Mariah Carey’s Former Group Allure Is Pissed at Her for Leaving It Out of Her Memoir
Mariah Carey fans are digging into her page-turning memoir. Most are enjoying reading about Carey’s personal life — including her romantic relationships with the likes of Tommy Mottola, her affair with Derek Jeter, and her marriage to Nick Cannon. But Carey’s lengthy career accomplishments are also pretty juicy, which include her once owning her own record label.
Carey’s former group Allure was one of the first acts signed to the label. Unfortunately, Carey does not mention the group in the book, and group members are blasting Carey online for the omission.
Allure’s work with Mariah Carey and beyond
Allure is an R&B quartet that began singing together in the early 1990s. The original members of the group were Alia Gray (née Davis), Hem-Lee (aka Linnie Belcher), Lalisha Sanders, and Akissa Mendez.
The group caught the attention of Poke, a member of the popular production team Track Masters. Poke signed Allure to a production deal and helped it score a record deal with Carey’s Crave Records in 1997.
It released its self-titled debut album in May 1997. The album features several singles, many of them collaborations, including “Head Over Heels” with Nas and “No Question” with LL Cool J.
Allure’s biggest hit is its duet with R&B quartet 112. The song “All Cried Out” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its debut album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Carey’s label dissolved, leaving the group without a contract. It signed with MCA Records in 2000 and continued releasing music, but its sophomore album Sunny Days did not receive much support from the label.
The group left MCA, and Hem-Lee quit, leaving it as a trio. It reemerged in 2004 under NBA player Ron Artest’s record label to release its third album. It later formed its own label in 2008.
Allure blasts Mariah Carey for omitting it from her memoir
Though Carey’s memoir mentions her work on her record label alongside her ex-husband Tommy Mottola, she does not mention Allure. In a recent interview with Vulture, Carey explains why she omits certain aspects of her life and career from her memoir, saying, “If somebody or something didn’t pertain to the actual meaning of Mariah Carey, as is the title, then they aren’t in the book.”
Per Madame Noire, Carey reveals in the book that when her marriage to Mottola ended, she cut ties with the label and any other shared business ventures.
Allure is less than happy about Carey leaving it out of the chapter about Crave Records, especially as Carey notes other acts she signed. The group members took to Instagram to air their grievances with Carey.
On the group’s Instagram page, they share a vintage clip of Carey speaking about them being the first acts on her label.
They allege that they’ve remained silent on their time with Carey with the intention of focusing on their career. According to Allure, there are rumors that things went south between them and Carey after one of the group members physically attacked Carey, which they deny.
Overall, the group does not believe its contributions to Carey’s label are appreciated.
“You had a label and we were your first act. We remember people always saying, “You guys were like the wallpaper at Crave…We’ve always stayed Quiet and been nice about everything although we didn’t receive the same back,” the post reads. “One thing that’s sickening is being treated as if we never existed. How does anyone blatantly lie and totally disregard people who were a huge part of your life and your career.”
Carey has not responded to Allure’s social media post but continues her press tour for her book.
