Trying to come up with an adequate and inclusive R&B Mount Rushmore seems impossible. There are so many different eras to consider and a variety of ways to grade them. Realistically, you can pull every choice from the 70s soul scene and have a valid argument. Moreover, if you fixate on the 90s and 2000s, there’s no shortage of options either. From Janet and Michael Jackson to Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to Jodeci and Usher, cobbling any R&B Mount Rushmore means leaving off some incredibly deserving talent. For Kehlani, though, there’s one all-timer from the 90s and 2000s that you can’t make a top 4 without.
Recently, they spoke on Big Boy’s Neighborhood after a monumental 2025. There, they open up about joining Brandy as a surprise guest on her “The Boy is Mine” tour with Monica. In the aftermath of performing “Folded” for the crowd and one of their idols, Kehlani certainly feels the surreality. Yet, even though they’re in Brandy’s orbit, they still don’t feel like they quite measure up as peers. Ultimately, the singer argues that their success doesn’t even come close to Brandy’s, and Brandy’s Mount Rushmore status should be treated accordingly.
Kehlani Says No R&B Mount Rushmore is Complete Without Brandy
“I don’t think I would ever call my greats my peers,” they explain. “Would never call her a peer. We’ll always call her a mother. Would always call her in my Mount Rushmore of R&B. I think every R&B singer that you ask if you’re talking about vocal GOATs, they’re gonna say Brandy. I would never, respectfully, get into an argument about Brandy Norwood. I would never be explaining Brandy Norwood to anyone.”
For Kehlani, they’re a student of the R&B game. Consequently, the opportunity to go on stage with them was especially gratifying. Moreover, knowing that they only get that opportunity once, it was only right for the Oakland crooner to go out of their way to praise the icons.
“I’m just glad I got to give her her flowers,” Kehlani adds. “Even if they had only brought me out to give her her flowers and say what I got to say, that would’ve been just as good as being able to sing my song. I also was really grateful to be there in Monica’s presence as well, and give her her flowers privately.”
Currently, Kehlani is looking to capitalize on their massive 2025 with an album in 2026. “I usually come in spring,” they tease. “I’m a spring baby.”
The post ‘We’ll Always Call Her a Mother’: Kehlani Says This R&B Legend Should Be on Every Singer’s Mount Rushmore appeared first on VICE.
