Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo in 2014, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: Shaffer Chimere Smith
Place of Birth: Camden, Arkansas, U.S.
Date of Birth: October 18, 1979
Ethnicity: African-American
Ne-Yo is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He is also known as Gogo.
Ne-Yo is the son of Loraine and Wiley L. Smith, who were musicians. His parents are both black. He was raised partly in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is married to Crystal Renay Williams. Ne-Yo has seven children, including two with his former partner Monyetta Shaw; and three with Crystal.
A 23andMe DNA test whose results Ne-Yo displayed on his Twitter page stated that his genetic ancestry is:
*88.4% Sub-Saharan African
——–*87.3% West African
——–*0.8% Broadly Sub-Saharan African
——–*0.3% African Hunter-Gatherer
*10.1% European
——–*4.0% Broadly Northwestern European
——–*3.7% British & Irish
——–*1.2% French & German
——–*1.1% Broadly European
——–*0.1% Iberian
——–*0.1% Scandinavian
——–*0.1% Broadly Southern European
*0.4% East Asian & Native American
——–*0.4% Southeast Asian
Ne-Yo has sometimes stated that he has some degree of Chinese ancestry on his father’s side. Given his DNA test results, it is unlikely that he has any Chinese ancestry in at least the last 200 years.
Ne-Yo’s maternal grandfather’s surname is Parham. Ne-Yo’s grandfather’s brother, Bobby Parham, is a member of the band The Dramatic Force.
Ne-Yo’s maternal grandmother was named Rosie M.
Ne-Yo in 2008, photo by Adam J. Sablich / Shutterstock.com
You know what i don’t understand? when a black celeb looks clearly black but has a little bit of another race from their ancestry people say they are mixed and not entirely black. Then when a white celeb who looks obviously white has a little bit of black people don’t say they’re mixed but white. White/black + white = white , Black/white + black = black , Black/white + White/black = mixed or Black + white= mixed. I don’t think that if a person has another race in their long ago ancestry it defines them as mixed because as the generations goes on the race breaks down until the actual gene and race of the individual’s parents.
May Be Because The Black Person Has A Feature That Is Not Black! And Maybe The Feature On The White Person Only Show White!
looking at Vin Diesel you can clearly see that he is not fully white and the fact is he has black in him but he is still considered as white.
He’s Not Considered White! White People Don’t Considered Italians And Spanish People From Spain White!
To total23:This site is a trip,if I had said what you did,WW5 would have been started.They would have invented some new foul words to call me,yet you they say NOTHING
Well It’s True!
And It’s Only Because You Act Like A Know It All, And You Never Stop Replying!
To total23:Well first it’s not act,I do know alot of things,I can’t help.However since I bother everyone so much I’ll leave the site, nice meeting you, later.
I change my mind,why should I leave.However I will keep quiet,just to see all the crazy things people say now.Also as long as nothing is directed to me
not true.! White people consider Italians and Spaniards White and Spaniards and Italians themselves consider themselves White..! you’re an idiot
PS: we don’t have to consider anything..! make a DNA test of them you’ll see that they’re White you just have never been to Europe so you have no Idea how Whites look! you think only Blue eyed Blonde people are White no honey come to Europe to see what White is! ALL eye and hair colours! from Blond to Black from Blue to Black! ;)
PS again:they are a little bit, for a shade, darker because of the climate..!
Vin diesel doesn’t look fully white lol cut that shit out!
Wow this is so stupid. Why are people calling him blackinese and mixed. And if it’s true that he calls himself blackinese than he’s stupid, he claims his mom is half but she looks blacker than ever. All neyo is, is 1/4 Chinese. So therefore he’s black duh. Not mixed. And take it from someone who is a 1/4 myself. I’m 1/4 German 3/4 black are people calling me mixed or black and German Uh no cuz I’m only a quarter god. Blacks just want to be mixed and not proud of being black. And other races who want to call Him mixed are just ignorant and want him to be as little as black as possible. And even some sources is saying he’s not only got Chinese blood but puerto rican too Uh come on now your pushing it. That means he’s black,puerto rican and chinese Uh no. He would look mixed. Neyo looks straight up like a full blood African.
So so true, you said all i thought
Dont go by the COLOR, go by the FEATURES. He is what he is. Just because he’s only 1/4 chinese, doesn’t mean he has to deny one of his grandparents. Now if this was some chinese person who had a drop of african, you’d be like, “Don’t deny your african heritage” same things apply.Being that we all come from AFRICANS, we all are BASICALLY African
Finally said well! thank you…I am a product of a Puerto Rican/Native American father (whose skin is black) and a German Irish mother (whose skin is white) and I am brown…in society (no matter the country) I am black…that’s the color of my skin. But the fact that I am mixed allows me to choose whatever ethnicity I feel free to claim and feel comfortable with. I dont have to tell people I am black they can see that when they look at me. SMDH When people ask me “what I am”, my answer is I am Puerto Rican. If anyone else wants to know all the races and ethnicities that are in my bloodline I have no problem giving them a list. If the man is part Chinese, he is part Chinese and that’s that. White people and Black people have tried to make me CHOOSE black or white all my life.
I totally agree with you because my mother is Irish,Native American, and Puerto Rican and her skin tone is cream/off white and my father is African American and Native American and his skin tone is brown and my skin tone is caramel, but exactly what you said no matter what country I go to I am considered black, but all my other nationalities allow me to choose or claim what is comfortable for me. I have no problem telling people what I am and I proud of my african heritage but just because I am black does not mean I have to ignore or neglect my other races…i honor all of them equally
@mos
Well saying your PR pretty much covers everything,since PR is cultural ID.PR’s can be any thing or a combo of different backgrounds.So anyone who knows anything would understand that
I Agree With bzbunni, Some Black People (No Offense) Get Offended When A Caucasian Person Does Not Announce That They Have Black Blood Because They Think There Ashamed….Even If People Mention That They Have A Non-White Ancestor, Allow Them To Express That! It Is Not Your Business!
I guess it’s ur business because if u haven’t noticed ur making a big deal of this situation as we are.
Who’s Making A Big Deal Out Of This? Not Me! And When I Said That “It Is Not Your Business” I Am Not Referring To What Malaka Said, I Am Talking About The People Who Get Upset Because The Person Does Not Announce Their Black Blood!
Really?? I have never met anyone who has ever went up to somebody and got mad at them for denying they have black blood in them. If a person looks white she is white. I think what you are talking about is 1/4 or 1/2 mixed people then Black People care. If a black person was to mix so far out of his race that the person ends up with predominately white features Nobody will give a F*ck bout his African features. Theyd just call him white. I find you statement to be ridiculous
Bob Marley looks black but his father was white. Wentworth Miller looks white, but he is black. “Don’t judge a book by its cover” Duh. How do you think people determine race? by the features, not all the color. Looking at me, you see BLACK, not nowing im cuban dominican, african-american native-american and white. They see native-american from my high cheek bones, white from my nose, cuban and dominican from my curly wavy hair, and african-american from my lips. MY FEATURES. I have seen white looKing BLACK people, who call themselves BLACK.
Bob Marley doesn’t look black he looks mixed and so does wentworth miller
How Do You Find My Statement When It’s The Truth? And Just Because You Haven’t Seen It, Doesn’t Mean It Doesn’t Happen! You Don’t Know Where I Live, So How Can You Tell Say That My Statement Is Ridiculous!>?
I perfectly agree with you. Why is it that whenever I meet a person who is mostly black and 1/4 of another race a black person will tell them “Youre not mixed” or just say “Youre black” but when a person is mostly another race and 1/4 black will tell them not to deny their black ancestry or not even care if they say they’re mixed? Its almost like an unintentional feat of jealousy or condemnation. Its the same way with Rihanna, she has a mixed(black and white) parent and a black parent but people say that doesnt matter and that she’s black. But if she were to have a mixed (black and white)parent and a white parent(for example) then she would be mixed. The adherence to the one drop rule is very prevalent within the minds of African Americans whose ancestors were victims of the Jim Crow laws.
To Gemini
Why would you think they were jealous?That might just be the way they think or were brought up.I mean I’m AA and I see Rihanna as mixed-blooded,anyone with 1/4 is mixed-blooded.Anyone with as little as 3%,I would see them as having a mixture to them.Visually,I would still see a black person or whatever they are,however if they told me they were 3% something else,then that person is 3% something else.Now like I said,I would still visually see Rihanna as black.Although I have learned that others do have a different view on who’s black and who is not.Like if you don’t actually have black skin,some places don’t consider you black.While people like Rihanna are considered white in some place,while in others mixed.While others say unless your 50/50 your not mixed,and some of the people who have said this,were bi-cultural.Saying if your not like me,your not mixed;would you say these people are jealous?
To fuzzybear
When I say that it is almost like an unintentional feat of jealousy or condemnation (which is actually what I said) I mean that for no appearant reason African Americans still unintentionally connotate Black or African ancestry with bad things. For the record, I am African American too and I grow tired of hearing other AAs constantly associate being Black with negativity. They use examples like “To the racist White man, you’re Black” or “If we were still in segregation or slavery, you wouldn’t be treated any different than me.”
If you ever go to Youtube look up a guy named JayLove47, he is the perfect example of an African American who does not associate being African with anything positive. He makes videos about mixed and biracial people almost all the time and each time he does he’s talking about how they hate their black side even when that’s not true. Then he uses the One Drop Rule, slavery, and segregation as examples as to why they are black. Its as if he is condemning them to “Blackness” as a negative. Why is that we as Americans of African descent,unconciously, see being Black as a negative by associating it with nothing but negativity?
To Gemini
Ok forgive me,I guess I misunderstood.Anyhow,I took you advice and saw some of JayLove47 videos.Now some Bi-cultural kids do dislike their black side,I seen them.However for the most part,me and JayLove47 would lock horns;A LOT.This guy is out there,actually scares me.
To fuzzybear
Dont get me wrong, I know for an absolute fact that there are biracial people who are mixed with black and hate their black side but with the way we African Americans constantly jump down their throats about how “society wont see them as nothin but black” or “to the racist white man their black” and then fling segregation and slavery on top of them as a scapegoat to condemn them to “blackness”, I wouldnt want to be black either. We are not associating being black with anything positive by talking about good and bad hair(when is hair is hair), light skin and dark skin, constantly reviving the conflicts of our ancestors, and for damn sure using the “N” word.
How we expect biracial people to see being black as a positive when we dont even see it as a positive? Before JayLove47 tries to judge others he should consider the fact that he spews self hate through his videos which is in complete contradiction with everything he tries to do, which is show pride in self.
Btw fuzzybear, you seem to be a very intelligent person and you have my respect. May I ask, how old are you?
To Gemini
Well it’s no accident that we don’t know to much about ourselves here,to be proud of.I was looking at this Documentary on Afro-Latinos(from Argentina) the other day.In it one person say it was unfair that AA can open a book and read about Dr.King and Malcolm X,and they have nothing.My jaw dropped,is that all we have?Were taught nothing about ourselves.If it had been for me looking up my family history,I still wouldn’t know anything.Black people more than help make this country,but were not taught that.Black people have actually been here longer than white people(in the states),but were not taught that either.Well anyhow,you didn’t ask me all that.I’m old fart over 21
To fuzzybear
What did I not ask you?
To add to what you said, if you remember high school curriculum: we were required to learn European History but not Asian or African History. We need to push that Asian, African, and African American History be given as requirements instead of electives or that African, African American, European, and Asian History all be given as electives so that students may choose to learn about their history rather than being forced to learn European History. No one even knows that Africa and Asia both had established kingdoms and trades before the Europeans came along. The government and writers of these school books water down the facts and wash them out with their superiority complexes and fire inferiority towards minorities. We are made to believe that there is something wrong with us and the reason is because we are being force fed European mindsets that will in turn brainwash us and keep us hating ourselves and associating Europe with greatness and Africa with failure. We need to think about our youth and teach them that there is nothing wron with their hair or their skin or where their ancestors come from.
Thanks For Agreeing With Me! But I Hope You Understand Why I Said That “Some Black People (No Offense) Get Offended When A Caucasian Person Does Not Announce That They Have Black Blood Because They Think There Ashamed” It’s Only Because I See It Here On This Board. Fuzzybear Would Be A Perfect Example To Tell You About It; You Can Even Find My Examples In Jessica Szohr, Carol Channing!
To Gemini
Yes sometimes,I’m like a broken faucet,I just keep running;as many people on here might agree.Anyhow I agree completely with what you just said.The problem is I around a lot of fools,who only want to know what the streets can teach them
To Fuzzybear
LOL I myself am also a running faucet, I don’t really know when enough is enough. But that is a problem in itself as well. The reason why those young men and women have these knuckleheaded mindsets is because no one taught them better and their minds are frozen in their distraught childhoods. Remember that most of those children may have had rough lives, but personally I dont think thats an excuse. I know people who have horrible background stories and lived in urban areas(more specifically here in Chicago) and are in college and leading happy, positive lives. People make excuses when they should be making improvements on things like this.
If you want to deny your ancestry then that’s your problem. Neyo is proud to have a biracial mother(of African American and Chinese American descent) and a fully Chinese grandfather. He accepts all that he is and maybe you should do the same rather than disrespecting those in your family who are not black.
Your views are very shallow. How you look and what you are are two completely different things.
Preach Gemini, Preach!
You’re ignorant. You don’t have to look mixed to be mixed… Im mixed with the same thing he is and if u would have saw me u would have never thought I was black. Do you know what the word mixed means? It’s a mixture!!! Neyo is black and Chinese look at his eyes. There for he is mixed.
i heard him on the radio station lonng time ago saying he has some portirican in him.I could be wrong because i was listening to the radio when i just kinda woke up,so i probably heard different.
lets get this straight…just because a person is mixed DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY ARE AUTOMATICALLY BEAUTIFUL…if a black man is having a baby wit a white woman…that baby can come out look a HOT MESS! wtf ppl these days are so backwards
what does this anger you so much. i dont why you have to bash mixed race people. why are acting like being mixed is smething special that needs to be criticised
Alot Of Half Black And Half Chinese Would Usually Come Out Black With A Dash Of Chinese Features….So He May Not Be Lying! But Someone Who Is Half Black Half Korean, They Will Defintiley Look Like Both…..For Ex….Chanel Iman Who Is Only 75% Black And 25% Korean And She Looks Like Both!
Chanel Iman’s mother is full blood Korean. Where are you getting your facts from…….. She (Iman) looks like a light skin black chick with Native American Ancestry Kimora Lee Simons 1/4 Asian children look more Asian than Iman. So your point is officially dismised. Kimora lee could pass for 100% Japanese so your theory about half black half Asian looking black with a dash of Asian yeah that’s dismissed as well!
My Facts Were Actually Correct! Her Mother Was Born In Korea, But She Is Not A Full Blooded Korean By Ancestry! To Me Chanel Looks Like Both, East Asian And Black, Which Is Why I Said That In My Post. Chanel Looks Just As Asian As Kimora’s Children, despite the hair.
My Point Is Not Really Dismissed Because I Said Half Black And Half CHINESE Tend To Look More Black , Not Asian! Certain Asians Who Are Half Black Like Tomika Skanes, Kimora Lee, Wll Demps etc. Tend To Look Mostly Asian Rather Than Someone Who Is Half Black And Half Chinese; And I Say They Tend To Look Mostly Asian Because It’s Either Korean Or Japanese…But Between Those Two I’ll Say Korean Is Stronger.
So I Was Saying That Neyos Mother Can Still Be Half Chinese And Look Black!
I Don’t Want To Sound Rude But U Need To Reread My Post Because I Was Very Specific Of The East Asian Ethnicity Comparison Or Whatever There Called!
If I Did Not Made It Clear In My First Post, I Am Making It Clear Now!
Here Is A Video Where Chanels Mother Says She Is Half Korean;
http://www.modelinia.com/videos/family-dynamics–chanel-iman—her-mom/63