R&B Singer Raheem Devaughn Joins Battle of Sexes

Guys shook their heads with disapproving faces; some grumbled. One guy shouted: “There is no such thing as an emotional relationship, so how is it considered cheating?” Women in the room enthusiastically argued the opposite, loudly assuring that the panel discussion titled “Battle of the Sexes: The Industry Edition” lived up to the name.
 

The purpose of the event at Howard University’s Blackburn Gallery Lounge was to generate discourse on some of the dos and don’ts for relationships, sex and workplace conduct in the entertainment industry. The event was sponsored by WHBC, a student-run radio station.

On the panel were professionals in the marketing, radio, music, public relations and television industry and Grammy-nominated R&B singer Raheem Devaugn. The panel gave male and female perspectives on a variety of topics including the aftermath of performing sexual favors to get to the top in the industry. While many students associated this topic with women having sex with male executives to gain success, the conversation took an interesting turn when some panelists said it is not uncommon for male industry executives to proposition male employees for sexual favors.

Women on the panel also discussed the difficulties of being respected based on one’s merit and not by appearance.

“Chivalry isn’t dead,” said Danella, co-host of the Big Tigger Morning Show and an on-air personality for WPGC-FM. ‘You live in the world you create. Create a world of respect. You’re never going to get what your worth just because. You get what you negotiate. Value yourself enough to negotiate and place yourself on a pedestal.”

Other topics involved what constitutes cheating in a relationship, the importance of setting boundaries in any relationship and why “ugly” women are often in relationships with attractive men.

Davaughn, a soulful R&B artist who prides himself on making a conscious decision not to degrade women in his music, chimed in on many issues but went into great detail about the topic of “ugly” women in relationships. He said that what one person may find unattractive another may find beautiful. He also emphasized the importance of inner beauty and confidence.

Having worked in the industry with celebrities such as Trey Songz, T-Pain, 50 Cent, Fergie, the Black Eyed Peas and Jamie Foxx, all of the panelists understood what it is like to work in the entertainment industry and what is expected as a professional.

The subject of promiscuity led to a gender-specific division on the panel and in the audience. “Once a ho always a ho,” said a woman on the panel. “It’s never too late to ‘de-ho yourself’ and become the woman you want to be, said one of the male panelists, drawing laughter from men and women.

The idea of respecting yourself in any career, and valuing yourself in life was a recurring theme. “We need to create our own realities”, said Tiffany Turner of Modern Marketing, which caters to many celebrities. “Be mindful of the circles you keep, and recognize the need for order and structure in our lives.”

Sean Jones, a senior Audio Production major, found the program useful. “I respected the discussion because everyone kept it 100,” Jones said. “The topics we talked about were things that everybody needed to hear and needed to be discussed and what better place than school to discuss them.”

Alex Holt, a junior Broadcast Journalism major shared similar feelings. “I appreciate events like this because they make people generate discussion about things that need to be talked about. I feel like the older panelists had a little more wisdom to share that we needed to hear because they are a different generation.”