She would have gotten my vote. Whitney was the first black popstar to have major pop appeal and she helped set up the blueprint. Talent Shows like American Idol & The Voice were set to find a new Whitney Houston. Michael Jackson helped breakdown the color barrier for black male artists, and Whitney Houston did the same for black female artists. She became the first black female artist to receive heavy rotation on MTV. And after Whitney's success you start seeing an uprise in black female pop stars such as Janet and Anita Baker.