To a certain extent post #7 of that thread is true. IMO she was one of the best from that era. Be it that she was an underling of Rick James, she would always be seen as one of his beezees. Aretha Franklin's roots in the R&B world were well set back in the 1960s so it would be really tough to compare the two. Teena Marie had it tough because she was white and sang R&B but the fans she gained stayed loyal.
1960s-Heavy Radio Play, Live Concerts, Album Sales
1980s-Clubs and Discos
1990s-Internet, VH1, MTV