Cheri Dennis Shares The Reality About Her Depart From Dangerous Boy
For considered one of its best-anticipated episodes, BET Digital’s Discovering peeled again the layers of Cleveland-bred R&B singer Cheri Dennis’s business journey, which started in her adolescence from the church to the studio and ended with a retreat from Diddy’s legendary Dangerous Boy Leisure imprint.
After assembly and signing with the New York rap and business mogul at solely 19-years-old, Cheri Dennis broke out within the early 2000s’ R&B scene with the Ryan Leslie-produced “I Love You.” The debut single soared to a No. 38 spot on Billboard’s Scorching R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and earned Dangerous Boy one other hit to safe underneath its belt. Upon its official music video launch in 2006, the only additionally ushered Cheri into the R&B house because the sweet-sounding woman subsequent door with the lovable angular bob haircut, strappy stilettos and colourful maxi gown—a picture that turned out to be the full reverse of Cheri’s true and distinctive charisma.
Fame was by no means a part of her individuality both, which inevitably grew with the success of the file. Sadly, Cheri describes, that progress didn’t translate into her place as one of many solely feminine artists on the label in the course of the resurgence of Dangerous Boy. Apart from her aesthetic not fairly becoming into the R&B sweetheart vibe Diddy had laid out for her, the fruits of her musical labor weren’t materializing the way in which she thought they’d both. Cheri recalled nonetheless struggling to pay the payments (which resulted in Puff sliding her a month-to-month payoff), writing camps that felt fairly inorganic to her, and carrying the load of her personal profession and distinctive sound on her again even underneath Dangerous Boy signage. “I do know who I wish to be, I do know what sort of music I wish to make, and I gotta struggle the n**fuel that’s round me,” she says. “That’s presupposed to consider in my imaginative and prescient—I gotta struggle y’all too?”
Years later, and whereas sharing her story with Discovering, the In and Out of Love singer refuses to bash or “sh**” on Diddy, nonetheless. After affording her the chance she needed to convey her pure skills to Hollywood’s centerstage, it was no cause to in spite of everything. As a brand new mother and refreshed vocal expertise, she’s now pivoted her reward in a extra unbiased course. Cheri’s journey taught her a number of priceless classes, however none extra necessary than the dangers of sacrificing selfhood for celebrityhood. Whereas the expertise might need taken a number of issues from her, like time with household, which she tearfully and regrettably remembers, it by no means separated her coronary heart from the music.
“You may’t take the artwork from me,” she mentioned. “You may’t take the music from me. I want that to stay. That is part of who I’m. I’ll at all times make music. It’s one thing that I don’t know the right way to not do. I’m dope. I’m Cheri Coke, man.”
Journey together with her again by way of the superstar rise and recline of Cheri Dennis above.