No, Little Hawk, Mariah Carey hasn't expanded the boundaries of YOUR cultural perception. Her first appearance on the Arsenio Hall changed music for an entire generation...just not your generation. It was as important to 'urban youth culture' as the Beatles' appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' was to 'suburban youth culture, circa 1964.

W/o the success of the Arsenio Hall show there would've been no 'In Living Color', 'Dave Chapelle Show', 'Kings of Comedy', etc. By putting her on, unannounced and w/o network approval he demonstrated power...black power. Which translated into 'green power' which is the only power that matters in showbiz. Arsenio understood that and has been largely overlooked in the grand scheme of things when there're discussions of peoples' influence on culture at large. He's a pretty private guy and understands the true recognition for his accomplishments may not come for alot of years. I worked w/him during his 'stand-up' days and while he was an 'average' comedian at best he revolutionized television in the late 80s and early 90s.

Mariah Carey may not win a pulitzer prize, but don't discount or poo-poo her writing/singing/subject master as trivial. What she does may or may not be to your taste, but there are millions upon millions of people who'd question Dylan's relevance whose I-Pods are filled w/Mariah Carey tunes.