STOP HATIN! : Reasons to Love Robin Thicke

In the same way that Lil’ Kim’s supporters donned t-shirts that told all y’all haters to “Stop Snitchin”, I’m gonna have to stick up for my “white boy du jour” Robin Thicke and say: “Stop Hatin”. I know that my blog is inordinately populated with posts about “blue-eyed soul” and issues of appropriation so it may seem strange that I would choose to defend Thicke. But that is his appeal.

My man already knows that he’s workin from behind. On “Would That Make You Love Me” he sings: “Would u be my lover, if I were a different color?”
Yes, Robin perhaps. I was a little ticked and tickled to read reviews of the “Evolution of Robin Thicke” album that likened him, his sound, and this album to everybody else’s white boy du jour, Justin Timberlake. What a gross comparison. Where Timberlake clearly shows up to the studio to sing whatever Tim, Pharell, and the crew have thought up for him, Thicke spent some time alone writing, fucking up the vocals, and trying to communicate how much he “needs love”. These are two different artists, with that word probably being what separates them.

I put Robin Thicke in the same drawer as my other lover Lewis Taylor. If I’m gon love you, you gon have to work for it. Artists like Lewis and Robin are putting in work, at least attempting to craft personal, meaningful albums, that while they may be heavy on the croonin have substance. Let’s do a questionairre right quick to assess the state of R&B (what I now think of as Rap and Bullshit, but that’s another post altogether):

1. When is the last time an R&B artist put out a bonafied, real deal draws-dropper, baby making joint? I would suggest D’Angelo’s “Voodoo”. Well, that’s the last time I tried to get locked up in the room with a cd for days.

2. What’s wrong with the falsetto y’all? You know it makes you hot…stop frontin. And …you know it makes your girl hot. Again, stop frontin.

3. Can I congratulate Thicke on being in love instead of just in lust? At least when he’s talking about sex, he’s not talking about “beatin the stuffin up”.

This is in no way meant to be a comprehensive review. I know that there are problems with this album and my analysis. But can I suggest this: Can we just shut the fuck up, turn the cd on, and get some lovin? Sometimes you need to…nevermind where you get it from. Besides, this fool said he can “do better than make love to you…” Sign me up.