-This is where things are again hard to call. In her prime MC’s features were much sought after. Kehlani’s features are always pretty good too tho. Both artists are distinctive here. 5-5
Versatility- Call me crazy but I feel this is where Kehlani really brings it. She seems to be able to craft a lot of different songs, While MC does too maybe not as much…4-6
Impact- There’s no denying the legendary status of MC which I feel even eclipses what Kehlani has been able to do in recent years. 7-3
Comm. Success-This is where longevity really comes into play. Plus albums don’t really sell like they used to. Mariah dominates this with over 65 million albums sold! Kehlani went gold tho with her first album.10-0
Mariah Carey wins 38 to 22. It was close at first but Mariah pulled away late in the battle. The songstress supreme will be hard to beat in round 2.
7)Kelis vs. 10) Toni Braxton: Both singers are good but I’m expecting the 7 seed to go down here. We’ll see.
Vocal Ability-These 2 artists are very different sounding. Imma give the edge to Toni due to her deep smooth voice. In fact there’s some serious disparity here. 2-8
Albums- This is actually really tough. Toni’s first 2 albums are classics but Kelis has more great albums in her discography. It’s tough but imma say 6-4 in favor of Kelis.
Collaboration-I’m not really sure how to call this category but I think Kelis’s collaborations have been better overall. 8-2
Versatility-This is tough to call. Toni is more classic and Kelis is more modern….I’ll say it’s a tie. 5-5
Impact-It’s been a nice matchup thus far but this is where Toni pull ahead. 2-8
Comm. Success-Kelis has sold some albums but Toni has gone many times platinum. Its not even close here. 1-9
Toni Braxton wins 36 to 24 . This matchup was closer than I thought. Kelis had distinct advantages in Albums and Collaboration but lack of sales really hurt. Toni is gonna move on to face MC in Round 2.
Bracket D
3)Rihanna vs. 14) Tinashe: I’ve been looking forward to this matchup as these are 2 of my favorite R&B singers period. Rihanna is expected to dominate tho. Here we go.
Vocal Ability-As much as I love Rihanna she isn’t really that dominant vocally…Tinashe is just as good in that category. Both ladies have a lot of sass too. 5-5
Albums-This is where longevity comes to back up the barbadian beauty. Rihanna has a lot of albums, and a few of them are better than Tinashe’s. Tinashe has a good discography in her own right tho…. 7-3
Collaboration-As much as I like Tinashe she hasn’t had many great features….while my girl RiRi has dominated in that regard. 10-0
Versatility-This is where things are supringly kinda even. Tinashe has improved her balladry but still excels in the fast tempo songs. Rihanna is good with whatever….desptite this it’s a tie. 5-5
Impact-Tinashe is an exciting artist but even though Rihanna hasn’t put out anything lately she still wins this category. Tinashe was influenced by Rihanna ;nuff said. 9-1
Comm. Success-This is looking like a horrible matchup for Tinashe. Its not even close. Rihanna is one of the highest selling artists period. 10-0
Rihanna wins 46 to 14! This has been the least competitive matchup yet. Rihanna is a favorite for this bracket and its easy to see why.
6) Amerie vs. 11) Keyshia Cole
Vocal Ability-Like with other matchups we have really different styles of singing here. Amerie is really good and Keyshia has stronger delivery generally. 5-5
Albums-Keyshia has more albums. Both artists have some fire albums…it’s honestly another tie. 5-5
Collaboration-Both ladies have some signature collabos like Amerie on Nas’ “Rule” and Keyshia Cole on The Game’s “Game’s Pain”. I have to give the edge to Keyshia tho. 4-6
Versatility-Both artists are great here…both are good with slower songs or faster songs. I really don’t know who has the advantage. 5-5
Impact-I think Keyshia has had a big impact on the game….but Amerie has too. There was a rumor Beyonce’ stole her style. But honestly Keyshia gets the nod here. 4-6
Comm. Success- While Amerie was moderately successful going gold a couple times and silver; Keyshia went platinum a couple times. So it’s kinda that simple. 3-7
Keyshia Cole wins 34 to 26. That was a pretty close battle until the latter part. Keyshia might have a chance in the next round. We’ll see.