Pushing “Creativity” Too Far?

It has been a recurring issue with musicians who push the envelope of their creativity to the point that their fans and colleagues are often more offended then impressed. This has been the case with lyrics and especially music videos that have portrayed a very risky message that often leads to controversy in the industry.

The official lead single to Rihanna’s new album Rated R, entitled “Russian Roulette”, shows the very dark and tormented feelings of an artist considering suicide as an escape from her problems. The song has raised eyebrows since its release and brought on many critics – one of which is an artist named Tiffany Evans, best known for being on the TV show Star Search as well as her single “Promise Ring” with Ciara.

Evans spoke out against the song on her twitter page, saying “Russian Roulette = Suicidal Rate gon sky rocket! You gotta watch what u say. Because there are a lot of weak people in the world. They are susceptible to anything so anything you say or do some people actually do listen. So make sure its nothing bad. Its okay to be deep, but not murder deep”

Most of the responses to the criticism has come from the songwriter himself, Ne-Yo, who recently said: “It’s definitely dark, but if you think about it, ‘Thriller’ was dark, but it’s one of the biggest-selling records of all time. Nobody’s really going out to play Russian roulette or thinking about killing themselves or nothing like that. It was just an interesting topic over a crazy beat, and who better to pull that off than somebody like Rihanna?”

The debate will continue regarding the validity of lyrics and their impact on the community… but the next situation, regarding singer Trey Songz, is more for the visual.

Songz’s latest video from his album Ready is for the song “Invented Sex” which starts off, right away, with a disclaimer for content only suitable for viewers 18 and older. The clip was shot in black and white and only features Trey and a young lady getting “very friendly”, if you know what I mean.

Trey Songz – “Invented Sex”

The video only premiered yesterday (November 5th) but already has thousands of views on the YouTubes and it’s likely that not all of them are from viewers over 18. Songz, known for having very “grown-up” lyrics in his songs, still has a steady fan base of young listeners that will be watching his every move and the video he decided to put out is basically an invitation to sex – no matter how old you are – so I don’t really see a possible explanation for this one.

Trey’s many fans over 18 may not see the harm the video may cause, but you have to consider the 12-year-old watching at home and their reaction.