Three Six Mafia won an Oscar for Best Song for their Hustle & Flow track, "Hard Out Here for a Pimp," back in 2005, but it's still suitable as an anthem for a lot of these struggling R&B cats trying to fit in between the dance-pop of Chris Brown and the hypersexualized stylings of Trey Songz.
Brian McKnight threw out a little naughty bait in the social media waters with his "adult" track "If You're Ready to Learn," in an attempt to see if anyone would bite. He may have anticipated that he'd catch a few minnows, but what he got instead was a barracuda.
Twitter went wild over McKnight's salacious hook for the song, which promises to teach a lover about the inner workings of her love below.
"Let me show you how your p**sy works / Betchu didn't know that it could squirt / I have lots of things to show you, if you're ready to learn," Brian croons with sincerity.
Before we attempt to break down the ratchetness of this whole thing, take in the explicit material yourself below.
Stop the Mixtape Madness
Let's start with the fact that Brian McKnight is even putting out a "mixtape" at 42 to begin with. The Internet has changed the way music is produced and distributed in many ways and hip-hop has been central to the proliferation of "mixtapes." But with R&B cats jumping on the trend, the concept of what a mixtape is has become muddied.
Put aside the traditional definition of the mixtape as a cassette with various artists and songs thrown together in compilation form for a listener's pleasure. The modern mixtape is supposed to be a compilation of covers, remixes and a few original tracks. It's not supposed to be a free album. But that's what it's become and now everyone and their mother is racing to put out "mixtapes" to help get their buzz up.
But Brian McKnight is playing a different game. He's not an up and comer and his music certainly doesn't cater to the "mixtape" crowd, so why bother? Do you see Adele putting out a damn mixtape? No, cause she's too busy selling albums.
R&B's Oversexualization: Who's to Blame?
Brian McKnight is playing a tricky game with this "If You're Ready to Learn" song. By all appearances in the clip itself, he seems genuine about the "adult" mixtape and the song. He even defended the song repeatedly against detractors on Twitter, crying out for the right to break from the mold of "safe love songs."
But once the backlash set in, McKnight got cold feet and deleted the video from his YouTube account, announcing instead that he won't make the mistake again. Uh huh. THEN, after the backlash against the backlash set in, McKnight claimed that the song was satire all along and that he was actually making a point that the only way he can get people's attention is to sing explicitly sexual lyrics. Well played, sir. Nice attempt at deflection and reverse psychology.
Unfortunately, the logic doesn't add up. McKnight openly said that this material was never meant for radio. It was meant "for the bedroom." So he can't exactly backpeddle and claim that it was a purposeful attempt at getting on the radio now.
What likely happened is that McKnight wanted to stir the pot a bit to see if he could generate some interest in his music by flipping his safe repertoire on its head with some head-turning material. But things got a little too hot in the kitchen, so he quickly put out the fire. Then, someone got in his ear and pointed out that this stunt produced the most amount of attention around his music in ages, so McKnight returned and claimed that it was his intention to satirize modern R&B all along.
Of course, he announces this while simultaneously letting everyone know that he would be selling "If You're Ready to Learn" on iTunes shortly. Yeah, fight the power, Brian.
For everyone who wants this new " adult" tune "if you're ready to learn" I just finished it and it will be available next week thanx
— Brian McKnight (@ItsBMcKnight) April 25, 2012
It's true that today's R&B music is scandalously explicit and unsubtle in its lyrics. Chris Brown is hollering about getting women to "wet the bed," while Lloyd dedicates a whole song about missing a woman's vulva. So it's understandable that to some, it's getting real tacky out there.
But let's not pretend like these youngsters invented this. R. Kelly's 12 Play was the blueprint for all of these guys way back in 1993. Sex and R&B have gone together like Mariah Carey and wind machines from the genre's inception. So let's not pretend like the term baby-making music came out of nowhere.
Bringing R&B Music Back
R&B as a genre is in danger. It's being pushed aside in favor of dance-pop or a hip-hop-influenced variant of the genre. Part of this is R&B's fault. Artists, producers and record labels became too safe. They didn't mix up the formula enough.
But it's not without hope. Even though Frank Ocean and the Weeknd begrudge the R&B label (likely because they're unwilling to shoulder the genre's weighty burden), they are the most refreshing things to hit the scene in a good, long while. The buzz they've been able to generate among the younger crowd is proof that R&B has plenty of audience appreciation left in it.
As for older artists, like McKnight, looking to get in where they fit in, Godspeed. In 2012, ain't nothing going on but the rent so we can't be mad at cha. But maybe folks over 40 would be better off ditching the whole "adult mixtape" schtick all together. Nobody wants to hear a freaky uncle get nasty on record.
