A Letter: Trey Songz You Do Need To Do Better
It’s been a while since I’ve written a letter. I think I’ve numbed myself to the majority of the dumb things that happen in this music industry but every once in a while something bothers me so much that I have to write a letter. Like here with Rihanna or here with Andre 3000. Whether they read it or not somehow I feel the message reaches them. Plus I’ve been doing this way before Beyonce made it popular and the “it” thing to do. Just know it doesn’t come from a malicious place. If I’m taking the time to write a letter that means I actually care and want to see you do better. So here goes…
Dear Trigga,
I was going to let you live. I haven’t been an overall fan of the musical product you’ve been putting out since Ready when your sex appeal peaked and it’s been downhill from there. I still understand the appeal nonetheless, but what I can’t understand is why you are so complacent with being one dimensional. I kept quiet when you started beef with R. Kelly even though it’s blatantly evident that you wish he could be the artist that he is. Not realizing that yes Kells had his fair share of classic overly sexualized songs but there was always a balance. Just as many chart topping songs like “Bump N Grind” and “Ignition,” he gave you an “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Step In The Name Of Love.”
You yourself have turned your brand into something that has no meaning. Please take a minute to read D’Angelo’s GQ article where he talked about how the presentation of “How Does It Feel” changed his life. Being sexy isn’t something that’s forced. It comes naturally. But you come off like a child that needs attention jumping and and down in front of people screaming “look at me, I’m sexy.” Outside of the visual though, this urban yodeling thing that you do. Please spare us. If you wanted that to be your signature sound that is the ultimate fail. It pleases no one’s ears. Do I need to remind you of Prince’s face when you covered “Purple Rain?”
So you don’t have to listen to me but please do listen to that face. Oh you didn’t catch the side eye he gave you? OK well check out this photo during a tribute to him at the same show.
Do you see the difference?
I had to put my own two cents in when I heard your response to Ne-Yo’s comments about your music during his interview with Power 105′s The Breakfast Club since you completely missed the point. Ne-Yo said:
“Trey is one of them dudes I feel could be a serious problem in this R&B world. If he decided to just really go and put that emotional in there. No disrespect to Trey, love Trey to death but I feel like again the emotional disconnect is there.”
Then you respond on an interview with 106 KMEL “I’ma talk to Ne-Yo when I see him. It ain’t even that. The thing is that Ne-Yo knows me. Ain’t no need to have that conversation for the world to hear, you know. And I feel like that’s a sucker move. It’s all good though. I’m a real n*gga. They gon’ take shots.”
Real n*gga? Wait what? What does that have to do with anything? Just because that rhymes with “Trigga” doesn’t make it so. If you were real you wouldn’t have looked at his comments as him taking shots. Did he not see the same interview I did? Where did Ne-Yo take a shot? He didn’t come for your head. Charlemagne specifically asked him what he felt about YOUR music and he said you both were cool but he felt there’s a disconnect. Everyone feels that way about you. The tough guy stuff has to stop! Nobody believes you and since your A&R won’t tell you to stop “rapping” I will. STOP! Actually I take that back. Maybe you need to just be a rapper because lately I can bear your bars a lot more then I can your yodeling but I digress.
Someone must have told you your response was silly so you took to another interview with K104 to further clarify:
“I think the simple way to put it is he’s hating. I ain’t really into negativity and putting the spotlight on negativity and allowing people to put me on a space whether we’re on the radio… to put somebody else down to put myself up. If that’s something that he [Ne-Yo] really felt, we could have had a conversation. I respect Ne-Yo and his music and I think he’s a great artist and all of that, and I think that if that’s something he felt, we could have talked about that. He took a shot and I told him that… That’s just petty.
You’re not into negativity but you made a diss record about R. Kelly. Am I missing something here? WAKE UP TREY!!! You will never be Kells because *ding ding ding ding* he’s never been one dimensional. Somewhere along the line your cockiness got the best of you and it isn’t sexy on you. I remember meeting you a couple years ago and you were one of the nicest people I’ve met. I’ve heard from some peers that your poise in that regard has changed dramatically.
So you can’t take this as hating my dude. The overall quality of your music has declined tremendously in the past couple of albums so instead of responding to Ne-Yo about his opinion that a lot of other people have why not have gotten him on the phone and said yo can I get in the studio with you? What do you think I should be doing? How do you feel I can get to that point of being a problem in this R&B world? Or better yet, get R. Kelly on the phone if you consider Ne-Yo a peer and not a veteran. Instead of beefing with him you should have been hanging from Kell’s coat-tail to mentor you from the moment you took that turn to do sex music.
All I’m saying is your days are numbered so all constructive criticism should be taken to heart. All you have is your music. You haven’t branched out with a clothing line, with acting, etc and we all know you can’t dance so the taking your shirt off and kissing girls in the mouth on stage thing is losing it’s flare. Maybe doing some real music is the “gimmick” that might get you back to where you need to be because the current ones are played out. No one is “hating.” Be happy that someone even cares enough and sees enough potential in you that they want to see you win and be better. You could easily be here today, and gone tomorrow if being sexy, talk singing, and yodeling is all you have left to give. Prove us wrong by showing us more not calling us haters.
This letter and the construction criticism from your peers may be too little, too late since your album Chapter V drops on August 21st but hopefully someone in your camp gave you this same advice during your recording process. So don’t get mad! Isn’t the latest leak off your forthcoming album “Check Me Out,” and it’s all about keeping it real with you right? So I’m sure you won’t consider this “hating” since you are such a fan of “keeping it real” that you did a song about it.
Now excuse me while I go in the crates and pull out your debut album I Gotta Make It so I can be reminded why I even care and why I fell in love with your voice and music in the first place.
Sincerely,
Eb the Celeb
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