1. Justin Timberlake
No we didn’t care about him when he fronted N’Sync, but that all changed when Justin hooked up with Pharrell and Timbaland to make the best Michael Jackson album of the 2000’s.
2. George Michael
This British crooner solidified his black pass while part of the group “Wham!” with two hits that STAYED on the quiet storm — “Careless Whisper” and “Everything She Wants.”
3. Rick Astley
Mostly known as an annoying web meme, Astley stormed 80’s Black radio with “Never Gonna Give You Up.” The song was fine, but with his deep bass-y voice we just KNEW Rick was some Barry White looking guy. Wrong.
4. Michael McDonald
You should have seen our faces when we found out that the guy who sings “What A Fool Believes” was NOT a Black guy.
5. Teena Marie
Actually, we’re still not convinced that Teena Marie was White.
6. Adele
Any singer who makes Tristan Wilds her music video boo knows exactly what she’s doing . . . and we love it!
7. Jon B.
If you write for Michael, Toni and Babyface, we don’t care if you sunburn easy or not, you NEED to sing!
8. Phil Collins
Four words: “In The Air Tonight.”
9. The Bee Gees
How did three dorky looking dudes from the UK solidify their Black pass? EXHIBIT A: “Well you can tell by the way I use my walk . . .”
10. Hall & Oates
These two Philly dudes are steeped in the sounds we all love and songs like “I Can’t Go for That” are proof that soul knows no color.