R&B Song Lyrics: Has the Envelope Been Pushed Off the Table Yet?

As anyone who knows me or has read any of my blogs can clearly tell, I am a fan and lover of music, especially good music, so it is disheartening to have to point out the downward direction a lot of today’s R&B song lyrics has taken. Of course music is a form of expression that allows us an avenue to exercise our first amendment right of free speech, but I fear that “shock value” is playing much more of a role in R&B song lyrics today than free expression. During the era of artists like Marvin Gaye and The Isley Brother, R&B music had soul and was at its best. There was no need to distinguish the type of R&B the song portrayed by issuing sub-categories such as neo-soul; it was just good music. During their prime, songs like Sexual Healing, Between the Sheets, and Tonight Is The Night were ballads that “pushed the envelope”, but still maintained some sense of romanticism. Though these song lyrics directly spoke of sex and/or were suggestive, they used no foul language or explicitness. Today, however, it is not uncommon to see R&B covers with the Parental Advisory label stamped on them. Artist like Tre Songz and Bruno Mars are pushing the envelope even further putting curses to melody in songs like Na Na and Gorilla. Personally, I would like to see music take a retrospective U-turn because I’m afraid of what the next generation of R&B song writers will do or say to incorporate shock value. If the envelop is indeed still on the table what will melodic vulgarities sound like when that envelop hits the floor?!