>all of those other acts also fell down the whitewash hole and
>lost a fair amount of their core Black/R&B audience by the
>late 80s/early 90s.
>
>he wasn't the only one who went for the ofay-doke. he just
>did sooner. LOL

I agree...but here's the difference....Other than Rick (his downfall was due more to drugs and the rise of Prince) MJ and P were able to re-connect with their black fans in the early '90s...

MJ did it with Dangerous...Prince did it with Diamonds & Pearls...The irony is their "blackness" and authenticity really only started to come into question in the 'hood when Run DMC, gangsta rap and later New Jack Swing allowed young black kids to feel, sound and look like stars without all the excess and crossover baggage...

As you have so rightly said, Lionel never had that problem because he was never going after that young, black demo....

But that's another post....