This morning while driving, I heard the new Trey Songz single on the radio 'I'm Already Taken', and I instantly put on my hater hat. I thought 'Damn homey, save some of the ladies for the rest of us!! .. this dude is constantly finding new ways every day to get all the women!!'. Over the last few years, we have witnessed Trey Songz quietly rise from being the average R&B singer to the biggest R&B sensation on the planet. From young girls to old hags alike, you'd be hard pressed to find a single one that is not crazy about this guy and I knew that this song would only enhance and bolster his position. Everyone knows that if you ask any woman what they want in a relationship, they will always say honesty and faithfulness (no, they aren't necessarily the same, but that's another blog), and here goes Mr Songz hitting them in their soft spot with 'I'm Already Taken'.
However, after the effects of my haterade wore off, I thought of a different perspective. I thought instead that perhaps Trey Songz should be commended for this bold step that he has taken. In a world where every entertainer and 'role model' (rapper, r&b singer, rock star, athlete, politician, spiritual leaders, etc) show us by both their words and actions that debauchery and polygamy are what define men (and many of us buy into it), Trey Songz has taken a different approach: Trey Songz has publicly declared that monogamy is cool. He can go to the clubs and women can throw themselves at him and he has no problems announcing 'I'm Already Taken'. This isn't the first time he's done it either.. In his video for the song 'Your Side of the Bed', he played the role of a husband whose wife was deployed to war and he was anxiously awaiting her return, which she never did (She died at war and he broke down crying at the door further tugging on these women's heart strings .. Monogamy and a man not afraid to cry?!! .. That bastard!!! ... Hey, how did this hater hat come back on?!.. Lol). Anyway, I've digressed :-) ... How cool is it that the person who has the attention of all the ladies (and all the men that are trying to find out the secret to his super powers), is suggesting that its cool to be a one lady man? Could Trey Songz (consciously or not) be taking the first step towards bringing morality back into our society?
Undoubtedly, pop culture plays a huge role in influencing all of us (not just our children). While I do agree that parents ultimately have the responsibility of teaching children right from wrong, it is definitely pop culture that enforces or dissuades those teachings. Pop culture is the reason our kids want these ridiculous looking clothes, why our grown folk want jewelry, why we bought the 4.6 instead of the 4.0 Range Rover, and why we want those expensive sneakers.. Because whether we admit it or not, somewhere in the back of our minds we believe that if we mimic them even if its ever so slightly we might somehow yield the same results. So imagine when all our heroes from Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Bill Clinton, Shaquille O'neal, and music stars in their songs and videos reinforce that every man cheats. It almost suggests that it's a prerequisite for greatness and a way of proving your manhood. It is constantly being imprinted on the minds of our impressionable society (not just men either .. I've even heard women accept less than they deserve by saying things like 'every man cheats, but I'm who he comes home to at night' which then further gives us a license to continue that behavior .. thats yet another blog .. maybe I'll call it 'It's Your Fault').
One thing I have also noticed about recent pop culture, however, is that it lacks originality, so whenever somebody is 'hot', for the next year and a half every other artist is copying the one that is successful, and with Trey Songz being on top imagine if one by one artists continue in this vein and write songs that encourage our young men that it's ok to be faithful and respect our women... What a great thing that would be. Trey Songz, I commend you for taking the first step towards getting society back on the right track publicly (even if u probably hitting off mad groupies backstage after your shows... There's that damn hater hat again.. Lol). Good Job.
But then again, what do I know ... That I know nothing.
