Music | Entertainment News
In B5 singer Dustin Michael's new track "I Like" he talks about having sex with dykes, his sexual experience after meeting a transwoman, and not apologizing for it all.
From the 90s through the early 2000s hip-hop began to achieve mainstream success and R&B was nearing its peak. For male artists -- specifically within hip-hop-- both genres were the embodiment of hypermasculinity. Street culture, violence, objectifying women, and drugs are all traditional examples of what a male is like when it comes to what was played on the radio during this era.
Anything remotely gaye was hastily frowned upon. Acts like NWA, Mobb Deep, or even Jay-Z may even come to mind. As far as R&B, it was extremely rare to find even a whisper of homosexual undertones on wax. Most images could be considered alternative or softer representations of men, but they still heavily catered to the love and obsession of women. Boyz II Men, Jagged Edge, or Jodeci to name a few.
Granted, when B5 hit the scene, they were young and undeveloped. The direction of their sound was aimed at their intended audience (women), profits, and the general expectation of mainstream R&B (singing to women).
By the time they became adults, who they were was already defined before they even had an inclination. The group was active from 2001 until 2015 and then lead singer Dustin Michael began his solo career.
Nearly a decade later Michael takes to Instagram to confess his love for a transgender woman; which Gaye Magazine exclusively reported. His partner, D. Smith, a Grammy-nominated music producer, was deemed an outcast in the industry after identifying as a transwoman. She went on to become a filmmaker, directing the critically acclaimed film, Kokomo City.
As we know, or at least have heard, music artists are extremely personable and expressive in their music. Dustin Michael emphasized his sexuality in his new single, "I Like", detailing his sexual desires, turn-ons and so much more. The two-minute long track is vulnerable and explicit. He sings:
I met a girl, let her give me head, it was fire.
She told me she was trans, I said liar.
She proved me wrong, shit was hot.
He continued on singing:
I don't give a fuck, 'cause I fuck with her
I like, that I like, that you like, shit we might
Fuck on two dykes, tonight
'Cause fuck with her
The song is also accompanied by a music video, featuring Michael in the shower and a pool, wielding the middle finger at the camera. It also portrays him rising from the water, as if he is rising into his true self.
On the contrary, it lacks imagery directly depicting his sexual interests. Not to say his lyrics don't tell a good enough story, but it does leave the viewer to create their own speculation.
While Dustin Michael isn't the first artist to reveal his sexuality in an uncensored nature, he is among the first from his peak era of music. As society begins to become more inclusive of different genders and sexual preferences, it is seemingly inevitable that the universal language will succumb to its grip.