Diddy Chimes in on ‘King of R&B’ Debate: ‘R&B Is Not Being Made Right Now’

Georgia singer-songwriter Jacquees launched the Twittersphere into an exhausting debate on Monday, after declaring himself the “King of R&B.” 

Trey Songz and Ty Dolla Sign quickly stepped in for a word, people exposed themselves for suggesting Bryson Tiller was better than Usher, and the wisest among us nodded resolutely toward the alter of King Beyoncé. 

But Diddy is dismissing the whole debate by laying out a strict definition of what it means to be “king,” and establishing the pillars of R&B. “I usually mind my business, but R&B is the foundation of my life,” he said in a video posted to Twitter.

“That word king is too loosely thrown around. Now I understand the concept that we are all kings, I understand that, but if we’re talking about in the competitive arena of music, cats give away the king thing too early,” he says. “A couple of hits ain’t gonna do it.”

Next, Diddy tackles the genre, arguing that R&B must be vulnerable, sensual, and produce a whole lot of babies. “We’re talking about rhythm and blues,” he says. “We’re talking about sharing your soul. We’re talking about making love through your music, making a whole generation of babies. Adoring a woman, not you know putting her down, not talking about how you just wanna smash her—adoring her.”

For anyone to be considered the king, Diddy says, “you gotta start making some R&B. You have to be vulnerable. You have to be speaking about love. You have to affect women in a positive way, and your ass gotta be able to sing.”

To the multi-hyphenate mogul, that sort of music is not being made today. “R&B’s not being made right now. This is not R&B. I wanna make sure y’all clear,” he argues. “You gotta make some R&B to be the king of R&B.”

“I just wanna let everybody know that I’m the king of R&B right now,” Jacquees said in the controversial video he posted on Monday. “For this generation, I understand who done came and who done did that and that and that, but now it’s my time. Jacquees the king of R&B.”

But to Diddy, the crooner and other contemporary artists are not gonna cut it. Try again, y’all.