Written March 27, 2009

To begin with, I know plenty of people will catch feelings (get emotional) that I am about rip on R&B music on the same level as people should justifiably rip on what is deemed to be ‘Mainstream Hip Hop’ but I just want people to try to understand my perspective. I know R&B music has a huge fanatically loyal fan base so I will try to tread carefully by explaining myself (not soften up my language) without emboldening its followers to assassinate me.

To be absolutely clear, if we are going to decry 'Mainstream Hip Hop' as exemplified by 50 Cent because of the negative influence it has on young minds, the same should be done with 'Mainstream R&B' music which is worst as far as I'm concerned (something I will explain later). While the former creates wannabe gangsters, the other creates its own set of emotional and abstract thinking zombies that spin-off their own set of troubles for society. I have no qualms with promoting the virtues of socially/politically aware rap -- which includes 'Gangsta Rap' as exemplified in its truest form since its beginnings which I will also go further into later on -- over R&B songs about relationships and the opposite gender (going both ways). While it is obvious enough not to mention, all musical genres are susceptible to the same pitfalls of mainstream R&B music (which I will discuss using various examples), but for the purpose of this article, I seek to attack how it romanticizes inappropriate moral principles and makes them socially acceptable. While I am hesitant in using the term 'Mainstream R&B' because I believe that it is a symptom of the genre in general (to pound its listeners into abstract thinking clouded by manufactured emotions), I will use it here to give the benefit of the doubt to R&B artists who are trying to change the genre. Even if one is to defend mainstream R&B in stating that it is mainly a genre for personal growth and emotional reflection, not social/political commentaries, the 'personal growth' that the examples I use are espousing is highly questionable. Even in cases in which 'Art imitates life' (you heard the song and you related to it), it does not serve as a justification to the values and principles that the songs espouse. Sure, people have different notions of what is okay social conduct but it is not a justification. Anyone who thinks that the type of songs I use to highlight my point have some sort of social or political value to the world is completely reaching. They are just designed to play on people's emotions. They are honest but it's a different type of honesty. It's like some random person just whining and bitching to you about how emo they are. While people are quick on the draw when it comes to 50 Cent, no one dares to challenge the R&B hegemony that makes it immune from the same intellectual scrutiny. I seek to challenge that here. Again, from here on, when I say R&B, I mean the mainstream "R&B Values".

Growing up I was a huge fan of R&B music – in particular, Dru Hill, Usher and Boyz II Men. Now that I have grown up and being much more aware of the world around me, I have come to the realization that I have come to fear, to the point of avoiding, people who listen to too much R&B music (or any other type of music that can be compared with it one way or another in the sense I speak of here in this rant).

In a nutshell,  the more people listen to R&B music, the more likely they will take in its values. That's not a good thing. Has any of you ever sat down and analyzed lyrics to an R&B song? To use as an example: "End of the Road” is pure classic. When I shut my brain off I still like that song. Nevertheless, since developing a functioning brain after years of developing myself through self-learning and traditional avenues of education, I can no longer shut my brain off like that. I am very aware of the type of values that the song is espousing.

This is what “End of the Road” is about in a nutshell:

My wife/girlfriend is cheating on me, I know about it and I’m quite sure she knows about it. Regardless, I love her and I will stay with her even though she’s sleeping around with some other guy. I will just remind everyday that I love her so she will come back to me.

Another example, Usher’s first single "You Make Me Wanna". That song in a nutshell is:

I tried to hook up my friend with my best friend. But … in time I came to realize that I was in love with her. I never saw it coming so now I’m caught between loyalty to my best friend to totally screwing him over and dragging him into this entire drama.

These songs were huge hits among many others. Millions of records, radio plays, karaoke sing-alongs and so on. These songs remind me of Friends (yes, I have seen all of them) but at least the latter is funny. Any person who thinks the values espoused in that show is applicable to real life is an absolute moron and should not be trusted within an arms length of your wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, a piece of cookie you hold very dear or whatever it may be. Again though, that was a comedy. Even then it is hard to shut your brain off thinking about some of the storylines the writers of that show came up with. If you want to take me on in the task of discussing those specifically, please, go right ahead. For now, I will put them aside as I think my two case examples are adequate.

As can be clearly seen in my summary of the Usher and Boyz II Men hits, those songs are for pure douche-bags and drama queens. There is nothing redeemable about the lyrics in these songs. In shows such as Dateline and various A&E Investigative Report and American Justice episodes, such values and thought processes applied to real life could and will most likely result in a murderous rampage.

In light of my bias that I think people who listen to music that literally says nothing of any value (when it does, vague as hell and could be taken in a million different ways, thus, resulting in nothing being said really at the end of the day) are the biggest emos on the planet, I’m quite sure that it WILL lead to such sad conclusions after they have wiped off the manufactured tears off their cheeks. The same goes for people who are stupid enough to trust such individuals who take their life cues from R&B music.

Even the ones that supposedly make ‘statements of value’, again, they’re so damn vague that they might as well say nothing. Of course, that can be attributed to the fact that R&B music is not really a ‘lyrical’ genre. Nevertheless, that provides ZERO justifications for espousing such moronic values.

When “gangsta rap” began with NWA, it caused a huge firestorm in the media. What did not occur to them was the fact that NWA was just describing the life in their neighborhoods where drug abuse, drug trade, poverty, police brutality and so forth was commonplace. NWA’s albums are the equivalent of history books as far as I’m concerned. While some of the values that the members espoused were not good on many levels, at least they were honest. By describing their own personal situations, the world around them, the anger/frustration at the condition they were in, how they coped with it (good or bad) and so forth, they have essentially written a historical source to understand the current tensions of the time. Yes, many things that were said are reprehensible but they are honest. As I pointed out earlier, that's a different type of honesty from the likes of Usher.

The same can be said in a lot of ways about 50 Cent when he first began, mass marketing of his image aside. Many of his songs are mind-numbingly worthless but when he was honest about what he went through there is something redeemable about it. Of course, I am talking about his first album. Beyond that, I’m quite sure that there was nothing left to be said of any value. The same can be said about DMX. His first two albums were absolute classics because he described the things he went through in his life in great detail: losing faith, poverty, the death of his grandmother and so forth.

Putting the 50 Cent example aside, there is a HUGE group of rappers who represent social and political consciousness, Talib Kweli, Mos Def and Immortal Technique to mention a few. Technique is so widely known about his political commentaries that I don’t think it’s even necessary to go into it. The same goes with Mos Def especially with his song “Katrina Clap”. These songs touched on specific social/political issues. Not in a Black Eyed Peas “Where Is The Love?” politically correct, vague and easy to swallow type of way, they go into specific arguments.

Again, while it should be kept in mind that R&B music is not a lyrical genre in the same way as rap – thus, we should not expect the same quality of social/political commentaries – that provides ZERO justifications for the values that songs such as “End of the Road” and “You Make Me Wanna” espouse.

Can it be said that these songs are historical records in the same way as NWA? Yes, they can be. That’s if we consider someone’s drama queen tantrums and inclinations to be relevant to history. Again, anyone who thinks that these songs have some sort of social or political value to the world is completely reaching. At most, one can argue the psychological value of such songs but it takes very little effort to understand people who live life like they’re in an R&B song: they’re dumbasses who need to learn more about the world and concern themselves with it. NWA offers an album that narrates the experience of living in the ‘ghetto’ and Usher gives us an offering that narrates his cheating ways. There is no comparison. The former is a lot more valuable in terms of content. This can be done with many different artists in the two genres a million times over.

When you read books from a particular author all the time, you will eventually take in some of the values that he or she espouses. Thus, when someone listens to R&B music consistently (in particular, like the two examples I gave), you are bound to take in such values. It becomes normal to you and proper morals/principles that you should follow become obscured and twisted. When girls listen to Beyonce’s songs, all supposedly about women empowerment when all of it is about MEN (empowerment defined by the relationship with the opposite gender), your perspective will become obscured. Your perspective on what empowerment means will be defined by Beyonce and the likes of her.

Remember when “No Scrub” by TLC came out? That became the national anthem for many women seeking empowerment. Again, empowerment based on their relationship with the opposite gender. Of course, a counter came out called “No Pigeon” and it had the same notion of empowerment.

Things like this will MESS with your head. Instead of looking deeply into issues the way you should be (at facts, arguments, evidence, etc.), you will start thinking in abstracts which matter very little when it comes to formulating opinions.

Some will find all this funny but such things have serious consequences when it comes to a person’s social and political development. They turn into mindless zombies that cite ‘songs’ as if they are well-formulated arguments to steer their morals, principles and opinions. There are people who have what I call “R&B Values” for whatever reason and don’t even listen to music, they are included in the net I have cast out as well.

In general, music can do that to you if you listen to too much (especially when the lyrics are complete gibberish – country, death metal, punk, alternative, pop, dance, hip hop, emo rock, etc.). If it is not supplemented by proper ways of learning, you lose your ability to grow a fully functioning brain. I don't hate R&B music. As a guy, I need it to swoon my girl. Beyond that, I personally don't go beyond that one purpose.

Control how much you listen, learn about the world and be responsible with your time. Revolve your life around something else of value. Of course, everyone has different limits so that is for you to judge.

In the spirit of resistance,
Critical Mood