Sounds of Reality: When Reality TV Stars Turn to Music
Reality TV stars who attempt the musical crossover.
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Changing Channels - There really is no such thing as an overnight success. Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams got a healthy dose of that lesson recently when she went in the booth on air to lay down "Perfectly Worthless." The song lyrically fits her divorce drama, and could have catapulted her to enough musical fame to match her reality TV popularity, but the song's producer has told her that it's not a good fit for her vocally, and already has sold the song to Syleena Johnson. Tough love. Will she keep pursuing her music career after that setback? Time will tell. Meanwhile, read on to see how more reality show stars have waded in the musical talent pool.(Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET)
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Benzino - Though Benzino may be most remembered for allegedly strong-arming his way into hip hop publishing with The Source back in the '80s, and for his current publication, Hip Hop Weekly, the Boston native has also spent time in the spotlight as a rapper — first with the Almighty RSO, then Made Men, then solo. Easy for him, then, to make a song of his on-air beef with Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta cast-mates Stevie J and Joseline Hernandez, "Smashed Da Homie," featuring a Joseline look-a-like.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Photo By Johnny Nunez/WireImage
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Kenya Moore - Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore accosted eyes and ears with a performance of her single, "Gone With the Wind Fabulous," on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live show. An undeniable beauty queen? Yes. But her talent is not music. (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images)
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Joseline Hernandez - Joseline Hernandez, one of the more drama-laden characters on VH1's Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, released a single, "Bailar," featuring co-production from co-star and part-time lover Stevie J. On it, she raps, and sings. (Photo: Prince Williams/FilmMagic)
Photo By Photo: Prince Williams/FilmMagic
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Ron Magro - Ron Magro of Jersey Shore fame found enough time away from the tanning salon to get in the recording booth. He released the Auto-tune-laden single "How The F%#k We Gettin' Home?!" and it's about as bad as you might expect. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for LAX Nightclub)
Photo By Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for LAX Nightclub
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Kim Zolciak - Kim Zolciak, star of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, dropped "Tardy for the Party" in 2009. We can't front, it's mind-numbingly catchy, but then again, so is smallpox.(Photo: Dario Cantatore/Getty Images)
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Pauly D - Ronnie's Shore-mate Pauly D is a DJ, so it's no surprise he's dropped a couple fist-pumping techno songs ("Beat Da Beat Up" and "Night of My Life").(Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for DirecTV)
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Kim Kardashian - Kim Kardashian's multimedia assault extends to recorded music with "Jam (Turn It Up)." It features vocals from The-Dream, but may have just been a passing nightmare -- shortly after, she revealed that she has no plans to make a full-length album. Good news is, it wasn't a waste, a portion of the sales were donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)
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Paris Hilton - Paris Hilton is a reality star OG, and she was one of the first to take a stab at music. She's also one of the few who actually managed to drop a full-lenght album, Paris, released by Warner Bros. in 2006. The LP sold almost 200,000 copies in the U.S. — that's more than a lot of your favorite rappers. Now, she's signed to Cash Money Records (yes, the one with Lil Wayne).(Photo: Enrique Alonso/Landov)
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Drita D'avanzo - Rappers love boasting about their [fake] Mafia ties, which is maybe how Mob Wives star-turned-rapper Dria D'avanzo convinced both Lil Kim (who has pulled her on stage to rap for her Hardcore audience) and French Montana (who featured her on "Everything's A Go") to collaborate with her on the mic.(Photo: Brian Ach/Getty Images)
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