Celeb Alter Egos
Musiq Soulchild as the Husel, Beyoncé, Eminem and others.
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Musiq Soulchild / The Husel - "Halfcrazy" singer Musiq Soulchild has temporarily thrown in the towel on his soulful vocals to re-emerge as auto-tune rapper the Husel. Apparently he figures as long as he's played in strip clubs, he's good. Check out his new sound and mixtape, and peep out other music stars like Mary J. Blige, Eminem and T.I., who have recorded under an alter ego. -Michael Harris (@IceBlueVa)(Photos from left: Valerie Macon/Getty Images, Madame Noire via YouTube)
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Brandy / Bran'Nu - Brandy may be an R&B vixen, but in 2009 she let the world know that MCing was in her too as she spit a few bars alongside Timbaland on his "Meet in ihe Middle" single from his album Shock Value II. Can't front, Bran'Nu had us wanting more of her seductive raps. (Photo: Derek Blanks)
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J.Lo / Lola - Jennifer Lopez introduced the world to Lola in 2009 when she collaborated with Pitbull for her single "Fresh Out the Oven." Unfortunately Lola didn't stick around too long, she's still Jenny From the Block.(Photo: Gregg DeGuire/PictureGroup)
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Beyoncé / Sasha Fierce - Beyoncé lets Sasha Fierce run wild on stage and even gave her her own CD as part of the dual disc album, 2008's I Am... Sasha Fierce. Bey has since laid her alter ego to rest, however; she stated in a 2010 interview with Allure magazine, "Sasha Fierce is done. I killed her. I don’t need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I’ve grown and now I’m able to merge the two.”(Photo: REUTERS/JOHN GRESS/LANDOV)
Photo By John Gress for Reuters / Landov
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Eminem / Slim Shady - Eminem is a beast on the mic but Slim Shady won't hesitate to put his baby mother in a car trunk. Shady's introduction came via that infectious line, "Hi, my name is..." and won Em his first Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance.(Photo: Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup)
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Mariah Carey / Mimi - Mariah Carey let the world see her inner self with The Emancipation of Mimi in 2005. The nickname and the songs tied to it were considered a "comeback" album after Glitter and Charmbracelet didn't fare so well. This one, however had "It's Like That" and "We Belong Together," the latter of which stayed atop charts for 14 weeks.(Photo: M. Caulfield/WireImage for BET Entertainment)
Photo By M. Caulfield/WireImage for BET Entertainment
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Nicki Minaj / Roman Zolanski - The Young Money Princess has more alter egos than she does BET Awards for Best Female Hip Hop artist. Barbie, Pointy Dexter and Martha are a few, but the teeth marks Roman leaves on a track are the most fierce. He first appeared on Trey Songz's "Bottoms Up," and though she declared him dead on Valentine's Day 2014, we demand a resurrection.(Photo: Jeff Daly/PictureGroup)
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Justin Bieber / Shawty Mane - Teen pop star Justin Bieber gave himself a rap alter ego, Shawty Mane, after freestyling over Vado's "Speaking in Tongues.” Shawty wasn't bad and also showed his spit game when he rhymed on Chris Brown's "Ladies Love Me" in 2011.(Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
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T.I. / T.I.P. - Tip’s gotten T.I. into a lot of trouble over the years with his unabashed street persona, and the two finally battled it out on his fifth studio album, T.I. vs. T.I.P. Both won, the collection went nearly gold in its first week.(Photo: Vince Bucci/PictureGroup)
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Janet / Damita Jo - Ms. Jackson lives out her sexual fantasies through her alter ego, Damita Jo. The alias is actually her middle name, which came to life as the title of her eighth album. (Photo: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
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Mary J. Blige / Brook Lynn - Mary J. Blige may be the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, but don't think she can't kick some ferocious bars. M.J.B. can transform into Brook Lynn when she wants to annihilate the mic, and showed her skills pulling double duty on her 2009 single "Enough Cryin.'" Brook Lynn also flexed alongside Busta Rhymes on his "Touch It" remix as she held her own with other MCs DMX, Papoose, Rah Digga, Lloyd Banks and Missy Elliott.(Photo: Scott Gries/PictureGroup)