The mere thought of our ancestors being transported to the United States for the purpose of being slaves is hurtful, demoralizing, and disrespectful. As the slave trade started in 1619, slaves were groomed to be cheap labor. They helped with the production of lucrative crops such as tobacco and cotton. Judging them by their size and strength, slaves were bought and sold like a piece of merchandise. Slave owners only cared about a slave’s physical attributes as they restricted the slave’s ability to learn how to read, write, and receive a proper education. After two hundred forty-six years of oppression, slavery was abolished in 1865. Since then generation after generation, century after century, African Americans have felt the stigma of the slave error. The realization of your ancestors being mistreated and abused triggers the emotions of shame, anger, and pain. As a form of therapy, African Americans felt inclined to trace their roots back to Africa. Unknown if it was fact or fiction, some traced their roots back to African Kings and Queens.
In urban culture, the royalty label is a form of elite status. We all envision ourselves as a king or a queen. In the music and entertainment industry, the title is granted to iconic figures that possess a potent resume to back up the claim. The candidates for king or queen are special talents who have been consistently great throughout the years. They’re the ones who have sold millions of albums and performed in sold out stadiums. They’re the ones who produce music that is appealing to multiple generations. Recently the music industry experienced a shake up when 24 year old newcomer Jacquees claimed he’s the King of R&B for his generation. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Jacquees began to gain notoriety in 2014 with his EP entitled 19. The EP debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums. Months later, Jacquees announced he signed a record deal with Cash Money Records. In 2016, he displayed his talent with the chart topping song “B.E.D.”. Jacquees sees 2018 as the biggest year of his career. He acknowledges this is the year he’s seen the most success and earned the most money. The newly acquired success has shot a dose of confidence in the R&B singer as he took to social media and proclaimed himself the heir to the throne.
“I’m the King of R&B right now for this generation. I understand who done came and done did that and that, but now it’s my turn. Jacquees the King of R&B. I been feeling like that. ATL let’s get it.”, said the R&B newcomer. Both fans and members of the music and entertainment industry were rubbed the wrong way by Jacquees’s bold
proclamation. No doubt about it, Jacquees is a gifted singer. However, it’s a bit premature for him to make the royalty claim. A glance at his chart history shows his song “B.E.D.” peaked at #69, “At The Club” featuring Dej Loaf peaked on the charts at #86, and his album 4275 peaked at #56 on the charts. These are pedestrian like numbers for a person who is asking us to crown him. Fans and members of the music industry displayed outrage due to the R&B singer’s claim. R&B veteran Tank said, “Jacquees is just getting started. He’s jumping in too early. The most gifted and successful individual is Chris Brown. Nobody is close to Chris Brown. He went on to ask, “Who out there is better than Chris Brown?†Radio personality Charlamagne Tha God somewhat agreed with Tank saying, “The King of R&B is a generational thing. I’m going to give it to Miguel and Chris Brown. I don’t think nobody makes better R&B music than Miguel and Chris Brown.”. Singer turned actor Tyrese took exception to Jacquee’s statement. He said, “Chris Brown and Trey Songz are the only young kings who could ever compete for the title. Jacquees, stop trolling and get back in the booth.”
Fans weighed in on the topic via social media with the majority of them being puzzled by the R&B star’s premature move. “You’re good, but Chris Brown is the King,” one fan wrote. A number of fans who commented on the post gave their vote of confidence to Chris Brown as the reigning King of R&B. “Nah! You need some hits. You can’t release one album and no billboard #1 hits and call yourself the king,†another fan posted. One thing Jacquees successfully did was start a conversation about a relevant topic. From the fans to the people in the music industry, everybody is talking about it. The topic even caught the attention of a worthy candidate to the throne and a music and business mogul. Usher didn’t respond verbally. Usher, a qualified king candidate, simply looked into the video camera and flashed a smile. Mogul Sean “Diddy†Combs chose to respond verbally. “R&B is the foundation of my life. The word king is too loosely thrown around. You have to write a number one record! You need to have a lot of number one records that mean something,†Diddy explained.
Jacquees isn’t the King of R&B. In his own right he is a king. We are all kings and queens, but he isn’t the King of R&B. He’s not the king as of yet. He has the potential to someday be king in the future. I, as a journalist, truly believes that Chris Brown is the reigning King of R&B. I think Jacquees made a critical error. I truly believe when he stated he’s the king of his generation he was referencing R&B artist in their 20’s as opposed to a generational time period which equates to twenty years of material. However, Jacquees successfully sparked a great debate. Chris Brown has my vote, who is your vote for King of R&B?
Vince D’Writer was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Purdue University. While working as a Sports Recruiter, Vince D’Writer wrote a how to guide that explain the recruiting process in reference to obtain an athletic scholarship. Developing a passion for writing, Vince D’Writer transitioned to urban fiction.
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