I've said it before, and I'll say it again: R. Kelly is the R&B George Lucas. Someone needs to tell that dude he doesn't sneeze genius.

HAHAHAHA!

I love it!

OK, Betsy and I had a long discussion about this video/song last night where half the time she thought I was joking, but here goes: this stuff is brilliant. I mean, hands down brilliant. It exists on a whole other dimension than what most TIG music lives - not saying it is a dimension that's any better or worse, but it is just an entirely different mode.

Why is this brilliant, you ask. I'll tell you why:
(1) Getting R. Kelly and Usher together to duet is sort of like getting Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding to do a duet. This is not to say that Kels and Ush are anywhere near as good musicians/singers and Marvin and Otis, however they are as famous in the R&B world (maybe moreso) as the late greats.
(2) It is concept art from Kels twisted mind. My friend Louis said he could definitely see the homoerotic undertones of the song/video and when you consider the concept of Transitive Makeouts, the ramifications of "Same Girl" are astounding.
(3) What we all really need here at TIG is to listen to more slow jams - honestly, I'm not joking here. There is so much R&B and "Urban" music that gets missed here and the idea we're going to blog about it because we think it's funny is kind of bourgeois. I think it would behoove some of us to spend a week listening to your local JAMN station to get back in touch.
(4) At the end of the video, they get their comic comeuppance! Zing! Take that Kels and Usher! You just been messing with (well, I won't give it away).

There. I'll continue to sit here and listen to "Same Girl" no matter what Betsy thinks.

Actually, I still think you're joking.

Funnier than the Stevie Nicks Fajita Roundup. And just as absurd.

Didn't Usher used to have a little bit of sense?

No Betsy, I'm not joking.

Guys... I don't even know where to begin, so I won't.

All I'll say is, Betsy made the statement, "oh, the kids these days."

Betsy, I don't know if you remember or not, but R. Kelly was recording when we were kids. Or, remember Bobby Brown?

Things haven't changed, we've just gotten older and delveloped our pallets.

P.S. I had a Bobby Brown album in the 5th grade and I don't regret it.

Usher is on my top ten list of celebrities I'm attracted to, but I have no idea why I'm attracted to them. Erik, can you explain that to me?

I think it might be his wicked dance moves.

I meant that part as a joke. I'll be the first to admit that my palate was once much less developed. But I just find this so astonishingly absurd.

This is just carrying on a pop-music tradition where singing sensations covet the same gal (or guy). Brandi and Monica did this a handful of years ago (“The Boy is Mine”). And before them, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney did the same (“The Girl is Mine”).

I like this in a non-ironic way. But that may be because the exact same thing happen to me once.