Variety Spectacular Presents: Kelis
Through six studio albums, Kelis has chameleonically worked it all over the genre spectrum, making it hard to place a finger on what her best quality is. It may just be adaptability.
Her milkshake brought you to the yard and then she bossed you away. You know her, though you may not know you do, but ohh do you know her. Kelis has six studio albums to her name but, like fellow lyrical heavy-hitter and former tourmate Robyn, has found limited to reasonable success in the United States with novelty singles and has found a sonic home elsewhere in the world for her biggest fans, notably the United Kingdom.
Kelis is an artist who never had her full shot. She rode waves of influence but only off the strength of one cult hit and two crazy novelty bangers — then she faded away. She got one chance with Interscope Records and the album didn’t stick very well here in the US, so she was dropped from the label. She had a high profile relationship and a son with Nas. She’s worked with indelible industry titans. There is so much material here to get into that it’s really a question of where to start, rather than when, but let me help you out with both answers: We’ll begin right now, with an introduction to Kelis’s debut album and run through her most recent release, giving you one song at each stop along the way. After these six tracks, you’ll either still not care about Kelis or I’ll have made the right choices to inspire you to dive a little deeper into her catalogue — like I said, six studio albums and you won’t regret one. At the very least, you’ll no longer think of her as a one hit wonder. And that, folks, is why I do what I do.
- “Caught Out There” — Kaleidoscope, 1999
“Yo…this song is for all the women out there that have been lied to by their men. And I know y’all have been lied to, over and over again.” Kelis’s first record is, true to its name, a whimsical, colorful and constantly moving piece of art — it’s fittingly produced by the Neptunes (Pharrell Williams + Chad Hugo) whom Kelis would go on to work with countless times. “Caught Out There” is the record’s lead single, the first taste of Kelis given to the world. It’s a stylistic standout thanks to its aggressive hook, Kelis screaming “I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW” at a dishonest lover, wailing and writhing in agony and anger. Infidelity always provides ample rage material to work with and this song captures a perfect snapshot of Destiny’s Child-like matter-of-factness, outta-my-face attitude with a little more swagger and a lot of written confidence. Kelis’s lower register shimmers as she bounces around in her verses. Check this out for a realer look into the makings of the “Milkshake” woman. Enjoy the Hype Williams-helmed clip below and just bump it really loud and scream along, okay?
2. “Scared Money” — Wanderland, 2001
Kelis’s second record wasn’t released in the United States largely due to the cult-only success of her first, but it did achieve wide release in Europe and found more cult success as well, thanks to another easy, top-to-bottom ring of Neptunes-produced radio honey. “Scared Money” is a straightforward track about a hesitant attraction — in this case, Kelis wants her man but she knows he’s not so sure. Try not to nod your head. You’ll be relegated to Amazon or YouTube to take in the album in full but it’s plenty worth your while.
Update — June 5, 2019: Wanderland is now available on streaming services.
3. “Millionaire” — Tasty, 2003
In their review of this album, The Guardian labeled Kelis a “parellel universe Beyoncé” and it isn’t too difficult to imagine: take one look at the album artwork and contrast it with Beyoncé’s own Dangerously In Love. Ingest Kelis’s slick R&B and quick wit and tell me “Naughty Girl” or “Dangerously In Love 2” wouldn’t be right at home on Tasty. It’s how far Kelis makes her genre reach that definitively separates the two and no track better encapsulates this than “Millionaire” with André 3000. Read like a funky, futuristic ska robot freestyle clinic, the track skidoops and beep-bops around lyrics that don’t really make sense but aren’t quite a freestyle or scat. And it’s really just a song about money not buying happiness. But somehow, it’s too much fun.
4. “Aww Shit!” — Kelis Was Here, 2006
It’s brash and it’s audacious but this whole damn album is. I mean, “Bossy” was the lead single. It’s a lot of attitude that she commands here with this record, one that feels at once a natural transition from Tasty and also a risky move to take four albums into a career. Kelis pulls it off with killer confidence and this song is so fun, I had to include it. It features Smoke on a verse that just screams, “Yeah, that was released in 2006, for sure.” Somehow, even with a four minute run time, this song still feels short. Fantastic.
5. “4th of July (Fireworks)” — Flesh Tone, 2010
Kelis’s only release with Interscope Records (through will.i.am’s imprint label) is an intense, hyper-focused and jubilant sonic exploration of deep house music. Producers you’re familiar with from years of radio desensitizing through psychotic Nicki Minaj collaborations are featured here but in ways truer to their European house riot roots. On “4th of July” Kelis builds into a beautiful riff running on her desire to not be alone and to relish in the love she’s got. Go ahead and dance — the light-up floor at Barbarella would be appropriate. You know you want to.
6. “Jerk Ribs” — Food, 2014
Kelis took another artistic turn on her latest release, teaming with Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio for production and incorporating funk, afrobeat and Memphis soul sounds into an album tied with, well, food (several tracks are named after comfort food dishes). The sound here is (in 2017/18 pop music speak) “authentic” and “honest” — in other words, it was recorded with some live instruments including a brass section. The track is a delicate ode to what made Kelis: her Harlem roots, her father telling her to “look for melody in everything,” such a beautiful thing to tell a child. “Jerk Ribs” is catchier than catchy with a sinewy chorus and punchy horns breathing serious life into her entire catalogue. It’s old school without becoming nostalgic or dated in any way and provides some serious funkitude to groove by at a party. 10/10 would recommend. Don’t sleep on Kelis!
Bonus: “Got Your Money” — Ol’ Dirty Bastard, N***a Please, 1999
Did you hear me? I said don’t sleep on Kelis! She wrote this kickass hook for the late, great and stanky Ol’ Dirty Bastard back in ’99 and it is still fresh as anything Pharrell Williams is cooking up with N.E.R.D. (again).
Don’t sleep on Kelis.
