 Cater 2 U  is a four @-@ minute long R & B ballad . In her book American Music , Nicolae Sfetcu found influences of quiet storm in the song 's composition . According to the sheet music published on the website Musicnotes.com by Sony / ATV Music Publishing , " Cater 2 U " was composed using common time in the key of D major with a slow tempo of 63 beats per minute . The vocal elements span from A3 to B4 . Instrumentally it consist of silky synthesizers " slink [ ing ] and slurp [ ing ] " throughout , creating a seductive feel as stated by Dimitri Ehlrich of Vibe and writers of Billboard magazine . As the song progress , it build to a symphonic crescendo .