Mariah Carey Sued for $30,000 in Vet Bills

Singer Mariah Carey is reportedly being sued for $30,000 in vet bills. The singer, like quite a few celebrities, tends to spend heavily on her pets, which led to a massive $38,000 bill, of which Carey paid only $8,000. I can't imagine Carey not having the money to pay a bill of this size, but anything's possible.

Apparently, Carey has a dog named "Dolemite," who was pregnant. Dolemite gave birth unexpectedly while Carey was off in Los Angeles shooting her film, 'Precious,' leading to some of the exorbitant costs. I am not completely sure of this, but I thought that the real Dolemite was a dude? Anyway, I digress, at least for now.

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Mariah: The Men In Her Life

The Men In Her Life

For Mariah Carey, having more #1 songs than any American solo artist has been a credit to the company she keeps. From her power wielding ex-husband Tommy Mottola and superstar slugger Derek Jeter to super-producer Jermaine Dupri and new hubby Nick Cannon, each man has played a significant role in the five-time Grammy winner's life. Blackvoices.com takes a look at the men behind the diva.

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Mariah: The Men In Her Life

Tommy Mottola – Husband
No one is more responsible for Mariah Carey's success than former Columbia Records head Tommy Mottola. After receiving Carey's demo from artist Brenda K. Starr, for whom Carey sang backup, he signed her on the spot. While recording her 1990 debut, the two became romantically involved and tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in 1993. Just three short years later, they split, and a divorce was finalized in 1998.

Mariah: The Men In Her Life

Trey Lorenz – Backup Singer
In 1992, Carey performed an MTV 'Unplugged' special to show nonbelievers that she was not a studio singer. Her cover of the Jackson 5's 'I'll Be There' with her longtime backup singer Trey Lorenz was later released as a single and became a number-one hit in the United States. Lorenz was able to score a record deal from the duet, and Carey co-produced his debut. On July 7 of this year, the two performed the song at the Michael Jackson memorial, which was held at the Los Angeles Staples Center.

Mariah: The Men In Her Life

Jermaine Dupri – Producer
It's not a well-known fact that Jermaine Dupri has been working with Carey for nearly 15 years. In 1995, Carey worked with the So So Def Records founder on 'Always Be My Baby,' from her 'Daydream' album. It became the most successful record on U.S. radio that year. And though these two worked on several remixes together over the years, their magic came a decade later when J.D. produced four songs on 'The Emancipation of Mimi,' Carey's 10th studio album and most successful to date.

Mariah: The Men In Her Life

ODB – Musical Collaborator
Since rapping 'Me and Mariah go back like babies and pacifiers,' Ol' Dirty Bastard, the late Wu Tang Clan MC, helped solidify Carey in the world of hip-hop and R&B. The 1995 remix to 'Fantasy' became a number-one hit. The friendship between Carey and ODB lasted throughout the years. The songstress even met the rapper upon his release from jail in 2003.

Mariah: The Men In Her Life

Diddy – Musical Collaborator
Carey has Sean 'Diddy' Combs to thank for helping to reinvent her image as a sexy, more hip-hop friendly artist. The Bad Boy Records founder produced her 1997 Grammy-nominated song 'Honey,' which, ironically, replaced 'Mo Money, Mo Problems,' featuring Diddy and his star artist, the Notorious B.I.G. , on the Billboard charts.

Mariah: The Men In Her Life

Mase – Musical Collaborator
'Honey' was Carey's 12th number-one song. Before turning his life over to God and becoming a minister, Bad Boy rapper Mase appeared on the popular remix of the record, alongside the Lox and Diddy. The song, which also had its own video, was featured on Carey's 2003 remix compilations, aptly titled 'The Remixes.'

Mariah: The Men In Her Life

Boyz II Men – Musical Collaborator
'One Sweet Day' remains the longest-running number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100, spending 16 weeks on the chart. The Philly quartet co-wrote the song with Carey as a tribute to their slain manager, while Carey was inspired to memorialize Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark.

Mariah: The Men In Her Life

Mobb Deep – Musical Collaborator
For 'The Roof,' from Carey's 1997 album 'Butterfly,' producers Trackmasters sampled Mobb Deep's 'Shook Ones (Pt.2).' The single was not released commercially in the United States, but it was the third release from her European album. The Queens rap duo remixed the record as well.

Mariah: The Men In Her Life

Dru Hill – Musical Collaborator
Prince produced, arranged, composed and performed 'The Beautiful Ones' for the epic movie soundtrack 'Purple Rain,' but Carey covered the song on her 1997 'Butterfly' album with Baltimore R&B group Dru Hill.

Mariah: The Men In Her Life

I'm not one to criticize Mariah Carey's decisions when it comes to how she chooses to spend on her pets. Obviously, if she can't afford the bill, then that's an entirely different issue. But what Carey does reflect is the general tendency among both celebrities and regular citizens to believe that any little bill here and there isn't going to make much of a difference in their overall budget. Millions of us add a new cell phone bill here, an extra car note there, comparing the amount of the bill to our entire income.

For example, if you earn a princely sum of, say, $6,000 a month, it's easy to think that another $200 payment isn't going to matter one way or the other. The problem is that one small commitment here and another there can often lead to unforeseen financial leverage that puts us in a tough spot once we hit financial hardship. If you make three arbitrary financial commitments of $200 each, you are giving away $600 per month, or $7,200 per year. Over a 5 year period, that's $35,000 that could have been in your savings account, not including interest. Do you have $35,000 in your savings account right now to help you through a rainy day? I thought so. Perhaps Mariah just forgot to pay the bill.

Perhaps she did not have timely access to liquid cash. Who knows? But for regular people, not paying your bills on time, and racking up huge bills, are two things you can't ever really afford.

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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.