From The Back

“…When you out there kick-in it with the brothers/you don’t care about lovers.”

While in the barbershop the other day, one of the DJs cued up a dusty blend CD.

My ears were subject to several mediocre but bass-heavy tunes you’ve ever heard. I was hoping my barber would hurry up lining my mustache with the straight razor or slit my neck with the blade…and then Total’s “Kissing You” came through the speakers.

The crowd went wild.

Okay, that’s an overstatement. But since it wasn’t crowded, we all did hit a adolescent moment & humming along to the purely feminine song. As the ladies harmonized through the “yeah yeah yeah” part, I realized one thing…

R&B is dead; not hip-hop.

All in all, maybe it’s not R&B as a whole, but just the male singers who are stagnate. There’s just no foreplay being exercised. There’s no substance, no “lead-in” with the music. No “Can you woo woo woo?” but just straight fuckin. Raw dog, word to ODB.

As Jada touched on previously, it’s not there aren’t enough talented singers in the game @ the moment. It’s just that our fast-food mentality has transposed itself into the approach of most singers. When I listen to an album like Marvin’s I Want You, there’s a climb to a crescendo, musically, & if you’re timing is good, sexually as well.

I think it all really started with Jodeci’s decline in quality. On Forever My Lady, they woo’ed everyone into a frenzy…but didn’t overtly say something as Akon-esque as “I wanna fuck you.” But as they started to wane in popularity so did the quality of “babymaking music.”

Robert Kelly, the leading name in R&B, is one who isn’t breaking ground anymore. Instead, he’s choosing to try an one-up the vocal and thematic stylings of the young boys of the genre. Recently, he’s apparently mad @ Ne-Yo for outperforming him, thus kicking him off the tour. Chris Brown, one of the other leading voices in R&B, is still dancing his way across young girls dreams, but has yet to be fully accepted by adult audiences. T-Pain…I won’t even go there.

Pardon me while I cue up some Curtis Mayfield.

Loosies

Big Kuntry Ft Trey Songz – The Baddest (Prod. By Shawty Redd)

Jay-Z Ft. Young Chris – Roc Boys (Remix)

Ja Rule And Cash Money Click – Wartime (Unreleased From 1994)

Murs – 1st Love

Usher – Only One (Prod. By Neptunes)

Da Volunteers Ft 8-Ball & MJG – Ballin In My J’s

T-Pain Featuring Teddy Verseti – Church

K-Dot – On My Momma (Prod. by Swizz Beatz)

Playaz Circle Ft. Ludacris-betta Knock

Jadakiss – Welcome to the ROC Freestyle

Loosies