R. Kelly's I'm a Flirt (Remix): Lyrical, Tonal, and Historiological Analysis of Hermaneutics Presented in the Work Heretofore

[Chorus: R. Kelly]
(i'm a, i'm a, i'm a, i'm a) flirt
Soon as i see her walk up in the club (i'm a flirt)
Winkin eyes at me, when i roll up on
them dubs (i'm a flirt)

R. Kelly nee Robert Sylvester Kelly introduces the listener to his first single off of Double Up--a simple conceptual album dealing with various taxonomies within the duality of human nature viz. aestheticism, Apollonian ideals vs. Dionysian temptations, battling solipsism between the left and right brain hemispheres--by the repetition of a simple declaration of self. Such declaration is thus segued into a serio-comic first-person limited narrative involving a woman Kelly sees entering a late-night establishment (whether or not this is a french discotheque, member's-only social spot a la a grange hall, or simply a local watering hole is yet to be determined).

Kelly implies that the woman 'winks' her eye--a motif that is further explored in this tragio-comedic allegory--at him as he then arrives at this social gathering center in an automobile outfitted with large wheel rims generally associated with the wealth and social prestige of a young, African-American male. Via the repition of the titular refrain I'm a Flirt, Kelly also sets up a sort of subliminal contextualization for the remainder of the song.

Sometimes when i'm with my chick
on the low (i'm a flirt)
And when she's wit her man lookin at
me, damn right (i'm a flirt)
So homie don't bring your girl to
meet me cuz (i'm a flirt)
And baby don't bring your girlfriend
to eat cuz (i'm a flirt)
Please believe it, unless your game
is tight and u trust her
Then don't bring her around me cuz (i'm a flirt)

In order to intially establish himself as a fidelous yet hyper-sexualized alpha-male, Kelly continues to embellish the chorus with a melange of character messages and altruistic warnings. He first acknowledge's that when he is in a relationship with a partner, he is still always in a flirtatious mode. Or perhaps when he's in a secret affair with a woman he's still willing to flirt with her across the dance floor. This line's ambiguation provides a great leaping off point for the creation of a relatable character that satisfies all lyrically-critical demographics; almost no rationally-minded person can see the harm in "flirting" in general, since the phraseology implies an almost innocent nature. On the other hand, those who are able to read into the hyper-sexualized subtext of the crooning and libidinous delivery can agree with the dog-eat-dog nature of hypersexualized alpha-males and the susceptibility of unnattended females to their predation. The brilliance of his sexual-lothario delivery versus his somewhat intially benign lyrical content ties back into his established dualism (hence Double Up)

[Verse 1: R. Kelly]
Now swear to tell the truth
And the whole truth
When it comes to hoes i be pimpin like i supposed to
Rollin like i supposed to
Shinin like i supposed to
In the club, fuckin wit honeys like i supposed to
I don't understand it when a nigga
bring his girlfriend to club
Freakin all on the floor wit his
girlfriend in the club
And wonderin why all these playas
tryin to holla at her
Just soon as she go to the bathroom,*
nigga i'm gon holla at her

Kelly continues to perpetuate his love-struck altar boy/sexual predator dual-character in the first verse by making an initial declaration of sincerity, thus vulnerably opening himself up for criticism of his sexual-creep self while simultaneously gauzing himself with a sheen of human-like purity. This is where the narrative gets meta. Despite intially coming off a little soft and apologetic for his carousing ways, he then reclaims his identity and self by implying that it is merely his Hobbesian state of nature that impels him to fulfill his role as a lust-driven, sexual being. Kelly then changes the tone from a debate of nature-vs-nurture to a lamentable screed regarding men who tote along their partners to the club, even when it is obvious that every male in the vacinity who is either R. Kelly or is like R. Kelly will immediately pounce on her with ferocious intensity given the fraction-of-a-second window of opportunity.

*It is unclear whether Kelly uses the opportune chance of the disparition of a female to the restroom facilities to approach her en route to the commode or while she is physically inside the restroom stalls (a scenario that seems ridiculous, but would probably make sense in Kelly's mind)

A dog on the prowl when i'm walkin through the mall
If i could man i probably would
flirt wit all of y'all
Yeah, yeah homie u say she yo girlfriend
But when i step up to her i'ma be
like, "cousin"*
Believe me man, this is how them
playas do it in the chi
And plus we got them playerette flirters in the chi
Now the moral of the story is cuff yo bitch**
Cuz hey i'm black, handsome, i sing plus
i'm rich and (i'm a flirt)

At this point, Kelly visually changes the scenario to another place where "flirting" runs historically and sociologically deep and rampant: the shopping mall. In this virtual mating-ground environment, Kelly issues the same litany of warnings to all men who are in committed relationships: you would be wise to monitor your girlfriend at all moments, because given the chance, Kelly's ultra-dense exudation of charm and charisma will inexorably draw her away from you and your special date and into his bedroom with fur rugs, rotating beds with thousand-count egyptian cotton sheets, and ceiling of mirrors that makes Versailles look laughable.

Kelly penultimately end's the verse with a broad assumption of the techniques of co-fraternization and socialization employed in Chicago, Ill. While many famous sociological surveys and epochal events of historio-sociology have occured within the confines of Chicago (IE limnal ethnic zonation, the whole 'Chicago School'), no definitive work has yet been released vis-a-vis the interrelationary modality of co-sexual habits of pursuit in the area. Despite lacking clear empirical data to support his claim, Kelly's forceful assertion seems enough to himself to suffice for ibid evidence.

Kelly's conclusion bookends his allegorical tale with the staple of all classic fables: a clearly disambiguous moral that was previously stated somewhat ambiguously (though we all probably could tell): keep your girlfriend/life-partner/romantic-interest/daughter/female co-worker away from me unless you strongly wish for me to have sex with her. In order to reinforce his statement, Kelly posits the logic that he has a quartet of desirable attributes, thus you should heed to the thesis of his narrative (that he will flirt with your girlfriend and sexually overpower her).

*Note: The line "be like 'cousin'" can be interpreted multiple ways, and given Kelly's (allegedly) sordid past with having sex with everyone ranging from a 14 year old girl on camera to the underage rapper Aaliya, it might even imply he is looking for a young girl who he shares an almost familial kinship with. Let it also be noted these are not the official lyrics, and other lyric based sites have Kelly quoted as singing everything from 'be like Tarzan' to 'see my buzz pan'.

**Note: Kelly may not be purporting to physically restrain your significant other in handcuffs versus the more likely hip-hop vernacular of 'cuffing' someone or 'putting a metaphorical restraint' upon someone, but he certainly seems to think the former might be necessary around him.

(i'm a, i'm a, i'm a, i'm a)

Segue into rapper T.I.'s verse, which is not relevant to the dissertation.

[T.I. Speaking. General male braggadocio and ad hominem towards anyone in a loving, committed relationship that is keeping the overall single female pool from being at a less than desirable watermark]

Segue into singer T-pain's verse, which is not relevant to the dissertation.

[T-Pain. Auto-tuned but generally unintelligible narrative about falling in love with strippers and flirting with them regardless of their geographic location]


[Chorus Repeat]

[Verse 4: R. Kelly]
It's the remix
Now if u walk up in the club
Wit a bad chick
And she lookin at me
Then i'm gon hit
Man jackin for chicks
I tried to quit
But i'm playa homie
So i had to hit
While u buyin her drinks (in the club)
Actin like u (in love)
Stuntin like u (all thug)
We was (switchin numbers)

As the song nears the four minute mark, Kelly reminds the listeners that they are listening to a remixed version of the song, so, there's more where that came from. Kelly basically re-hammers his initial thesis, while also going back to the examination of his fundamental struggle with his predatory human nature.

She lookin at u when i walk by
U turn yo head, she wink her eye
I can't help if she checkin for
a platinum type of guy
She be callin me daddy, and i be callin her mommy
She be callin u kelly, when yo name is tommy
I don't know what yall be thinkin
When u bring em round me (mane)
Let me remind u that i am the king of r&b (mane)
Do u know what that means
That means if u love yo chick
Don't bring her to the vip
Cuz i might leave wit yo chick
Just keepin it real my nigga
It's a playa's feel my nigga
Don't take no bitch to the club when
u just met her my nigga*
Cuz i'm flirt wit her (right)
He gon flirt wit her (right)
And if she lickin dat good shyt
She gon flirt wit em

The end is lyrically superfluous, as Kelly has sufficiently exposited his thesis, provided excellent and verifiable evidence to suport it, and done a sound job of safely landing his narrative parabolic trajectory. The last verse is also is a bit fast and confusing, especially towards the end when the thesis comes dangerously close to unravelling: Kelly starts referring, perhaps in an addled state of paranoia, to everyone flirting with everyone and no one staying faithful or monogamous with their partners, thus ending on a surprisingly grim assessment of the real possibility of true love and fidelity in a modern, hyper-sexualized society.

*While this is actually a new idea to the song, and perhaps a thrown in afterthought, it can still be seen as kind of lyrically superfluous since it seems like a huge social faux pas that even the most dunderheaded would likely avoid at all costs.

[Chorus: R. Kelly]