Trey Songz is in a celebratory mood.
The R&B crooner is now officially a decade deep into his music career. For, as his supporters will recall, his debut album ‘I Gotta Make It’ was released on July 26th 2005.
To mark the occasion, the 30-year-old has released a video message to fans.
Check it out below and find out why we’re not so sure there’s much to make noise about…
Not to rain on Trey’s parade, but this only serves to remind us of the multitude of missteps he’s taken – especially over the last few years.
Let’s briefly journey back to 2009.
Chris Brown had essentially punched himself out of the game following “the incident,” essentially leaving a vacancy open for a new R&B prince.
As if by magic, Trey – who had steadily been building a name for himself – dropped his aptly titled third album ‘Ready’ and solidified himself as an Urban force – birthing hit after R&B hit. Even an ill-advised war of words with the genre’s King R. Kelly couldn’t quell the flames of Songz’s blazing ascend.
Fast forward six years and it’s disheartening to observe a worrying stagnancy in the “Trigga” brand; a stagnancy that has begun to impact the singer commercially. Musically, he’s been rehashing the ‘Ready’ sound with varying degrees of success; a practice we’ve always found puzzling given that that album was more catchy than it was groundbreaking.
With Trey, it’s not just a lack of evolution, it’s the regression that alerts us most.
Indeed, if adamant to continue singing about sex, thots, and bedrocks, surely there are more creative ways to do so than the (still) nauseating ‘Two Reasons’ or the banal ‘Na Na’?
Longevity is great, but impact is greater; yet the latter is something Trey seems unequipped to achieve on his current trajectory.
From where we’re standing, he’d be smart to grab a pen and pad and study the diversity of R. Kelly’s discography. Because, harsh as it may sound, the reality is that Trigga has rivals whose careers have been more interesting in ten months than his career has been in ten years.
It’s time for a change.
10 years and no growth in his music! I love most of his songs but he shows no career growth
Yawn what’s TGJ gona report next? 10 years since C Error has had a platnuim album?! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
In 10 years he released 6 albums and he only have 2 that are certified one is gold and the other is platinum lol and he never evolved or experimented with different sounds and topics he is a Flop flop flop he never had a career lmaooo treygay songz is his flop name
Trey reached his peak musically with the READY album imo… He legit talks about the same thing in every record its tired and played out.
Hell he never had a peak because he never had a career to begin with his “career” is nothing to celebrate
TGJ doing the most as usual.What did y’all expect from Trey Songz?He’s trey songz nothing more
His career might stretch if he came out. Makes Adam Lambert look butch #felicia #Soulja Boys P**** Boy
Maybe the decade in the game might change him. Im hoping so. I liked his earlier music and he sounded way better back then. I know Trey still wants that Queen collaboration. A soulful ballad will do!
10 years and still an opening act
An r and b singer who doesn’t dance can’t be a super star these days.
The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and Miguel are the three biggest names in R&B and none of them dance
Frank ocean barely sold gold. The weeked just got attention after the 59shades soundtrack. Miguel has had a few decent singles that charted well rnb, but he has not seen the same chart/commercial success ready has seen.
Honestly ten years deep instead of progress we see regression in terms of Trey’s career and music.
Trey’s decade long career is a perfect reflection of most R&B before the new wave started: stale and redundant with no growth or change. Trey Songz is just another attractive face with an average voice filling a cookie cutter role of the typical make R&B artist in the 2000s. I’m glad that this type of artist is a dying breed. They bring nothing to the table.
Lol! Wow, this post is probably the first in a while to have a comment section full of “actual “critiques” of a person’s career and not their personal life. I must say I agree with the majority of you know here. Yal went in on Trey. Hopefully his next decade shows growth.
On here *
I have to disagree wuth TGJ and The comments. I think for a Artists who has put out mostly RnB Singles for an urban Market, 10 years is certainly something to celebrate. He is the biggest Male RnB artists out today that hasn’t truly crossed over but still has a viable career – Which is not something you can say for a lot of ‘RnB’ artists whether male or female. People Like Chris, and Neyo have crossed over with various singles throughout their career. He headlines his own tours 3000-5000 people in 30 cities in a major accomplishment for an artists of this magnitude. And on the subject of growth – If its broke why fix it. If the fans that buy the music enjoy this ‘club, s** and Love’ lifestyle music there is no need to grow. That is where creator get it wrong. They feel they need to change. Remember the same reason the critics hate you Will be the Same Reason the Fans LOVE you as an artist!
I get your point. He did stay true to his R&B roots, while Usher, Neyo, and Chris went back and foward in pop music. People are wrong to say what career though. He has had platinum and gold albums. With a string of hits on the R&B charts. He’s talented so i know he’ll keep on churning hits, whether its the same ol stuff or a new direction of music.
Say what u want about trey, BUT he knows what his fans/market wants. I’m not gonna serve sushi when steak sells the most. So he sold more with “bottoms up”/ “invented s**” etc singles, why is he going to make more “just gotta make it” when it did not work. 10 yrs in and he still doing pretty well, he “fell off” but did not have a career low after his peak compared to Chris or neyo, both if who came out with him. Trey still sells, charts abd tours. He is showing that a make rnb singer call still be successful w/o the white/pop fan. He can show labels how rnb artists can do better than a pop singer and cost less to promote when you actually push him.
No NO NO There aint no way my baby gonna follow the footsteps of urinating on underage girls!!!!! I love him the way he is, he does not need to braid, have dreads, walk around in a afro, wear skinny jeans and sing about crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, 3 cheeses chicken wrap when he is hot enough to forever sing about s**! congratulations Daddy Trey Love you lots! #Keepgrinding get it, GRIND!