“Who’s that big-haired girl?” a young man asks, pointing toward Teyana Taylor, who’s being swarmed by teenagers snapping photos as she departs a celebrity basketball tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y. “I know I’ve seen her face before.” Teyana’s debut, From A Planet Called Harlem (Star Trak), a savvy mix of breathy singing and coquettish rapping, won’t be out until later this year. But the 16-year-old has already got fans stopping her in the streets. “She’s Pharrell’s new artist,” a bystander affirms. “You know that girl who jumped out of the Barbie box on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16?”
“Harlem is a fashion show,” says Teyana, who’s been catching people’s eye since she was a little girl in Harlem. Her mother, Nikki, got Teyana her first fur coat — a blue fox — when she was just 4. Her first mink came a few years later. “Uptown got that swag,” Teyana says casually over postgame Sunday brunch at Junior’s.
Fashion has always been crucial for Teyana. Though her mother decked her out in Coogi sweaters and Gucci shoes, she now prefers an ’80s-inspired tomboy look — dookie ropes, hoodies, and sneakers galore. The day she auditioned for Pharrell at New York’s Four Seasons Hotel, they clicked instantly because both were sporting the same pair of red-and-pink Ice Cream sneakers.
Though she’s always well put together, four years ago, Teyana was falling apart on the inside. Homemade card in hand on Father’s Day 2003, she learned her stepfather had been murdered. “I know he’s looking down, he’s proud of me,” Teyana says. “But he wasn’t there to see me run track, to see me play football with the boys, volleyball, basketball."
To cope with the loss, she played sports, learning discipline and hard work. Now her athleticism is everywhere: She was one of the originators of the Chicken Noodle Soup dance. She choreographed Beyoncé’s “Ring the Alarm” video. And now she can be seen dancing in Jay-Z’s “Blue Magic” clip.
When she met Jay on the set, he sat back in his chair and put Teyana to the test. “You ain’t no superstar!” he taunted. Teyana shot back with a look that made the swagger master think twice. “Damn,” Hov said, “Maybe you are a superstar.”
January 30, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
Teyana Taylor
Whatchu know about me? From our February 2008 issue.
Article tags: Beyonce, Jay-Z, Pharrell, Teyana Taylor
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Previous: Alison HindsPage printed from:
http://www.vibe.com/music/next/2008/01/teyana_taylor_next/
Comments
1.
meloddot says:
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Teyana Taylor Performing Live @ The Family Life Center 59 Wright Street Staten Island New York , Summer Cool Down Fashion Show and Party Hosted by Dj Megatron, go to myspace.com/indieelitepromotions or myspace.com/rockstarteyana for tickets or details. Thanks -Mel-o.D. 1
July 6, 2008 at 4:43 pm
2.
meloddot says:
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July 6, 2008 at 4:41 pm
3.
fefe242 says:
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HHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY!!!! MII NAME IS FEFE ND IM UR BIGGEST FAN I LOVE UR VIDEO GOOGLE ME ND I LOVE UR SWAGG UR A KEWL PERSON I WANA MEET U 1 DAY!!!!!!!!YO BIGGEST FAN FEFE
June 21, 2008 at 12:06 pm
4.
Sharon1 says:
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I love her.I love what she is doing!Her style is crazy!
June 3, 2008 at 10:44 pm
5.
funkytube says:
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Private Teyana Taylor Sex VIdeo
http://www.funkytube.net/vid.php?v=Teyana_Taylor_video
ENJOY!!!
June 3, 2008 at 1:25 pm
6.
illkidjordan says:
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haha....my wifey!
gotta luv her.
but...everybody iz sayin that she iz a lesbo?!
ihope not.!
-illkid [frm baltimore
May 17, 2008 at 5:46 pm
7.
Marquaysa says:
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I like her. Her style is sick. Many people think that Hip-Hop is always supposed to stay the same with hardcore rhymes and whatnot. Hip-Hop is about the evolution of the style of black people in general. It's supposed to show who WE are. And the 'we' doesn't include people all being and acting the same. It means that 'WE' are a diverse people with different upbringings and different stories to tell. Don't hate on her and call her a b**ch just because she's not someone you like or because she doesn't LOOK like what hiphop is 'supposed' to be like. Because at one point, the world didn't think that hip-hop was supposed to even HAVE a look. Or to even EXIST. You have to accept different kinds of artists. If not, how can we grow as people and in music??
And I'll co-sign with the other person: Since you know so much about what Hip-Hop is supposed to be like, when your album gonna drop?
~Quaysa~
May 10, 2008 at 11:58 am
8.
Marquaysa says:
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I like her. Her style is sick. Many people think that Hip-Hop is always supposed to stay the same with hardcore rhymes and whatnot. Hip-Hop is about the evolution of the style of black people in general. It's supposed to show who WE are. And the 'we' doesn't include people all being and acting the same. It means that 'WE' are a diverse people with different upbringings and different stories to tell. Don't hate on her and call her a b**ch just because she's not someone you like or because she doesn't LOOK like what hiphop is 'supposed' to be like. Because at one point, the world didn't think that hip-hop was supposed to even HAVE a look. Or to even EXIST. You have to accept different kinds of artists. If not, how can we grow as people and in music??
And I'll co-sign with the other person: Since you know so much about what Hip-Hop is supposed to be like, when your album gonna drop?
~Quaysa~
May 10, 2008 at 11:53 am
9.
bigbaby922 says:
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yo dats wats poppin dat she got on........i remember seein her on dat sweet 16 show wit da BX bike and all dat it was hot....
~big baby~
February 22, 2008 at 12:14 pm
10.
cora1984 says:
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WOW...so sweet, seems she is famous on a tall dating site~~~~~Tallmingle.com ,there are many hot models.they vote the most beautiful member each month.
funny thing.
February 21, 2008 at 2:43 am
11.
khalleeah says:
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she unique the first time i saw her was on the fake ass show sweet sixteen
February 14, 2008 at 12:31 pm
12.
bebemodel says:
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y call her tha b word, why hate on Teyana, she ain't done knowthin to u...Get a lyfe or read a book....Take a good look at urself before u wish her failure, peeps like u are real sad.Since u know wat hip hop is all about, when is yur album coming out???
February 12, 2008 at 1:52 pm
13.
damu says:
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that b**ch iz gonna flop just like all otha fake foo'z that think hip-hop iz all stupid ass pink and blue shoe and ckolorful sweaters and shit i kant wait till she drop to see how her rekord salez are
February 6, 2008 at 6:28 pm
14.
CrunchyMunch says:
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ROFL Soulja Boy’s ‘choreographer’:
http://digitalfuntown.squarespace.com/dft-blog/2008/2/5/interview-with-soulja-boys-choreographer.html
February 6, 2008 at 2:16 pm