Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Is Incorrect Grammar Ruining Good R&B?

It all started for me with Trey Songz. I really really liked "Yo Side of the Bed" when I saw him perform it on some award show months ago. I thought that perhaps I had underestimated this youngster that folks were calling the new R. Kelly. (He is in fact the new R. Kelly. And the current R. Kelly is the old R. Kelly which I think is better.. if that makes sense) So I immediately downloaded it onto my ipod so I could love it all the time. But the first time I played it for myself, giddy with the excitement only new music can bring... I was disappointed. I was distracted to the point of annoyed by the refrain "Yo side Yo side Yo side of the beeeed".. I found myself wishing that some adult would just remake the song with proper grammar so I could finally enjoy it. But I let it go because who am I to say it's wrong? It's Trey Songz. I knew what I was getting into.
But today, I was watching TV while "working" from home and I saw Jennifer Hudson perform her new single..... "Where you AT" and the song was nice (written by the current R. Kelly) and she sings beautifully. I really really wanted to like it and I found myself wishing she would have said "Where were you" or "Where are you" or something. I mean I hated "Where you AT" when it was the tag line for the T mobile commercial and now its back. So is bad grammar ruining good R&B? It doesn't seem to make sense. It didn't bother me when Faith Evans said "Ain't nobody who can love me like you do" or when D'Angelo sang "One Mo Gin'". I mean heck M.J. sang "You Wanna be Startin' Somethin" and it was great. The examples of incorrect grammar in R&B are endless. So why does this bother me now? Is incorrect grammar always necessarily bad grammar?  Is it the R&B that's changing or is it me?

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