Another year, another woman accusing Trey Songz of intimidation and harassment.
On the podcast No Jumper last week, internet personality Celina Powell was joined by a friend who only identified herself as Aliza. When asked by the host about the “nastiest stuff she’s ever done,” Aliza claimed that a celebrity — later revealed to be Songz — urinated on her without her consent and prevented her from leaving his hotel room.
“He already got mad at me for talking about it,” Aliza said. “But every bitch I talk to about him says the same shit. And he’s psycho — like, he took my phone and my purse away for like a whole day. Held them over the balcony and was like, ‘Bitch, if you try to leave, I’ll drop this shit.’”
Songz’ response?
https://twitter.com/TreySongz/status/1296071242693263365
The singer professes to “stay quiet” when met with such allegations, but the better word here is selective. He also responded to separate claims of domestic violence in 2018 — in both cases accusing his accusers of lying for personal gain. But many other allegations have been met with silence.
That lack of consistency leaves room for doubt. It’s hard not to question why some accusations get more attention from him than others — and why he sounded so sanctimonious for doing the bare minimum to acknowledge the situations. Abs and smiles can only blind but so much, Trigga.
It all exposes the larger problem with Trey Songz’s inconsistent responses to multiple allegations. It’s not a matter of a single “bird” as much as it is a flock — a flock of women who have accused him of some form of misconduct, from intimidation to harassment to outright sexual assault.
If one truly believes in “the movement to fight for the women who actually have suffered harassment and abuse on various levels,” why was his preceding tweet (now deleted) “Y’all stay ready to believe a bird?”
Pro tip for R&B singers: I know how many of you desperately want to mirror rappers — down to their overcompensation and sexism — but don’t lean into that while responding to very serious allegations made by a woman against you.
Songz has a right to his defense, but his poor methodology goes beyond ill-advised name-calling.
In another since-deleted post, he shared another set of screenshots with a clearly visible number seemingly belonging to Aliza. “I brush it off everytime [sic],” he wrote, “but once you have an allegation no matter it’s true weight in validation, it’s now happened once and to some will be believable from that moment forward. None of that happened.”
Songz called back attention to a previous allegation against him to insinuate that this is once again a ploy for money.
“You will choose 2believe what you want,” Songz continued in a separate tweet. “I’ve been focusing my energy and time on good things and I know the Devil wants my soul more now than ever. Ima keep my head high and push forward. If you holdin me down in these moments I preciate that.”
In response, Celina Powell offered her own account of Songz’s actions from April 2019 — noting that she reported him to the police and got a rape kit done, but dropped the charges after she says Songz told her that he would “make it uncomfortable for me to live peacefully.”
It all exposes the larger problem with Trey Songz’s inconsistent responses to multiple allegations. It’s not a matter of a single “bird” as much as it is a flock — a flock of women who have accused him of some form of misconduct, from intimidation to harassment to outright sexual assault.
In 2017, Keke Palmer took to Instagram to blast Songz, whom she considered a friend, and said she felt “sexual intimidation” from Songz and his team to appear in his music video after she had come to what she thought was a house party. Palmer said she resorted to hiding in the closet while she waited for an Uber to pick her up — and Songz still used her likeness without her approval.
“You can’t just do stuff to people,” she said during an appearance on Larry King Now, promising legal action. “No matter who you are.”
King was compassionate, asking neutral questions and letting Palmer explain the nonconsensual aspects of the encounter — that she’d refused to appear in the video three separate times, for example. If only Wendy Williams had done the same. I’ve liked Williams since The Wendy Williams Experience, but in an effort to say it like I mean it, she often doesn’t know when to tuck her own misogyny in: the way she talked about the incident on her show went so badly that Palmer had to gently educate Williams on how not to victim blame.
“I would have loved to turn on your show and [see] you be a little bit more compassionate and less accusatory and ridiculing,” Palmer explained to Williams in a later episode. “We’re telling girls that it’s okay for them to be in weird and awkward and potentially sexually harassing environments, and they should endure it and not say nothing about it.”
What a pity that an older White man managed to treat Keke Palmer and her story with more seriousness and sympathy than another Black woman at the time.
The thing is, as disappointing as Wendy Williams was in this moment, I don’t recall Trey Songz ever saying a damn thing about it. What could be the difference between Palmer and the others? Her own celebrity? Her ability to pull as much, if not more legal muscle to litigate his defense?
Whatever the reason, those lingering questions about those accusations made by Palmer is why her name trended on the same day as his did last week.
Two hours after Songz tweeted in response to Aliza’s accusations, Palmer wrote on Twitter, “Always be strong enough to stand in your truth because guess who got you? God! I love y’all.”
Perhaps one day Trey Songz will respond to Palmer. She deserves it. I doubt she’ll need the lesson from him on how important it is for serious allegations to be respected.
The same can be said of another singer that accused Songz of being aggressive with her. In 2014, Bebe Rexha told a Milwaukee radio station that she had seen Trey Songz at a wedding, and although he had a date, she noticed him watching her throughout the day. Later, Rexha said, Trey Songz pushed her up against a wall and tried to kiss her, saying “let’s do this.”
Let’s also recall Trey Songz’s behavior with Megan Thee Stallion back in 2019 — trying to pour liquor in her mouth, despite her refusal — that rightly made people uncomfortable. Sure would love to hear him call out Tory Lanez right about now. (If, that is, he truly believes in “the movement to fight for the women who actually have suffered harassment and abuse.”)
I, like many fans of the subgenre of rhythm and blues that is Thirst ’n B, appreciate Trey Songz for being pleasing to the ear (and other organs) — but when it comes to multiple accusations, you can’t act high and mighty, and you for damn sure can’t pick and choose when to respond.
For some, perhaps Songz’s response was enough to convince themselves that they can listen to his music in good conscience. Maybe he’s “aggressive” or whatever nonsensical excuse one might make to just body roll through it. I’m less moved over here. I think Trey Songz can do better than these tweets, and based on the masses, so do a lot of the folks who remember the claims of Keke Palmer and others.
God shouldn’t be the only ones who’s got their backs.
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