Throwback Thursday: Patti LaBelle & Mariah Carey – “Got to Be Real” (Live at the Hammerstein Ballroom)
On September 22, 1998, Patty LaBelle performed at the Hammerstein ballroom in New York City. The concert would be recorded and released in audio form for her live album,
Live! One Night Only.
The concert included a cover of Cheryl Lynn’s 1978 classic, “Got to Be Real.” This cover was performed as a duet with Patti’s play-goddaughter, Mariah Carey. It’s not clear how widely available this performance was in 1998, but following the creation of YouTube, lots of rare performances were introduced to a new generation of fans — myself included.
The Patti/Mariah version of the song will go on to become extremely popular on the video-sharing website — mainly because of the amazing vocals, but also because of the cute yet hilarious interaction between the two divas. Patti’s screaming of Mariah’s name has since taken on a life of its own, and the performance has even inspired the web series Got 2B Real, which is centered around R&B divas (led by parody versions of Patti and Mariah).
If this is your first time of watching this performance, you’re in for a treat. Click play.
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