What would you do? I would stop listening to this song.
With a music video that opens with “Bottom line, Loni’s a hoe,” the song quickly goes from really bad to devastating. If we are trying to empower Loni to overcome “work[ing] for a buck,” I’m pretty sure calling her a hoe and then judging her throughout the rest of the song is not the way to go about this one. Kick her while she’s down.
City High opted for the tough love method when they decided to tell all the boys and girls a true story after running into Loni at “a real wild party.” For starters, how many people stop someone from Junior High to give them some advice about their life choices? But more importantly, how many house parties have strippers besides those thrown by the Duke Lacrosse Team?
City High tries to give a few different perspectives on the complicated life women experience trying to raise a child while putting her troubled past behind her. But the chorus (a women’s perspective) seems to get lost in the judgment and lack of listening skills the verses emphasize. Loni openly admits her suicidal thoughts because she wishes her suffering could end. The narrator promptly ignores her attempts to make it through the day by suggesting she “let go of every excuse.” Smooth, really smooth.
I wish I could have given City High some career advice before they recorded “What Would You Do.” Although this number peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, what happened to them? I guess they are trying to work for a buck.
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