A rare Mariah Carey demo tape owned by Arthur Baker sold for more than 50,000 at an auction held by Wax Poetics. The tape that was given to Baker the night Carey was discovered at a 1989 Christmas party was offered in partnership with Brenda K. Starr, who invited Carey to the party and introduced her to Tommy Mottola. Starr, a singer in her own right, had planned on bringing her mother to the event but took Carey instead in hopes of helping her get a record deal. The tape has seven recordings from 1988 including  five songs that wound up on Carey’s debut album and two unreleased songs that have been mythologized for years. The early versions of “Someday,” “Alone In Love,” and “All In My Mind” were produced by Chris Toland and Chris Margulies. Toland remembers,” The songs were more primitive in demo form, but all the elements that led to the final record are there—the hooks, the background vocals, the kicks, the chords. Mariah already had it.” 

Wax Poetics CEO Alex Bruh was delighted to see the tape go public. He says, “This tape is history – a real one-of-a-kind piece that has been long sought-after by Mariah fans. The impact this tape has had on music is unprecedented and we are incredibly proud to have been a part of its story. It captures the exact moment a generational voice was taking shape, and stands as a testament to her self-made beginnings and the creative foundations that defined her ascent.”

The unidentified buyer received:

• The original 1989 Mariah Carey demo cassette
• Certificate of authenticity
• Archival notes and historical documentation
• Verified materials researched by the Wax Poetics archive team

The Mariah Carey tape is the latest piece of music history to be sold in Wax Poetics’ auction series that previously presented items from Bootsy Collins, Arthur Baker, Louie Vega, Nightmares On Wax, and Don Blackman. 

New York music journal Wax Poetics is preparing to auction off a Mariah Carey demo tape from Arthur Baker’s archive. Loyal fans are familiar with Carey’s early days when she was a backup singer for freestyle artist Brenda K. Starr. Carey’s eventual breakthrough to get a solo deal was greatly helped by Starr connecting her to music industry folk, most famously Tommy Mottola. Baker shares the story of how he attended the same party where Carey met Mottola and how he also received a copy of the tape. It’s interesting to see Baker talk about listening to the tape at his studio and finding out that Angie Stone was there too. Wax Poetics has previously held auctions for items from Don Blackman, Bootsy Collins, Louie Vega, and D?mFunk. Alex Bruh, co-owner and CEO of Wax Poetics explained in a press release the value of Carey’s demo. 

“This tape is one of the most sought-after items we have come across. It captures the exact moment an era-defining artist was emerging, before the world knew her name. Our mission has always been to preserve and grow music culture with care, context, and respect. This release honors one of the greatest singers and songwriters of our time by preserving a rare piece of her story.”

Baker, who just released an autobiography about his life as one of the seminal producers of the ’80s, had not listened to the Mariah Carey demo again until he recently found it.  Whoever wins the tape will also receive a verified certificate of authenticity, archival notes, and historical context from Baker’s collection and the Wax Poetics archive team. The bidding window is December 2nd until December 11th at 3 PM. You can place a bid on the Wax Poetics website. 

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Mariah Carey wrote “Honey” with Diddy, Q-Tip and Stevie J in a move that switched her sound more to R&B and hip-hop. Carey was a respected pop queen with an image strictly curated for that audience and her music stayed within that design. She wrote in the booklet to her Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel album that her Butterfly album was a moment of change in her career. “Honey” was the first song released from her sixth studio record and it made an impact by topping domestic and international charts. The sound was enhanced by samples of “Hey DJ” by The World Famous Supreme Team and “The Body Rock” by The Treacherous Three. The Paul Hunter-directed video for “Honey” was also a career game-changer as it was the first time Carey dared to be sexy dancing with sailors in a mini skirt on a yacht. “Honey” had a Bad Boy Remix that featured Da Brat, The LOX, Mase and Diddy as well as treatments from So So Def and club remixes from David Morales. Carey won Soul Train, American Music, World Music and Billboard awards for Butterfly which had a successful tour and eventually reached Diamond status in sales. Butterfly is still heralded as one of Carey’s stellar efforts and an essential pop and R&B album with an appeal that has transcended the time of its release. Carey just participated in a Masterclass where in addition to teaching vocal fundamentals she did a collaboration of “The Roof” with Brandy.