“Post to Be” by Omarion, the 2014 hit featuring Chris Brown and Jhené Aiko, is a definitive club anthem about a lifestyle of fame, wealth, and romantic entitlement. The song, from Omarion’s album Sex Playlist, features the male artists bragging about their status, which allows them to “poach” other men’s girlfriends. However, the track is most famous for Jhené Aiko’s iconic, show-stealing verse, where she flips the song’s theme and delivers the legendary line, “But he gotta eat the booty like groceries.”
The Core Meaning: “It’s ‘Posed to Be This Way”
At its heart, “Post to Be” is a bold and unapologetic statement of a life lived according to a specific, “rockstar” set of rules. The title itself is a slang spelling of “Supposed to Be.” The entire song is a declaration that the lavish, consequence-free life the artists are describing is their destiny. It’s simply how things are “supposed to be” for them.
The central theme is a celebration of a narcissistic and materialistic worldview. For Omarion and Chris Brown, this means their fame and money (“I’m gettin’ money like I’m ‘posed to be”) act as a magnetic force. They are so successful and desirable that if another man’s girlfriend (“your chick”) comes near them, she is “posed to” leave with them.
It’s a song about “poaching,” but from their perspective, it’s not even a choice. It’s a natural law of the club. Their status means “the hoes go for me,” and “everything good” is just as it’s “posed to be.” The song is a pure, unfiltered brag about their place at the top of the social food chain.
The Sound: The “Mustard on the Beat” Era
“Post to Be” is the absolute quintessential sound of mid-2010s hip-hop and R&B. The track was produced by DJ Mustard, the most dominant producer of that era. His “Mustard on the beat, ho!” tag, which opens the song, was an acoustic signature for a string of massive hits.
The “Mustard” sound, also known as “ratchet music,” is defined by a sparse, bouncy, West Coast-inspired beat. It’s built on a simple synth melody, heavy, booming bass, and crisp, clap-heavy percussion. This sound was designed for one purpose: to dominate clubs and car stereos.
The production of “Post to Be” is a masterclass in this style. It’s impossible to hear the beat and not move. This “feel-good” and high-energy sound is a deliberate, brilliant contrast to the song’s “cold-blooded” lyrical themes of “stealing your girl.”
Furthermore, the song’s underlying groove is not entirely original. It contains a prominent, sped-up sample of the iconic 1993 dancehall classic, “Murder She Wrote” by Chaka Demus & Pliers. This sample is what gives the track its infectious, swaying rhythm, and it roots the song in a classic “party” vibe, making the bragging feel more like a celebration than a threat.
Verse-by-Verse Meaning Analysis
The song is structured as a three-act play, with each artist adding their unique, in-character perspective to the central theme.
Verse 1: Omarion’s “Not My Fault” Brag
Omarion, as the song’s lead artist, sets the scene. His verse is a classic, nonchalant boast. He describes pulling up to the club and making “your girl fall in love” just by showing up.
His attitude is one of detached amusement. He deflects all blame, singing, “It’s not my fault she wanna know me.” He reveals that the girl is the one initiating, telling him that her boyfriend (you) is “just a homie.”
He exposes the lie of the “friendzone” by revealing the girl saved his number as “Bestie” in her phone, but she was secretly with him. This verse establishes the core premise: the artists are so desirable that other men’s partners will lie and scheme just to be with them. His brag is, “It’s not my fault; it’s just ‘posed to be.”
Verse 2: Chris Brown’s “Real” Brag
Chris Brown’s verse takes the energy and arrogance up a notch. He doesn’t just wait for the girl to find him; he has “your girl in my section.” He is actively participating in the seduction.
Brown’s brag is about superiority. He offers a better experience, smoking “loud” (strong weed) and getting her “high like this.” He positions himself as the “real” man she’s been missing.
His main point is that he is an unbeatable “closer.” He boasts that he can “dick her down” in a way her boyfriend can’t. He’s not just a temporary fling; he’s the “replacement.”
The line “Murder she wrote,” a direct nod to the song’s sample, is a double entendre. It references the original song, but here it’s a metaphor for his sexual prowess. He “kills it” in the bedroom. Brown’s verse is a high-energy, “in-your-face” challenge to any man who thinks he can compete.
The Bridge: A “No-Hard-Feelings” Dismissal
The bridge, sung primarily by Chris Brown and Omarion, is the final, cold dismissal of the “victim” (the boyfriend). They explain, almost as a lesson, what just happened.
They sing that “she ’bout to ride out with me / And I don’t even know her name.” This highlights the impersonal, status-driven nature of the encounter. It’s not about love; it’s about winning.
They then mock the boyfriend’s inevitable anger: “She chose up, are you mad or nah? / Bruh, don’t be mad about it.” The final, devastating line is “These chicks be for everybody.” This is a cynical, dismissive worldview that suggests loyalty is fake, and everyone is an “free agent” in the club.
The “Groceries” Line: How Jhené Aiko Stole the Show
Just when the song seems to be a complete, male-dominated brag track, Jhené Aiko’s verse arrives and shatters the entire narrative. Her verse is one of the most iconic and culture-shifting “feature” performances of the 2010s.
Flipping the Script
Jhené immediately flips the song’s premise. The first two verses were about what men could take from women. Her verse is about what a man must give to her.
She raps, “If your dude come close to me / He gon’ want to ride off in a Ghost with me.” She establishes that she, too, has the “rockstar” status. She’s not being “poached”; she’s the one “poaching.”
She then lists her demands. She might let him “chauffeur” her, but he has to “get rid of these hoes” and “might” have to “sell his soul.” She is the one with the power, and the men are the ones who are “hoes” in this scenario.
“But He Gotta Eat the Booty Like Groceries”
This is the line that stopped the world. In the middle of this high-demand, queen-like verse, she drops a line that is simultaneously hilarious, shocking, and profoundly “gangster.”
“But he gotta eat the booty like groceries.”
This line became an instant, global-level meme. It was quoted, debated, and celebrated everywhere. The line is a masterpiece of songwriting for several reasons:
- It’s a Shocking Visual: The metaphor is blunt, funny, and unforgettable.
- It’s a Power Move: It’s an explicit sexual demand, which was (and still is) rare for a female R&B singer to state so confidently and casually on a mainstream hit.
- It Rhymes: As Jhené herself later explained, she was trying to find a rhyme for “‘posed to be.” The “groceries” line was a perfect, if-off-the-wall, fit.
- It’s a Meme-able Catchphrase: The line is catchy, easy to repeat, and inherently comedic.
In a song where two men are bragging about their “power,” Jhené Aiko redefined power in a single, graphic command. She wasn’t just participating in their song; she took it over and made it her own.
The Origin of “Groceries”
Jhené Aiko has been very open about the line’s origin. In interviews, she confirmed it was not some deep, poetic metaphor. It was meant to be funny and memorable.
She was inspired by the viral Vines of rapper Kevin Gates, who had a popular catchphrase at the time: “You ‘posed to eat the booty.”
Since the song was titled “Post to Be” (sounding like “‘Posed to Be”), Jhené saw a perfect opportunity to insert this pop-culture reference. She sat down with her co-writer and said, “Whatever we say, I really want to say something about eating the booty.” The line “groceries” just happened to be the perfect rhyme.
Years later, Jhené humorously clarified that, despite writing the iconic line, she personally does not enjoy the act. This only adds to the legend of the verse: she wrote the ultimate anthem for something she didn’t even like, simply because she knew it was a powerful, funny, and undeniable line.
The Sex Playlist Album Context
“Post to Be” was the second single from Omarion’s fourth album, Sex Playlist. While the album’s title suggests a record full of “slow jams,” it was actually a varied project exploring different sides of R&B.
Unlike the rest of the album, which featured more traditional, seductive R&B, “Post to Be” was the album’s lone, explosive “club banger.” It was designed from the ground up to be a radio-friendly, mainstream smash hit.
It was a massive comeback for Omarion, who hadn’t had a hit of this magnitude in years. The song was a commercial juggernaut, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being certified multi-platinum. Its success was a perfect storm: a reunited R&B star, the hottest producer, a mega-star feature in Chris Brown, and a career-defining, viral verse from Jhené Aiko.
Conclusion: A Perfect, Three-Headed Monster
“Post to Be” is a time capsule of 2014. It is the perfect distillation of the “Mustard” era of music, a flawless club track that balances male bravado with a game-changing female response.
While the song’s meaning is a straightforward celebration of a shallow, “rockstar” lifestyle, its legacy is so much more. It’s a song of three distinct parts:
- Omarion’s smooth, “comeback” setup.
- Chris Brown’s high-energy, “superstar” confirmation.
- Jhené Aiko’s legendary, narrative-stealing “groceries” line.
It’s a rare song where every single artist delivered a memorable performance, but it will forever be remembered as the song that proved Jhené Aiko was a lyrical “assassin” and made “eating the booty like groceries” a permanent part of the pop-culture dictionary.