60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Kelis — “Milkshake”

March 18, 2026

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  • Kelis's career, exemplified by her 2000 Glastonbury performance covering Nirvana, showcases a rich, defiant, and uncategorizable musical lineage that resists neat genre classification, particularly for Black female artists. 
  • The host traces a historical lineage of unclassifiable Black female artists who blend rock, R&B, and punk—including Polly Styrene (X-Ray Specs), Nena Cherry, Q Lazarus, Janet Jackson, and Tina Turner—to contextualize Kelis's unique position. 
  • The discussion highlights the industry's tendency to miscategorize and undervalue Black female artists who defy genre expectations, a struggle Kelis faced early on with her debut album *Kaleidoscope* and later with the Neptunes regarding financial compensation. 
  • Kelis's unpredictability and eclecticism, exemplified by her willingness to embrace diverse sounds and themes like science fiction and culinary arts, are viewed as her superpower that resists easy categorization. 
  • Kelis's song "Bossy" is highlighted as an example of her reclaiming a word often used punitively against women, asserting feminine power and confidence. 
  • Despite Kelis's eclectic career, "Milkshake" remains a suitable entry point that encapsulates her at the height of her powers, and she remains gracious about its success, unlike artists who resent their biggest hits. 

Segments

Kelis’s Glastonbury Performance
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(00:01:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Kelis’s 2000 Glastonbury cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” showcased her raw vocal depth and vivacious energy, challenging genre expectations.
  • Summary: The performance featured a jittery, double-time drumbeat and glorious vocal harmonies that unfolded the simple riff into ecstatic new dimensions. Host Rob Harvilla noted the colossal depth of Kelis’s low-end voice, making familiar lyrics feel new. This performance occurred while major acts like David Bowie and Moby headlined, positioning Kelis outside the expected R&B lane.
Genre Unclassifiability and Precedent
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(00:05:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Kelis explicitly rejected being labeled solely as an R&B artist, citing the industry’s lazy categorization of Black female singers.
  • Summary: Kelis’s 1999 debut album, Kaleidoscope, was described by NME as a visionary blend of R&B, funk, soul, and rap, leading some to compare her to Lauryn Hill, though the host felt she surpassed that comparison. Her decision to cover a massive rock song at Glastonbury was a subtle statement about the breadth of her desired musical identity. This uncategorizable gloriousness is traced back to punk pioneers like Polly Styrene of X-Ray Specs.
Punk Lineage and Identity
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(00:07:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Polly Styrene of X-Ray Specs is highlighted as a revolutionary, life-changing figure for Black punk artists seeking to occupy that space, exemplified by her song “Identity.”
  • Summary: Polly Styrene, credited as the first woman of color to lead a major punk band, influenced contemporary artists like Allie Logout of Special Interest, who felt validated seeing Styrene’s unapologetic selfhood. Nena Cherry also cited Styrene as medicine for finding her own voice during a period of self-discovery. The ferocity and dissonance of Styrene’s vibe are exemplified by the 1977 single “O Bondage Up Yours!”
Other Genre-Defying Artists
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(00:10:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Nena Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance” and Q Lazarus’s “Goodbye Horses” represent further examples of genre-blending artists whose work was ahead of its time.
  • Summary: Nena Cherry’s 1988 hit “Buffalo Stance” is praised as one of the best pop, rap, and punk songs of the 80s, showing clear influence from Polly Styrene. Q Lazarus’s 1988 synth-pop jam “Goodbye Horses,” famous from The Silence of the Lambs, should have launched a major career, but the rock industry was reportedly not ready for a Black rock singer. Q Lazarus subsequently moved to London and formed a hard rock band.
Black Rock Stardom Precedent
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(00:15:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Janet Jackson’s 1989 rock-infused hit “Black Cat” and Tina Turner’s entire career prove that the rock industry’s resistance to Black rock singers was unfounded.
  • Summary: Janet Jackson’s “Black Cat” video utilized explicit rock iconography, directly challenging industry claims that America could not handle a Black rock singer. Tina Turner spent years convincing labels she was a rock singer, not just R&B or pop, personifying rock stardom as much as Elvis or Jagger. Devin Ronaldo’s writing notes that Turner still does not fully receive her due as the queen of rock and roll.
Afropunk and Early 2000s Blurring
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(00:18:22)
  • Key Takeaway: The term Afropunk emerged later (2003 documentary), but the sound existed in the 90s via artists like Tricky and Martina Topley Bird, whose cover of Public Enemy blended trip-hop, punk, and rap.
  • Summary: The 2003 Afropunk documentary interrogated who qualified as punk, featuring Tamar Kali stating Nina Simone was the punkest person she could name. Skunk Anansi, led by Skin, also commanded massive festival crowds with heavy rock energy, demonstrating a long lineage of heavier R&B/Afro-punk. Kelis debuted in 1999 with the angry, versatile single “Caught Out There” from her Neptunes-produced album Kaleidoscope.
Kelis’s Early Career and Identity Struggles
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(00:26:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Kelis’s 2003 smash hit “Milkshake” left the host flabbergasted upon first listen, representing a maximalist statement achieved through minimalist repetition.
  • Summary: Kelis was raised in Harlem by a jazz musician father and fashion-working mother, attending LaGuardia High School and singing in the girls’ choir of Harlem. Her first widely heard hook was on the 1997 Gravediggers track “Fairy Tales,” where she sang with surprising maturity. Kelis later stated that being told her music wasn’t “black enough” for R&B stations fueled her rebellion and identity assertion.
The Neptunes Partnership and Conflict
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(00:33:20)
  • Key Takeaway: The Neptunes produced Kelis’s first two albums, but the partnership ended acrimoniously after Kelis realized she was lied to and tricked out of money, receiving only 33% of the split.
  • Summary: The production on “Caught Out There” featured vintage Neptunes funk combined with Kelis’s unique rage and charisma, including her famous scream. Kelis’s 2001 album Wanderland was shelved in the US, denying American audiences her continued genre-flouting work. The financial dispute later resurfaced when Pharrell claimed sole decision-making power over Beyoncé interpolating “Milkshake.”
Milkshake’s Production and Meaning
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(00:48:54)
  • Key Takeaway: The demonic, ultra-fuzzed bass and unique percussion (Darbuka and Mangera cymbals) in “Milkshake” were inspired by Pharrell’s desire to twist Brazilian booty-shaking rhythms into something alien.
  • Summary: Pharrell explained the impetus for “Milkshake” came from a trip to Brazil, aiming to use Middle Eastern sounds to create a rhythm that felt familiar yet foreign. The music video features Kelis controlling the male gaze, culminating in the iconic moment where she presents a “butt cake” from the oven. Justin Vivian Bond noted the song is a powerful wink about reclaiming sexuality by making the objectifier the weaker one.
Post-Milkshake Career and Industry Hardship
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(00:54:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite “Milkshake” peaking at number three, Kelis faced significant industry hurdles, including being financially exploited by the Neptunes and later enduring public domestic abuse allegations from her ex-husband, Nas.
  • Summary: The Tasty album featured collaborations with Andre 3000 and Nas, but the relationship with the Neptunes imploded, leading to years of public silence regarding contract issues. Pitchfork called Kelis “one of the unluckiest women in pop” for not receiving the hits or respect she deserved. However, the mastery in her voice suggests she will ultimately triumph and continue innovating.
Unapologetic Black Women Artists
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(01:15:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Unapologetic Black women artists like Kelis and Macy Gray were initially perceived as ‘odd ducks’ due to their refusal to fit neat genre boxes.
  • Summary: The segment opens with an anecdote about mistaken identity between Kelis and Macy Gray, highlighting how assumptions were made based on appearance (big hair, gray in the name). These artists were unapologetically themselves, which initially unsettled some audiences. Their refusal to be confined to single genres is why their work endures.
Reclaiming the Word ‘Bossy’
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(01:15:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Kelis’s song “Bossy” reclaims the term, contrasting it with the punitive way the word ‘bossy’ is often applied to feminine power, unlike the acceptance of ‘boss’ for men.
  • Summary: The discussion analyzes Kelis’s awareness of her perception, noting her follow-up hit “Bossy” flings the term back at listeners. The segment references Cheryl Sandberg’s desire to ban ‘bossy’ because it felt punitive compared to the term ‘boss’ used for men. The speakers affirm that ‘bossy’ defines a feminine power that does not inherently need to be cutting or negative.
Kelis’s Sci-Fi Eclecticism
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(01:17:32)
  • Key Takeaway: Kelis’s full albums reveal a science-fictional, interstellar element that contributes to her hard-to-categorize nature, which is her artistic strength.
  • Summary: Kelis is described as inherently weird, even on her singles, but her full albums contain significant spacey, Mars-bound, and science-fictional themes. This unpredictability makes her difficult to categorize, but this refusal to be boxed in is celebrated as her superpower. She possesses the confidence to explore any topic without seeking external permission or acceptance.
Milkshake as Career Apex
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(01:19:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite Kelis’s eclectic career path post-Neptunes, “Milkshake” remains the song that best represents her, and she is happy it was poppy and successful.
  • Summary: The segment questions whether “Milkshake,” her biggest hit by streaming numbers, still serves as a suitable entry point to her entire body of work. The speaker concedes that the biggest hit often encapsulates an artist at their height of power, noting that Kelis is happy the song was bouncy and memorable. She does not seem to regret the success, unlike artists who resent their biggest hits.
Kelis’s Independent Artistic Path
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(01:21:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Kelis operates as a singular artist, similar to David Bowie, pursuing diverse interests like farming and cookbooks without managerial approval.
  • Summary: Kelis has navigated significant personal events, including high-profile relationships and loss, while continuing her artistic journey. She maintains a fascinating culinary sideline, including cookbooks, often pursuing projects managers might question. Like Bowie, she is the captain of her own ship, pursuing her vision regardless of external expectations or categorization.
Bill Murray Dating Rumor Debunked
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(01:23:13)
  • Key Takeaway: The rumor that Kelis dated actor Bill Murray is false; they were photographed together, leading to speculation.
  • Summary: The host asks to confirm if Kelis dated Bill Murray, which Leslie Gray Streeter denies. The speculation arose after they were photographed together at an event. Bill Murray reportedly commented that dating her would be ‘several steps down’ for her, confirming the connection was purely photographic, not romantic.