In April, we published our first installment of R&B songs that teach you life lessons. After receiving a great response from our readers, we’ve decided to release the second installment of ten R&B songs that will teach us a lesson in life.
Again, it was hard to narrow down to ten but hopefully you learn a lesson or two with each song and use it throughout your everyday lives.
Estelle – “Thank You”
Life Lesson: As we begin to date, finding the right one who isn’t going to hurt or cheat on us is often like picking a needle out a haystack. Nonetheless, be able to understand the difference between being loved and being hurt. Know when to close the door behind you and never look back. Looking forward is a sign of growth and maturity.
“One thing I learned in life, that is / Gotta be ready to sacrifice to survive”
Joe – “Don’t Wanna Be A Player”
Life Lesson: Being the ladies’ man for many single bachelors is their freaky fantasy. However, after the night of passion and she leaves, your bed is still as empty as your heart. Learn when to trade in your wild oats and settle down with someone who loves you for less than the physical and more for the emotional and spiritual. Don’t end up over 40 years old still searching for love on POF.com. Be the one with a wife and a family already, who doesn’t have to search for love that’s already at home.
“I had enough of running wild / I’m switching out my whole lifestyle / I don’t wanna live the way I used to”
Alicia Keys – “Karma”
Life Lesson: In life, we will encounter at least one individual who we think we love as either a significant other or as a friend. For unknown reasons, they hurt us without warning and without an afterthought of their misdoings. You find yourself bumping into that person years later. While you’re living life lovely, they’re down on their luck. Don’t be alarmed – it’s just karma finding its way back. Never believe you can mistreat someone without expecting it not find its way back to you.
“What goes around comes around / What goes up must come down”
Brian McKnight – “Win”
Life Lesson: At times, people can be the energy vampire, sucking the positivity from us, leaving us feeling with less ambition and less courage to accomplish our goals and dreams. Keeping pressing forward – no matter what. Of course, it’s rough when the thought of “I can’t” clouds your mind but fire back twice as hard with the words of “I can.” Let “I can” overpower and out shadow any negative energy. We all have destiny’s to fulfill in life; be able to complete yours without any outside interference.
“Never lose hope/never lose faith / There’s much too much at stake / Upon myself I must depend”
Erykah Badu – “Appletree”
Life Lesson: It seems like everyone wants to always add their two cents to your .98 cent called a life. “You shouldn’t be dating this person, or you should be friends with this person.” It just never ends. However, the more you experience life and mature, your decision-making shouldn’t so much be based on what others think but more on what you believe you should do for yourself. As soon as that becomes clear, the easier life will be for you.
“Don’t waste my time trying ta get what you got / I work at pleasin’ me cause I can’t please you / And that’s why I do what I do”
Musiq Soulchild – “Dontchange”
Life Lesson: Growing older is sometimes a blessing to some and a curse for many. Curses range from gaining a few pounds, finding a gray hair or two, or even experiencing wrinkles in your once-flawless facial surface. These minor issues can cause us to think of ourselves as less desirable to those we encounter on a daily basis. However, having friends, family members, co-workers, or even a significant other who accept things about ourselves is always a relief.
All in all, be able to embrace the new phase in your life and don’t let your outer appearance be diminished by what society or the little voice in your head thinks.
“Cause I’m not impressed, more or less / By them girls in the T.V. and magazines / Cause honestly I believe that your beauty is way more than skin deep.”
Monica ft. Ludacris – “Still Standing”
Life Lesson: From losing your job to dealing with racism or having your name slandered, life can sometimes be too much to handle. Although the light at the end of the tunnel may seem dim, it’s nothing like proving to people and yourself that you can withstand any type of obstacle that may be thrown your way. With an ounce of faith and a little courage, you can weather the highs and lows that we all face every day. Keep living and keep standing.
“I had a lover take his own in front of me / I asked God, why is this happening to me? / But I didn’t fold, I held my own”
New Edition – “Boys To Men”
Life Lesson: “I’m a man” is a phrase that’s thrown around more than it should. Many of the men that often recite this overused idea are doing the opposite, such as having sex with multiple women, living with their mother, and rely on the streets to take care of themself. Those characteristics don’t make a man, it makes a boy who struggles to find his identity as a man.
A man is a role model who displays self-control and responsibility. They question authority while fighting for equal rights for themselves, their families, and their communities. Men show humility and strength. They also don’t exhibit love through tangible things but with their actions.
“Keep on learning/keep on growing / ‘Cause wisdom helps us understand / We’re maturing / Without knowing / These are the things that change boys to men”
Toni Braxton – “Just Be A Man About It”
Life Lesson: Wouldn’t it be sweet if men came with a warning label, stating all the precautions before we gave them our phone numbers? For instance, if you aren’t looking for love, be clear about your intentions well in advance. If you know there is a strong possibility you’re going to cheat, let us know, so our heart doesn’t undergo an unanticipated heartbreak. It all boils down to this: quit playing puppet master who toys with someone’s emotions when you know this isn’t who you want anymore.
“Just be a man about it / If you wanna leave go on / Just be a man about it / Come and grab your things and go on”
Anthony Hamilton – “Life Has A Way”
Life Lesson: Picture this: A homeless man never received help from anyone but one day wins the lottery for two million. He spends it on fast cars, loose women and anything he laid his eyes on. Never once was he thankful for receiving the newfound life. He bragged to everyone around town about how rich he was and how he can do anything he wanted. Two months later, he is struck with a life-threatening illness and didn’t have any money to pay his medical expenses.
The moral of the story is: Always remember to give thanks and be appreciative of any tangible or intangible gifts given to you. It can be within the blink of an eye that life can break you down a size, having you wonder “What I could have done differently?”
“Life had a way of knocking me around / And my children still look up to me / While their stomachs on empty / Oh I need an angel to fall on me now”
