On India.Arie and Brownstone singer Nicci Gilbert condemning the summer scam anthem, “Spend Dat Sh*t😎.
Are the R&B/neo-soul royalty and internet thugs truly this agitated?
This is no different than anything Yung Miami—either solo or with JT in City Girls —has released before. It’s no different than songs Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, or Nicki Minaj have put out. It’s no different than the music Lil’ Kim or Foxy Brown was making back when India.Arie and Brownstone were also releasing albums.
So why is this suddenly the conversation?
Is it my favorite song? Absolutely not. It never would be.
So what does that mean for me?
I don’t listen to it.
Just like there are plenty of songs I don’t listen to.
As someone who genuinely loves music and consumes a ridiculous amount of it, I have a place in my heart for people who know exactly who they are artistically and stay committed to that. Yung Miami is exactly who she has always been. This song reflects nothing more than the person she’s presented to us since the City Girls first became popular.
I’m not sure why anyone is surprised.
I’m even less sure why people are writing dissertations about it. Present company included😉
Now let’s be honest.
I love India.Arie. Acoustic Soul is a masterpiece. Voyage to India is also an excellent album. Beyond those, I can’t honestly say I regularly recommend her full catalog, but those first two projects made an incredible impression on me and I’ll never take that away from her. I respect her opinion as an artist.
Nicci Gilbert is part of one of the pioneering R&B girl groups of the ‘90s. I’ve danced to Brownstone. I’ve butchered Brownstone at karaoke. I have fond memories of their music.
I honestly have no idea what she does now other than lose a four-year court battle against the creator of P-Valley and occasionally hop online to criticize artists while people cheer her on.
And to everyone who’s upset because Yung Miami publicly stood beside Diddy…
Get in line.
At this point, it feels like Diddy is probably going to get out early anyway.
That doesn’t make it any less shameful. It doesn’t excuse her support of him. I think standing beside him was a terrible look.
But what exactly are y’all about to do about it?
Seriously.
There are one million other conversations we could be having as people who ultimately have no control over what these grown adults choose to do.
The argument that music like this somehow takes opportunities away from “real music” also doesn’t make much sense to me.
India.Arie and Nicci Gilbert—if they were actively making music today—don’t even occupy the same lane as Careesha. Categorically, they aren’t competing for the same audience.
And I don’t think Yung Miami is about to sweep the Grammys like Lauryn in 1999 either.
Could she win a BET Award? Sure.
A Soul Train Award?
Maybe.
A VMA if the video goes crazy?
Absolutely.
A Billboard Music Award? I could see it.
But I don’t think we need to worry about her dominating the Grammy categories traditionally occupied by artists like India.Arie or Brownstone.
Then again…
Three 6 Mafia has an Oscar.
So what do I know?
As for the argument that music like this reaches the masses and promotes the wrong message…
It’s tale as old as N.W.A. in the 80s.
Snoop & Lil Kim in the 90s
Trina and DMX in the 2000s
Kodak Black and Nicki in the 2010s
Yung Miami it’s just today’s version of an old story.
Grown people are going to do what grown people want to do.
If those grown people have children, it’s their responsibility to make sure those children aren’t consuming music that isn’t meant for them.
There is no universe where I think children should be listening to Yung Miami.
None.
But we can’t keep holding artists responsible for parenting decisions that belong to parents.
We can’t expect musicians to change our communities. That’s a collective job.
If you want different messages in the culture, then put different messages into the culture.
R&B is experiencing an incredible resurgence right now. Nostalgia is everywhere. People are craving music that feels familiar, comforting, and authentic.
Instead of getting on Beyoncé’s internet crying about another grown woman’s rap song — a genre completely different from the one you’d be making music in anyway —capitalize on the love people already have for you.
People are selling out tours performing music they released twenty-five years ago.
Get the group back together.
Release a new single.
Flip one of your classics with a fresh sample.
Do something.
Millennials absolutely love seeing the artists they grew up with come back.
But let’s also be honest…
Millennials like ratchet shit too.
We contain multitudes.
“If you can’t run with it, run from it.”
That’s what Weezy said.
And while we’re talking about things worth being upset over…
Our country is being run by a gang of rodeo clowns.
If you’re going to spend energy complaining on the internet, maybe direct some of that passion toward something that actually impacts people’s lives—and then use your voice to do something meaningful.
That’s not to say I’ll be standing outside the studio demanding Yung Miami release more ratchet anthems.
I won’t.
But I absolutely support her right to make them.
Just like she has every right to release the song, I have every right to skip it.
I don’t have to download it.
I don’t have to add it to my playlist.
Or…
I can laugh at the memes and videos because, at this point in the world, I’ll take all the laughs I can get.
This song doesn’t improve my life.
It doesn’t ruin it either.
I can’t relate to it.
Sometimes that’s the point.
But who am I?
Just a lover of music.
Relatable Rhythms 