Alicia Keys Mixtapes-the Early Years

There are few artists in the hip hop industry who have reached the legendary status of Alicia Keys. On her many albums and Alicia Keys mixtapes, she has released a number of songs that have become modern day standards. Her career, however, did not take off over night and she had to deal with her fair share of adversity to get to where she is today.

Alicia Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook and grew up in the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City with her single mother. Her mother was a part time actress, so Alicia was exposed to the entertainment industry from a very early age. In 1985, she made her debut as a professional performer with a guest appearance on The Cosby Show.

She started playing the piano, which would become her signature on future albums, when she was only seven years old. She attended the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City and began writing music at the age of fourteen. When she was only sixteen years old, she graduated from high school as the valedictorian of her class.

After a brief stint in college, Alicia decided that she wanted to devote all of her time to the pursuit of her music career. She signed a deal to record new mixtapes with Jermaine Dupri and released the song Dah Dee Dah (So Sexy) for the Men In Black Soundtrack. She thought her career was off when she signed to Columbia Records, but she soon left the label after a dispute.

Those early Alicia Keys mixtapes may have been the end of her career if she had been discouraged by the dispute with Columbia Records. However, she powered through and it proved to be only the beginning of a legendary rise to stardom. Although she hit a few bumps in the early part of the road, there were nothing but good things in store for Alicia Keys.

By: Ari Allon

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