“And you know I had to do the remix right?” (In my Ludacris voice, cues “Gettin Some Head remix!”) It is easier for us to notice when female artists struggle in the music industry because either a blog points it out or a random male puts them on blast. However, the music industry does not discriminate when it comes to failures. Here are a few artists that have fallen off the face of the earth.
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, when is the last time that Ray J put out some good quality music? Ray J is talented in many ways: the bedroom (don’t act like you haven’t seen the sex tape), trash talking (remember how he knocked out Fabolous), as a club promoter, as a reality TV star (For The Love of Ray J Seasons 1 and 2), and actor (Moesha and One on One). But when it comes to singing….that’s a different story.
Ray J hit the scene in 1995 with his debut single “Let It Go.” It wasn’t until 2001 when we all took notice of Brandy’s brother with his unforgettable single “Wait A Minute.” I was too young to club then but everybody knows that this was a club and radio smash! Ray J got his R&B thug on in the video and showed us how mannish he was by fondling Lil Kim. Then came 2005; Ray J wasn’t too proud to beg on “One Wish.” This song won ladies hearts all over the world and made Ray J a sex symbol. Therefore, it was only right that he connected with Yung Berg for the 2008 summer anthem “Sexy Can I.” And then….nothing. Reality TV called and his music has suffered ever since. He tried to make a comeback with his single “Last Wish” circa 2010 but that was short lived. Fast forward a couple years later and Ray J is an attention whore who is struggling to remain relevant.
Remember J. Holiday? He was the “it” artist from 2007-2009. As a solo/unknown artist he carried R&B on his back and made being a newcomer look easy. Back of My Lac spawned a couple of singles. The lead single “Bed” had everybody wanting to take a nap in order to receive some special attention. Due to the success of the single J. Holiday had everyone trying to sing “Eh” in falsetto. On his second single, “Suffocate,” J. Holiday managed to describe exactly how it feels to be away from the person you love. In both “Bed” and “Suffocate” the lyrics were honest and relatable; I think that is the main reason why we liked him. In his songs and his videos he never came across as trying too hard or trying to be something that he was not. He stuck to this same strategy on his second studio album Round 2. Its only single was “Its Yours.” I remember the song being well received but the album lacked promotion. Fast forward three years later…no word if he is working on a third album or if he has given up on the music industry.
Both of these artists made me think that new age R&B was making a comeback. To me, Ray and J. Holiday were the last of a dying breed. Nowadays R&B singers want to appear hard and want to be rappers. What part of the R&B game is that? I would hope that both of these male artists could get it together and release some quality music. Honestly, it’s not looking promising. (Follow me @eyediditmyway)
