Tank is weighing in with his thoughts on the ongoing debate sparked by Diddy last month after he declared that R&B is dead. The “When We” singer, who recently dropped his new album “R&B Money,” was spotted by a TMZ cameraman earlier this week at LAX airport to address those claims, insisting that the state of the rhythm and blues genre has noticeably seen a decline over the years with little to no support from the mainstream media.
“We are still disconnected from the mainstream,” he said before thanking outlets such as TMZ for continuing the conversation. Tank mentions the likes of Chris Brown and Usher who he feels should receive much more coverage for their music, adding that he hopes R&B will eventually get its space back where it can flourish again.
Diddy’s comments about R&B being dead had countless of artists speaking out on their take on why people haven’t been drawn to the genre as much as they used to. Some had blamed it on people diverting their attention to Pop music because it tends to sell better while others argued that the mainstream audience don’t want to hear ballads and love songs — a statement that was contested by Summer Walker, who says she prefers creating those type of tracks though she’s often advised against it by her record label.
“R&B is muthafuckin’ dead as of right now,” told fans in August. “The R&B I made my babies to? R&B gotta be judged to a certain thing – it’s the feeling though, doggy. No, no, no. It’s a feeling. You gotta be able to sing for R&B and then you gotta tell the truth. R&B is not a hustle. This shit is about feeling your vulnerability.”
The Bad Boy Records founder, who has had plenty of success in the Rap and R&B genre, with hits including “I Need A Girl,” “I’ll Be Missing You,” and “I Don’t Wanna Know,” added, “You gotta muthafuckin make a n***a dick hard or a woman’s vagina wet.”
Can’t believe somebody said RnB is dead with Tank/Vedo/Tink/ new albums right there. Hush it.
— Regina George Jr.💋 (@DollFaceBeautii) August 26, 2022
RELATED: Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran Apologizes To Whoopi Goldberg For Fat-Shaming Her On “The View”
“You gotta cry. You gotta be able to get your girl back. I don’t wanna hear all this bullshit […] It’s our fault for accepting anything less for anybody getting on a mic. I feel like there was a death of R&B singing, and I’m a part of bringing that shit back! I ain’t feelin’ no emotions.”
During somewhat of a heated Instagram Live conversation with producer Timbaland, Diddy asked him to name five R&B artists who could sing without the help of using autotune — a question Timbaland struggled to answer. “R&B don’t sound too alive. You don’t even know anybody’s name,” Diddy joked.