Mack Wilds isn’t impressed by what today’s group of R&B’s stars have to offer lyrically.
The Grammy nominated performer is currently hard at work on his second studio album and caught up with ‘Long Days Long Nights‘ to discuss his journey thus far where he revealed that the genre has fallen prey to poor lyricism, extreme sexualisation and fiction.
His estimation below…
He shared:
There was a time you had so many different artists coming at you in so many different ways with real lyrics and amazing wordplay that you had to think about. I think nowadays Hip Hop and R&B has gotten to a place where it’s “oversexualised” or it’s not necessarily about wordplay anymore. It’s about how many bottles you’re popping in the club and sometimes it’s not even about telling the truth.
We have to agree.
When the industry’s finances were in a better place labels undoubtedly had more confidence in enlisting A-grade writers, producers, stylists and publicists to turn promising amateurs into groundbreaking artists.
Back “then” competition from rival artists and labels gave entertainers no choice but to offer fans the best lyrically, vocally and visually.
The result? A high standard that acts from all genres adhered to.
Today, labels are under pressure to succeed in a singles-driven market and are guilty of slicing creativity, innovation and personality out of an artist’s picture.
What happens next sees said artists becoming radio-thirsty puppets churning out hit singles that are bigger than they are!
Fortunately, a shift in the public’s tastes have seen the “artists” Mack is referring to struggle to compete when placed next to musicians who place creativity, personality and innovation at the forefront of their brands.
![Extended Trailer: Prime Video's 'Cruel Intentions' Series [Starring Savannah Lee Smith, Sarah Catherine Hook, & Zac Burgess]](https://thatgrapejuice.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cruel-intentions-prime-trailer-tv-adaptation-thatgrapejuice-2024-464x260.jpg "Extended Trailer: Prime Video's 'Cruel Intentions' Series [Starring Savannah Lee Smith, Sarah Catherine Hook, & Zac Burgess].")
Well the notion does say “s** sells” so…
It doesn’t though. S** gets attention not sales. Just ask Miley
ehh, that is to an extant. usher is not doing better with good kisser than when he was making more fun music. and people have long grown tired of the same formula being brought from every rnb male singer. we don’t need another trey songz or chris brown. hell, we dont the real ones or at least who they have became as artists. show growth, sing aout more than just s**, but actual relationships and world issues and pain and suffering and happiness. but, those songs dont “work” on the radio unless you are white and british (adele or sam smith). well that is also bc 1 person own like a huge majority, almost an monopoly on radio and they want to showcase 1 form of back music, which is the ratchet, ghetto, over sexualized and dumb down stuff, never the up lifting and positive.
I have to disagree with you. Usher is not doing good because Usher is trying to compete with these newer acts instead of sticking to what he knows best. What Usher and all these veteran artist need to be doing is schooling these newer acts on what they should be doing. Music in general is dead, it’s all about gimmick and no talent. People who have talent (Jazmine Sullivan, Emeli Sandé etc.) are getting overlooked because the fans are not backing them or spreading the word. Believe me people want talent back on the radio that’s why when artist like Adele, The Weekend and Sam Smith come along people get excited, because it’s real music. Music once was from the heart NOT from the c o c k / or p u s s y. I am so over the race card because race has nothing to do with what people buy. Because from what I seen in the predominantly white suburban area I live in, it’s mainly white people who listen to hip-hop (Lil Wayne and Drake and Jay Z and Kayne West to name a few.) Further more blacks dominated the Billboards in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. What happened I honestly can’t say. But Old school R&B (Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, Prince, Chaka Khan etc.) was classy in sexuality like fine wine and rose petals. This s h i t now is just used con-doms, just nasty and in your face with no imagination or sensuality. To conclude, the songs you claim that won’t work on the radio will work on the radio, it just a matter of how it’s presented. For example Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day” spent forever and a day on the radio and just recently Christina Aguilera and A Great Big World “Say Something” sustained the top 5 for an exceedingly long period. And even more recently the song Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth “See You Again” was played to death on the radio. Alll those songs have in common is honest lyrics. Mack Wild is right hip hop and r&b is over sexualized with no creative in lyrics and melodies, which could be said about pop and rock as well. There is just not talent at the forefront of it all.
He READ BEYONCE HONEY!!!! Kii!!
Sorry but who is this?
Never heard off him.
Producers just sell out to keep up with current trends. Gone are the days off Babyface, Dianne Warren, Jimmy Jam, Rodnery Jerkins productions i could just go on and on. I can barley name 10 songs that i have remebered from the last 3 years that was as good as 90s RNB
Rnb Soul is officially dead
BAE????
@Jackie queen im glad you’re back.
Hey boo! I’m glad to be back!!!????????????
Everything is oversexualized these days, I don’t know why stating the obvious is becoming news, as if his opinion needed to be posted but…ok?
Mad because your fav is known for getting Monica lewinskyd on?
Are you MadT because Monica Lewinsky AND a Beyoncé song have MORE relevance and impact than your LessorTina NEVulera has had since ‘Back 2 Basics’? MadT because during her concert almost a month or so ago she cracked 15 times and could barely make it through her own songs? MadT because she can’t sing about D/Eb5 without screaming, straining and hemorrhaging her vocal chords into career s****** and retirement? MadT because she can’t seem to keep her weight consistent, much like a respectable attitude in the public eye or the fact that she got pregnant by one of her dancers?
But drag a bit I guess
Oh b****. Better worry about your faves latest lawsuit seeing as she always has two or three on deck. And another thing….Why hasn’t she had a hit song since 2008? The shame is authentic honey
Why hasn’t Christina gotten the extreme temperatures between her legs checked? Why was she chasing waterfalls all down her legs like TLC at the Etta James memorial singing AT LAST?
Oooh Dixon my hole is waiting to be stretched by you big thick meat
Triflin’ b****!
It’s the name of the game nowadays, son.
Exaaaaaactly, yet everyone wants to call everyone else a h*** and slüt shame them, when in reality they’re just abiding by industry politics like 90% of other musical acts to make a living and support their families and pay bills like the next person.
S****, even country is oversexualized AND stealing rapping styles and integrating OUR instrumentals into their music. It’s a dog eat dog world no matter how you look at it.
Well of course. You have R&B trash like Beyonce who’s literally half-naked in every video and performance.
Exactly
Trashonce is the main overrated culprit
TUH! SAYS THE RIHANNA STAN! What kind of third-world irony?
Are you stupid? Is Rihanna an R&B artists? I mean she does do R&B, along with many other genres, but is she classified as an R&B star? What kind of third world cognition and stupidity? #BeyInspired?
*artist
I know the hive (of all people) like to come for grammar. ????
BTW Happy Birthday to the King of Pop MJ… Gone but definitely never forgotten!
OMG! Thanks babes! I almost forgot! I hope they make a post dedicated to him cause they didn’t do one with Aaliyah.
Why is it that Janet Jackson could such a song like “That’s the Way Love Goes” and still keep it classy, without barely showing any skin
Your fave should take notes tbh.
Well wen u think about it, it iz designed 2 b like that… men r made 2 b s*** and then fall n love by their 30’s (think Ginuwine, Usher, Tyrese, and etc.) & women r 2 b desired by (straight) men and make women want 2 b like them.
For once I actually agree with you. Sorry for all the transsexual commentary that wasn’t cool.
BGKC ???????? is coming for Molly’s @ss Kissing crown.
Who is BGKC?
I’m guessing it’s Rih Navy new account.
Oh. Another name change? Has that thing been on TGJ since like… June? SMH
I think so, all I know is that it and Molly are fighting for the bottom of this blog.
Stop listening to radio music and support albums. You guys feel like you’re “missing” something because you’re not buying a whole body of work. Sure the hits are fun, but the album songs are always my favorite.
.
Another thing, if this guy (who ever he is) thinks he knows what’s missing, why are’t you putting it out. And if you are, why aren’t the people grabbing it? It’s always the one with no hits talking about what’s wrong.
Everything is over sexualitized it’s always been especially since the 90s , people are just so overly judgmental now days like we all don’t have s** and are on this earth because of s**
All he did on 90210 was walk around half naked and sleep with half the cast, so GURL GONE. He definitely hasn’t got the voice or spark about him, so the only thing to do is rationalise his floppage by saying the industry is oversexualised (even though he is trying to perpetuate this).
Taylor swift is selling just fine without being over sexual maybe these R&b artist should take notes just saying…
Funny because: Brandon Borello, Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, Conor Kennedy, The members of flop direction, Zac Efron, The cast of Glee, Eddie Redmayne, Lucas Till, Calvin Harris, etc would ALL agree that Taylor is pretty sexualised (given their first hand experience, no pun intended)
______
I’d prefer to Stan for someone who has provocative lyrics but has a private personal life, than someone who sings Disney lyrics but sleeps on more hotel cushions than a chocolate mint.
Thank you very much, now who in the f*** is Mack Wilds and why should anyone care what he has to say about anything? No thanks. I’ll continue to listen to my “oversexualized R&B” over the editorial of some basically no-name singer who doesn’t have the credibility to offer a commentary.
I give homie credit for saying it. Wit that said if you don’t sell your career is overbefore it even starts. So I know your album was grammy nominated and s*** but you not in Chris or even strugglin August’s level to be saying it.
This article was well written. blame the labels instead of artists.
Columbia Records gets props for promoting John Legend, Adele, One Drection, Pharrell, and Beyonce but these other labels….
are only focused on singles artists. The don’t sign the best new artists and when they do get an albums artist they don’t cross promote them…
but labels wanna blame downloads for low record sales instead of themselves. SMH
While I don’t know about him, I can’t say he’s lying.