Gangsta Lean

the take

Every so often, I see videos on Instagram of "YNs" singing about hood topics over R&B production. More often than not, I catch myself vibing to the absurdity of it all. Mind you, I don't exactly approve of the message, but I will admit it's a bit shocking to see it embraced nowadays, especially because it was more frowned upon back in the day. Like "circa 1993" back in the day. Gangsta rap was sweeping over the entire urban musical landscape at the time. At that time, though, R&B was still radio-friendly (for the most part) and definitely wasn't singing about gangsta activities. That's where DRS, or Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, come in. Gangsta R&B became a thing when they came through with "Gangsta Lean" and the group's only album of the same name. To me, not only this album sounds incredibly dated, but it comes off as extremely gimmicky as well. Sure, it was something new, but I'd be lying if I said I really loved "gangsta R&B". It's good enough for me because I can tolerate it, but these collection of songs are not for everyone. Aside from the title track, "Scoundrels Get Lonely" and "Make It Rough" are three standouts to me. The rest may be enjoyable, but everything on here sounds out-of-pocket for R&B, even for someone like me. A little too misogynistic for its time, but possibly tame by today's standards. On the plus side, the group does succeed in showing off their harmonies and vocals over what they worked with. That's probably why I still have a soft spot for "Gangsta Lean". It's not completely crazy for me to say DRS was ahead of their time with the type of music they made, but it's understandable why they didn't sustain any success afterward. It's a shame because they'd be more widely accepted today, decent album and all.