aretha really is the bar for all other singers. if you can meet aretha, and not many can, but you have to attempt to get to that level. then i think you can be considered the type of singer and artist that aretha was. so many people have called on her, and not just r&b, but gospel. you re playing it right now in the background, but her gospel music touched so many people. her collaborations, her friendships with other artists, with the every man. we were just talking to a man in detroit who was saying how it meant so much she stayed there. it seems to span so much. i mean, we loved her. we were talking about it in the office at essence. it s all these accolades that aretha has, but she was also still a beautiful, every day woman who brought her pocketbook everywhere. she didn t even call it a purse. there s been times where she s performed at the piano, and her hair may be askew and she doesn t even care because she s
you that? thankfully, aretha gave us that. thankfully. and as essence points out, she served as the foundation for so many amazing artists after her. the impact, her influence on other female artists. i mean, artists no matter their sex, gender, race, anything. but for especially female artists, what do you think it is? i think that is perfectly true. i immediately think of mary j. blige. the first time we heard mary, and i know she hates this, it s like that pain you hear in her voice. we immediately connect that to aretha. when aretha sang, she emoted the feelings she gave. it always made you sort of sit and pause. coming over here today, one of my favorite songs by her is i ve never loved a man. it s really at the end when she crescendos and you jeust feel i. she gave it to you every time she performed that song.
he is also with showbiz411. can you hear me? yes. tell me how you knew aretha? i met aretha 20 years ago cl through clive davis who was her friend and mentor. aretha liked to come to new york. she loved detroit. she loved living in detroit. but she got bored there easily. because she didn t fly, she couldn t go to that many places. she would load up her tour bus with a couple of family members and a bodyguard and come to new york for a week or two weeks to see broadway shows, go to dinner. she would call me and say, what should we do? what s the hot thing? that s how we solidified our friendship. we had a lot of fun experiences going to see various shows, holding broadway curtains because we were late.
drought had its tough times. drought is on its way back. you can rest assured of that. seen better days, as we speak right now. what do you think aretha would reflect on kind of that cycle of detroit, michigan, and how it falls on tough times but it s fighting its way back right now? that s the spirit of the city of detroit. detroit, frankly, is coming back. we re very close to being where we want to be. there s been a lot of outstanding investment in the city of detroit. that s the kind of investment aretha franklin gave to the city of detroit. she could have gone anywhere. but she, like rosa park, who was an icon, she chose to live out her days in the city of detroit. aretha franklin chose to continue to be the icon that she is and has been. and she did it in the city of detroit. detroit is coming back.
class. if you open the dictionary and you look at the word diva, there s a picture of aretha franklin next to it. there you go. let me read you what quincy jones, the part of the statement perfect quincy jones just now. aretha franklin set the bar upon which every female singer has and will be measure and did it profr professionalism, class, grace and humility that only a tree queen could. diana ross tweeted, i m sitting in prayer for the wonderful golden spirit of aretha franklin. don, stay with me. also with me is aladi rasadi. the outpouring on social media underscores how she s a singular figure in american