Sunday Divas / Three From the Hip: Stephanie Mills

Sunday Divas / Three From the Hip: 

Stephanie Mills

In my own private big gay church, there is a wing dedicated to those members of The Rhythm Nation. Janet may rule supreme, but there are many who came before her. One such voice...

Stephanie Mills.

No one can fill a funky groove the way Ms. Mills can. 

While other divas may throw in runs and scales to simply show off their skills, Ms. Mills brings none of that. Every note she sings? It has meaning. It is substantial. It is musically essential.

And she is a master of her instrument. Cooing sweet nothings into the ear of a lover via a quiet storm one moment, ripping open a a wall of fire backed by stomping dance beats the next. You want a party?

Bring Ms. Mills.

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic? R&B Legends

"Even before coming into the industry, I was a big fan of Motown, the Jackson 5, Gladys Knight, the Temptations, Diana Ross and The Supremes."

"I have mad love for the way we were taught and trained back in the day. I mean, those of us - like Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight - we didn't give into this new wave of celebrity."

"I like Jay-Z. I love Luda. I love Ledisi. I like Beyonce, of course. I think she's just brilliant. She's a triple threat. - I'm 47 years old. I couldn't compete with Beyonce. I'm not competing with anyone. I've already established myself as an artist. I've been in this business for 30 years. There's no reason for me to compete with anyone. - But my favorite - my all-time rapper is Tupac. See, I could have been Tupac's girlfriend."

Home - Stephanie Mills

The Medicine Song

You're Puttin' the Rush On Me - Stephanie Mills

"I thought that I was going to be Mrs. Michael Jackson, but I was ready at 20 and 21 to get married, and he was not even close to getting married or having a girlfriend at that time, but yes, we dated. We dated for a while."