WEEKLY MOMENT OF ZEN: 2009's NEW JACK REDUX JODECI/R KELLY v. JEREMIH/TREY SONGZ

Of the more telling developments in music in 2009 is easily the return of grittier, urban, non crossover R & B to the national radar. Sure, Ne-Yo kept the fires burning with actual love songs that harkened back to the days of Smokey Robinson, such sweetly sung ditties the likes of which we haven't heard since the 1980s sonically, but with Ne Yos particular voice, delivery and mainstream marketing potency since the days of Motown. But what has Ne-Yo's success allowed? Well, in the search for more love starved crooners, we've had the rediscovery of Trey Songz, whose current single "I Need A Girl," a sanitized ballad reminiscent of Diddy and Mario Winans same track from 2003, and new R & B creator Jeremih, whose "Birthday Sex" may be the surpise urban radio hit of the year. The key difference between Ne-Yo and these two, Ne-Yo talks love, and Songz and Jeremih, well, they talk sex. And if you look even further into the catalogue of Trey Songz, whose mixtape grind is legendary and made him able to be right at the top of the pecking order when it came time for music's response to Ne-Yo's success, well, it's not sex, it's absolutely ear melting tales of ravenous debauchery, as he takes liberty with pretty much every tune on urban radio, the fave being his version of MIA's "Paper Planes," (actually a Mad Decent label favorite) which he turns from a tale of third world yearning into a tale of free sex from a hooker yearning, in what was a top underground R & B track of 2008.

But why the connection to Jodeci and R. Kelly? Well, if it isn't obvious, we're clearly on the cusp, in this athor's eyes, of a New Jack R & R redux. Songz has even gone as far as releasing the track "D.O.K (Death of Kells)," a track using Jay-Z's "D.O.A.," and over those wonderful French horns assaults R. Kelly's age, skill, and advises him that he's done in the singing game. Tempestuous words that certainly Jeremih hasn't come close to touching, so it's not all the young bucks that have gone wild, but it definitely bespeaks a dangerous attitude and a volatile mix of dangerous orgasmic sexuality that is more than present.

I link above to the days of Jodeci and R. Kelly's youth and impact, when the two acts were the hottest in the game. Above are the blueprint which acts like Jeremih and Songz should be absolutely aiming towards. Jodeci's "Come and Talk to Me" is legendary. Combining all the aspects of Sean "Puffy" Combs' skills as a young producer and makeover artist, he took the two pairs of brothers, Jojo and K-Ci Hailey and Mr. Dalvin and DeVante Swing, amd turned them into living and breathing extractions of the hopes and dreams of what every young African-American male wanted to look like in 1993, and in song produced tracks and Jodeci sang verses that createst lustful throngs of female fans that knew what time it was, and definitely wanted the quartet to come and talk to them, but also do a little bit more as well. And R. Kelly's epic 1995 "Down Low" video length movie is the ultimate loverman standard. What gets "Birthday Sex" consistent mainstream airplay is not just that politely autotuned, spanish guitar laden track. It's what the song represents. There's a romance there, something that definitely takes the listener back to the "Down Low" era Kelly, singing an AMAZINGLY seductive slow jam, but in the video portraying the limo driver and caretaker of coldest pimp ever Ron Isley as Mr. Big's girlfriend "Lila Heart" (Garcelle Beauvais in an early debut). Their tempestuous and illicit love affair melts the screen, and after being caught, then both viciously beaten, the scene where Kelly bits a final farewell to Beauvais is the moment that cemented Kelly's loverman legend in hearts and minds forever. While young and rising, neither Trey Songz or Jeremih has even begin to approach this level of craftsmanship, but seem absolutely filled with the drive and determination to do so.

Even more curious about the backgrounds of the new school new jacks is that Jeremih is from Chicago, R. Kelly's beloved hometown, and of course, Songz, well, from Hampton Roads, VA, hometown of Jojo and K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci. The lineages are there, and are rather obviously being followed. It is this author's hope, and sincere belief that mid 90s R & B was a fabulously fun time in urban music that allowed for collaborations and musical explorations that have come to define the urban edge of popular music. Seeing the outlines of this era once again, a wonderful development.