Diddy has had the Internet in a frenzy all month long after declaring that R&B is “dead.” The unrelenting statement has sparked several conversations and think-pieces regarding the current state of Rhythm & Blues. Many stars of the genre, past and present, didn’t agree with Diddy’s sentiments. Both Chris Brown and Usher spoke out against the Bad Boy exec’s comments, calling them false. Usher stated, “Even like Puff saying, you know R&B is dead, he sounds nuts to me,” he said. “It sounds, it sounds, it sounds crazy. You know, especially knowing he was a pioneer in understanding and beneficiary of it.”
The R&B gentlemen are the only ones to publicly dispute Diddy’s claims. Summer Walker recently took to TikTok to share her reaction to the mogul’s comments with a video of herself lying in bed without her signature wig and makeup, jokingly distraught that “R&B is dead,” while Lori Perri’s “Up Against The Wall” from the Set It Off soundtrack played in the background. Summer captioned the funny video, “Me when Diddy said r&b is dead,” adding “This was my 1st reaction lol its okay now we talked about it , I understand his point of view.”
The Still Over It singer’s video comes just days after her Instagram Live chat with Diddy where they discussed his new R&B-focused label and how music executives killed rhythm and blues. During the conversation, Summer shared her experience with folks saying her records are too long. She told Diddy, “The time thing is really a thing. I’ve heard that a million times like ‘Summer, it’s too long. It’s too long.’ I remember back in the day when songs were like 6 minutes long. It’s ok! If it’s **** it music especially, let it go.”
Since receiving backlash from both artists and fans alike, Diddy addressed his R&B comments in a series of tweets, saying, “This is the clarity of the message. It’s not disrespect to anybody. This conversation was out of love and me purposely wanting to bring attention to R&B!” See his tweets below.