R&B is on a respirator. Once a celebrated genre that has given the music industry some of its most praised acts (see: Luther, Whitney, Aretha, Marvin), the musical styling has unquestionably lost its identity to Hip-Hop and now Electro-Pop.
The question at hand: is R&B (as a commercially viable force) on its last breath or is revival in its future? In a three part series, That Grape Juice will analyze three sectors of the fallen genre: ladies (songstresses), males (crooners), and groups (both male and female) to determine if resurrection is in its future or if it will find permanent rest in the history books.
As always, ladies first…
Turning the dial (or Youtube search engine) back 20 years to see the plethora of female R&B acts dominating the radios and Pop charts is a stinging reminder of a time when the industry thrived on variety. From crossover acts such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson, to up-and-comers Mary J. Blige and Toni Braxton (just to name a few), there was no shortage of R&B estrogen on the airwaves or charts. Not to mention such classic, yet then-active artists like Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, and Gladys Knight.
However, as Hip-Hop/R&B fusions became more of a constant (which some attribute to artists like Carey and Mary J. Blige), the junior generation of R&B diva emerged in the form of the Aaliyah’s, Brandy’s, Monica’s, and eventually Ashanti’s. Then, of course, you had that brand of 90s R&B diva (Faith Evans, Tamia, Deborah Cox and Kelly Price) who lacked crossover appeal, yet were still relevant – even if just appealing to a small niche.
But, as the 2000s rolled on and Hip-Hop was becoming the driving force of the music industry, ballads and slow jams were losing steam on the charts, and Hip-Hop was surely killing the R&B star. And while many of the time period marked Alicia Keys as a ‘savior of R&B’, she was one of very few pure R&B females who was granted relevancy in an increasingly convoluted music world. Interestingly, though Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey (who by 2005 were considered veterans) were seeing some of the best numbers of their careers, the genre’s overall shortcomings were inescapable.
Then, as the Beyonce’s and the Rihanna’s of the music world began to dominate charts by willingly trading in their R&B humbling’s for Pop’ier hits, the 90s divas of yester-year who refused to succumb to the change found themselves succumbing to irrelevancy. Even those who once showed promise in the early 2000s (Amerie, Tweet, and co) were finding themselves lost in the fray. Suffice it to say, the industry at large began to suffer (see: illegal downloading, cd leaks), yet R&B’s former leading ladies seemed to fall victim most (Brandy, Monica, Mya, and eventually Ashanti).
Fast forward to 2011. Where is R&B female? Even with hints of recent reigniting of public interest (i.e. Fantasia’s ‘Back To Me’, Monica’s ‘Still Standing’), they alone are not enough to indicate a resurgence. And, even with notable record sales (given the current musical climate), those sales are marginal at best comparatively.
Record sales aside, the presence of R&B females on the Hot 100 chart recently is rarely without rapper accompaniment. There is a new class of R&B divas, however. While not reporting record-breaking numbers, the Keri Hilson’s, Kelly Rowland’s, Jennifer Hudson’s, and co. are definitely making noise. But, is it enough to resurrect the fallen genre? Or will R&B eventually rest in peace?
4 is a good start.
I don’t think that R&B will die because there will always be people like me who don’t like most of the songs in the top 10 on the Hot 100 (because it sounds like it should be on heavy rotation in a gay club). But Even though people like Beyonce do do pop songs you can still here the R&B and Soul in almost everything they do……..
I like R&B but I like Pop,Rock, Europop, Synthpop, Electronic, Hard Rock,and Soft Rock more better !
Ohh, I like this…it is very true because rnb used to be the stuff now all the rnb artists are either doing pop e.g ne-yo….kelly rowland, rihanna and somewhat chris brown
or their making boring…..generic music…. e.g monica, jennifer hudson, keri hilson, ciara and more…..
You can not compare them to whitney or brandy in the 90’s…….and moree
I think these artists firstly need to learn what RNB actually stands for and do their research of the music…..
So glad the articles are BACK!
Between TGJ TV, the splash, the articles, and TGJ.net…it looks like That Grape Juice is running the blogging world. U guys are setting new levels.
As for the topic, I do feel R&B has been on life support. And it’s sad. Despite changing and merging, Pop, Electro, and Dance have clung on to much of their original form. Why must it be Black music, however, that seems to have been losing its core essence at such a drastic rate? And before anyone denies it, the proof is in the pudding. The Billboard Pop and Dance charts (separate from the R&B/Hip-Hop chart) is much more profitable than the Urban charts.
I’m wishing the old saying about things coming around in cycles proves true. It’d be sad to see such a qualitatively rich genre left to rot on the roadside, while trash keeps topping the charts.
Yeah I agree with the first poster, it seems that Beyonce is trying to put r&b back in the spotlght with her latest album “4”.
Kelly Rowland has been doing mostly dance pop lately, besides “Motivation”. And by no way is she a new class of divas.
I think r&b can make a comeback there just has to be some renavation. IN the 90s R&B was more experimental. You had Erykah Badu or L Boog if u wanted something positive for the comunity, there was MAry when u wanted to hear about heartbrreak& love, there was Whitney & Mariah if you wanted to hear a nice power ballad.
Nowadays R&B is the same ol’ poppin bottles in the club and no one is really feeling it. R&B needs to become more diverse again.
Thats why even though people bash BET and things like that they are the only ones really checkin for the R&B singer……..
I believe resuscitation is possible. That’s why I haven’t gave up hope on acts like Mary J, Monica, Keri Hilson, Trey Songs (which I reluctantly say) Chris Brown, Melanie Fiona, Alisha Keys, Kelly Rowland, Tank and others… It’s acts like those that keep the R&B juice pumping. I will say that with Beyonces latest CD, she did offer more R&B cuts than usual, so that’s always a plus as well. Even the negative remarks regarding her CD was a result of what real R&B means to people these days. It’s slowly dying, but the hope is still present.
Ciara signed new record deal with Epic Records! Check out the story- JuicyBS.com
R&B will obviously never go “extinct”. It’ll always be around, relevant or not. Country’s been here forever, without having any pure Country artists in the mainstream eye. R&B will always be one of the greatest genre’s in music.
Beyonce’s new album, 4, is a great example of R&B fighting it’s way back into the forefront. Bey’s new album finding commercial success could very ignite a resurgence of the genre. There’s plenty of R&B females waiting to make their mark. It’s just people refuse to support them. They’ll download the music, but won’t buy it. That’s why they need radio. If Beyonce can get songs like 1+1, I Care, Party & Start Over to smash on the radio, they might start playing more R&B. Same goes for Adele, Kelly, and Alicia. They all still have some relevancy & could very well lead the new wave of R&B stars. Reopening doors for Monica, Brandy & Keyshia Cole.
It’s all a matter of how bad the fans want the genre back. All we have to do is SUPPORT, SUPPORT, SUPPORT!
R&B Forever.
Its sad to know r&b.. REAL R&B. Is at its low. But like it or not. People are trying to bring it back.. im surprised to hear beyonces 4 album. I thought its was another dance album. Schoolin life and dance 4u is my s***.. and Monicas Still Standing was a good cd. She should’ve released more than 2 singles. Awaits for NewLife on Oct4
Lady Gaga egged outside nightclub In Sydney.
TGJ Why dont you post this on your blog?
Hummmmm …. B****
I believe that Beyonce is kinda helping to bring R&B back into the main stream with 4. To me thats why most of the teeny boppers and just the big pop heads don’t like this album. Because its too R&B for them.
I don’t believe that R&B has died or that it is dying but there are less and less ballads that are hitting the charts. I am a lover of R&B music and there is of course a change since the 90’s in R&B but i think it has just evolved. Now I believe that there is no one genre in music dominating the charts. Artist are rocking out to Rock music, pop music, R&B etc…. Artist are not being held in only one genre anymore… Artist also want to branch out more into other areas of music which is why R&B is no longer a focus but it is a part of a group of other music.
*very well
There’s always going to be artists sticking go true R&B like Ledesi, Eric Benet, Monica, Fantasia, and so on but R&B is not going to be at the top of the charts right not unless it’s infused with Pop, dance or hip hop. The days of true R&B ruling the hot 100 aren’t impossible, music just goes through fazes now a days and R&B is not what’s popular. Maybe In the next 10 years it will remergerce as popular but not now….
And sorry I’m a Bey Stan but she’s not bringing back that true R&B she’s been R&B/pop since Destinys Child second album.
First, R&B won’t die. It has had such a HUGE influence over many decades and has influenced many other genres. Also, R&B music currently exists. In the past year alone, We’ve had Erykah Badu, Fantasia, JHud, Jazmine Sullivan, Keri, Chrisette Michelle, Keyshia, Marsha Ambrosius, Ledisi, and other female acts to release stellar music. The problem is, no one (ie. mainstream audience) is interested for whatever reasons. One problem is promotion. Due to the huge emergence of housewives, baby mothers, and pregnant teenage whores occupying traditional “music stations”, artists don’t have platforms to promote themselves on television as in previous years. Like, when was the last time you’ve seen an R&B (non-mainstream) video on TV? But then again, there is the internet world (blogs, YT, etc.) where they can at least shine light on their current and prospective projects. Another problem is lack of public interest. Many of the less so called ‘underground’ or ‘irrelevant’ acts don’t appeal to the masses as in previous decades. Maybe that’s due to the fact that they can’t dance, dye their hair different colors every album, or cause controversy. Now is the time of trendy music, which I don’t see lasting much longer. I’m glad artists like Bey have not followed such trends and went back to the basics of pure vocals and musicality. Hopefully more R&B artists can share the musical platform that their pop counterparts hold. R&B like other genres such as Country won’t die. Another thing… producers, songwriters, and artists should be more original, creative, and inspiring. The artists, labels, fans just have to put the music out there for the commercial success and pure musical enjoyment.
R&B it`s okay !
But I like Pop, Rock, Hard Rock, Soft Rock, Electronic, Europop, Synthpop, more better than R&B seems a little bit boring !
@V
.Love On Top, 1+1, I Care, & Rather Die Young, Dance For You, Lay Up Under Me & Start Over are all pure forms of R&B from her new album.
R&B is going to be supported mainly by your 70s, 80s, 90s generation….The whole music genre now, the dance craze is going to go on for a bit until a new evolution of music is created.
But R&B is doing fine now with Usher, Trey Songz, Lloyd, Beyonce, Keri Hilson, Kelly Rowland, Marsha Ambrosius making a splash
I agree with the first commentor ‘4’ is a good start.
The success of beyonce’s album will probably help the genre to rebirth.
If the radio play her R&Bsongs then maybe,Amerie,Ashanti will got a chance
@V
There is nothing Pop about “4”, but Best Thing I Never Had. She is helping R&B make it’s way back on the radio.
MONICA. FANTASIA. JENNIFER HUDSON. JAZMINE SULLIVAN.. is r&b. And people dislike them because they stayed r&b
BEYONCE’s album 4 is a risk and this article shows this fact ! that’s a true artist ! i did not know RIHANNA is R&B ?! she’s pop i think !!
ASHANTI , AMERIE …….. GURLS #BYE !
MONICA , FANTASIA !! BRINGING BACK THE VIBE OF REAL R&B !
MC, JANET , WHITNEY —–> LEGENDS !
ERYKAH BADU —> SHE’S MOSTLY SOUL !!!!!!!!
Rihanna was Pop from the beginning. She’s never been R&B. Sam was just trying to throw shade.
@jusnot4m33
Ermmm, I think you have got that one wrong….alot of people dislike them because their MUSIC IS BORING….THEY ARE THE ONES KILLING RNB BECAUSE OF THEIR DROP DEAD BORING MUSIC….
I am a huge fan of rnb music in the 70’s, 80’s even though I wasn’t born then 90’s and early 2000’s but Those artists are boring….Jennifer has a good first album and I love her in dream girls but they have great voices like whitney and mariah why don’t they make good rnb songs….
They need to listen to i will always love you and i have nothing and compare that to their songs….
even monica how could I compare her lame album to her feature with brandy on the boy is mine….amazing song…..I ask with the publicity monica got from that song why she didn’t make it….coz her music is boring…
I think RnB is hard to bring back at this point because it’s a smaller category which is directed to less people. Nowadays artists are looking to sell to all audiences, because of lack buying in the music industry. They go pop to get that general POP crowd just for decent album sales. Thing with that is- no one makes classic albums anymore. It’s almost the same thing with hip hop.
Let’s just be real …MONICA is one of thee only artist really stayin true R&b…not to forget FANTASIA…and TREy..and the king himself RKELLY… there is hope!!! Let’s support them instead of chasing trends!! I am buying monicas new album….because outside of her counterparts..see: tamia, brandy, kelly p, faith… She is still blazing charts and selling records!! Still STANDING IS A CLASSIC!! one of the few great R&b albums in nearly 5 years! That album will gain it’s respect …just like BEYONCE “4” and Trey “ready” …ppl will appreciate them in the long run!!
I feel that if you listen to what R&B female, male & group music you listen to what they are putting out there it all sound the same that they are playing easy with a songs that are easy hit or album tracks that it, you can’t here any kind of musical influence in there music it all quick hits, Monica music as much as I love her songs sound the same. I can say the same thing about fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, tearria mari, even keri hilson.
I feel jasmine Sullivan was the exception because I could see a bright future for her but she left the game.
Kelly Rowland has always been pop R&B cross over if you listen to her first album you could always hear that in her albums also her idol is Sade.
ciara was on the right track with her second album because you could hear she was influence by 90 new jack swing & Janet Jackson but then she gave into the mainstream pressure of being a crossover pop singer & has suffered ever since.
I feel if you listen to Janelle Mona, Teedra Moses, Jill Scott, Corinne bailey rea
You can her musical influences in their music & that what make there music stand out. That the issue we are having with R&B everyone wants a quick hit that sound ok but is quickly forgotten. 90’s R&B was all about mixing the old sound of the 60s-70’s-early 80s & making it sound new & relevant. Even if electro pop is the in sounds now that dose not mean you just copy the sound everyone else is doing you listen to old skool electro pop & make it contemporary.
Every R&B singer want to be beyonce or rihanna so the will keep copying them.
We are in the copycat stage of music that the problem that will happen when the music industry is mostly money driven.
It up to us the fans to support true artists out there & use word or mouth to promote them into the mainstream.
rihanna’s first 2 albums were rnb and abit of reggae…
New Jack Swing, Hip Hop Soul, Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B, Traditional R&B… crazy diversity in R&B in the 90s. That is what R&B music is missing right now. It is so one dimensional now.
Well didnt Pop came from R&B!
FAT FLOP
@greatness please get out of here! Monica made it back in 95 Sweety!! And she is still making it..check her last records “Everything to me” #1 on R&b and “Love all over me” #2…catch up..theres nothing boring about her music..it’s good for the soul..it’s real life music..sorry she doesn’t give u much to shake your ass in the club with..she makes music for ur heart! GROW UP!! she never ever wanted to big like Beyonce..whitney..nor rihanna or gaga..she just wanted to sing..and touch at least one heart!! And that’s what music was all about..not about endorsements..who sold the most records or who could help u shake ur ass the hardest!! Sweetie musicians started off with different intentions!
I feel like after reading half of these comments that its all redundant, when blogs likes this and countless others along with people out there sit here and try to give credit where it isn’t due or justly placed. I noticed that Letoya (whose Lady Love album was strickly R&B and a bomb album i might add) was ignored by a lot of these Blog sites because it was too slow or they weren’t feeling her. Becuase lets face it if you aren’t a famous face or someone making money you all (not everyone); the public and the media (these blog sites wheter you know it or not) ignore it and then you wonder why R&B ISN’T present. Not only Letoya but Ledisi, Maxwell, Donnel Jones, Eric Benet, Erycah Badu, Miguel, Jasmine Sullivan Cee lo, Keyshia Cole and a host of other real R&B artist that came out with solid material that was ignored by blogesphere and public went unnoticed.
This was obviously not all left up to the public as many of these labels are at fault big-time as they seem to not know how to handle a project helmed by R&b artist anymore or are clearly sabotaging their acts and we all know promotion is key but to sit here and questions something in which your blog and people themselves help to perpetuate somewhat then i cant co-sign with 100% because i’ve seen the treatment that “R&B” artist have been getting lately and if your not Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, or some1 cumin out the gate going Plat… Then people call you a failure its not fair
And to give Beyonce this credit for somewhat reviving R&b is funny when two years ago when she was on her Sasha Fierce stuff a lot of her fans were saying why would she do R&B… shes on the bigger and better things which made me sit back and think 4real…
I don’t know jus somethin to think about Start lookin at the Man In the Mirror and make that Change you wish to see in the world…Peace and God Bless
@jamir21 yes most music derived from blues…which is the original form of R&b!
Rihanna did come out with R&b appeal but it also had pop potential..I don’t discredit Rihanna at all for her success becuz she always had pop intentions!! But now there is nothing R&b about her except her song “skin”
Excuse me thatgrapejuice why isn’t that i cannot post my comment
r&b will never never die..its just some people change their sound to get that pop audience..thats why im glad beyonce release 4 it has r&b written all over it and for it to be a success AMAZING..other artist to alicia keys,mary j blige,jennifer husdson
Kudos to thatgrapejuice for this article..but I really feel like this article is too much for thatgrapejuice audience…too many pop heads…ones who wouldn understand R&b if it f***** them in the ass with no lub ! R&B has a place..and it’s where most of your faces started!
The only R&B artist(s) that I like is no one at all !
All of favorite artist(s) produces music like Pop, Rock, Europop, Synthpop, Electronic, the tpe of music that I like !
The artist(s) that I like is Beyonce, Britney, Gaga, Nicki, Rihanna, Michael, and etc.,
Electronic Music is more danceable than R&B !
I like R&B but i like Electronic more better !
@JAMIR
Beyonce is a Contemporary R&B artist yong man, so there’s one R&B artist you like.
@Jamir I respect that..to each it’s own!!! That’s good music as well! I prefer R&b and alternative!!
@Jasmine
PLEASE I BEG YOU CAN YOU TELL ME WHEN I SAID I WANTED MUSIC TO SHAKE MY ASS TOO….please I wud like to read that……
being number 1 or 2 on the rnb charts means nothing atall to me when as you can see from this article that rnb failing….so being number 1 on that chart don’t mean anything…….
her music is boring because it sounds the same from the beginning to the end….I am sorry that I don’t praise someone because they are the only person who didn’t convert to pop…that is not a good enough reason for me to buy someone’s album…If her music was good I would say but it’s not.
Look at whitney’s, r kelly, boyz to men, mariah….even brandy back in the days….that was music to touch your heart….you would feel that….even beyonce’s 4 album she brings rnb music back and you enjoy it…..
ohh and tony braxton and mary j blige back in the days…..oh this is making me want to get all my old rnb albums out…
RNB is DEAD and it will continue to decline what artist today of this generation is creative and innontive enough to SAVE RNB ,NONE, because they are NOT artists BUT PERORMERS of other real artists work
RNB DIED the split second it got married to Hip and then became RNB /HIP HOP, then Urban, then Urban Pop
RNB will resurrect when it distances itself away from Gimmacks, Bling Bling culture,
When artist begin to write their own song, for example BEYS NEW SONG IS WRITTEN BY 7 PEOPLE! That is not on that is ridculous! And that goes to all artists, stop relying on hitmakers to write your s***
Second, PLAY A F****** INSTRUMENT!
Third, stop impersonation your idols
4th, stop sampling
5th, focus on world issues like racism, injustice,poverty, like the greats like Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye,Sam Cooke etc, artist TODAY HAVE NOTHING TO SAY,and NO FEMALE ANTHEMS DON’T COUNT
And my CONCLUSION, BLACK PEOPLE NEED TO SUPPORT THEIR OWN!
I GIVE RIHANNA CREDIT WHERE DUE….BUT SHE IS NOT R&B AND IT REALLY IRKS MY NERVES WHEN SONGS LIKE “S&M” GETS NOMINATED INTO R&B CATEGORIES…..4 IS R&B EXCEPTING BTINH…AND I THINK EVEN ADELE COUNTS FOR R&B…ADELE, JILL SCOTT AND BEYONCE TOPPED THE CHARTS WITH R&B ALBUMS…AND I THINK MONICA AND BRANDY CAN ALSO DO WELL WITH THEIR UPCOMING PROJECTS…NOT TO MENTION JHUD AND FANTASIA….R&B WILL NOT DIE! AFTER ALL MOST OF TODAYS “GENRES” ARE A MIX OF R&B AND DANCE…
as long as u have big artist like beyonce usher etc.doing r n b it wont fade.4 is receiving commercial success so thats a good start 2 bring it back.if it an artist who can help return r and b its beyonce.
WE have 50-11 articles on this topic all of the time and people need to know that “classic” R&B, died in the 70s pretty much when Funk and Disco became popular in the Black Community. So all of those songs in the 80s and 90s that people consider “R&B”, not exactly.
Like someone said, R&B always has been expanding their sound, using different chords from other genres to keep the genre relevant. I think what people want is that Urban Top 40 will dominate like it did Early to mid 2000s and even late 90s if you want to go that far.
Well, I don’t see that happen though I do see more variety on the charts than what has been in the past couple of years. But are we going to see someone like say, Syleena Johnson at the top of the charts any time soon? No and people are going to have to deal.
@ Yeabey I dont like those artists that you just named expect for Beyonce and Rihanna !
Fantasia, Monica, Marsha Ambrosisus their music seems boring to me !
BEYONCE, AND RIHANNA ALL DAYYY !
ELECTRONIC, POP, ROCK, SYNTHPOP, EURODANCE, EUROPOP, SOFT ROCK ALL DAYYY!
“Rihanna was pop from the begging” – B**** Bye Pon de replay ain’t no god dame pop song.
RNB is DEAD because no artist want’s to make GOOD Rnb music I feel like when people like Monica and j Hud make RNB music it’s soooo Boring like yes have a couple of ballads but can’t you have some up tempo track’s.
People need to understand music changes every decade nothing stay’s the same right now we are in that dance, electro pop stage. And most artist wan’t to SELL and there are way’s you can SELL and stay TRUE to yourself as an artist. Beyonce has been doing well she is POP/RNB
“You give the people what they wan’t to hear”
If they wan’t dance music give them dance music and have some rnb tracks on the album simple. Artist should crossover anyway as an artist you should be able to do more then just one genre of music widen your fan base. Rnb is not dead but it’s just not as popular as it was in the 90s no shade I don’t consider the early 00’s real Rnb that’s when I feel like rnb started to change and pop started taken over.
And for your information Rihanna is POP/Rnb she May do more pop songs but no one can tell her she is not rnb because she is nominated in every rnb categorise in award shows because every album of her has had an rnb influence so please let’s not.
There is and has always been rnb out. so the whole bringing it back is ridiculous. Beyonce’s album is pop rnb. Kelly with her one hit isn’t bringing anything back. her music is pop/dance/rnb. All of their music is generic. Rihanna is no where close to being rnb. None of those artists are bringing anyt hing back that hasn’t already been around.
what about keyshia cole
rnb will never die..queen kelly rowland n other artists are realy trying to bring it back,so let us support them n show them love..Do purchase kelly rowland-here i am this july 26th.Queen kelly rowland 4eva
@JAMIR21 I am not asking you to like those artists. It is completely fine that you dont…All I’m saying is that even though They are R&B they still managed top the charts!
@POOKIE Keyshia Cole is very talented but unfortunately her lastest effort didnt do well due to mishandling of the project! No one knew she had an album coming out!
There has been many rnb albums released since 4. Yall always trying to give Beyonce credit for doing absolutely nothing.
The stans here are pathetic. R&B’s nowhere near dead. Rihanna was never R&B.
beyonce on top of the world charts… don’t thnink r&b is dead
@@LAQ
What MAINSTREAM artist released a R&B album recently besides Bey?
Yes, keyshia coles. and her album just like me was amazing but from then on it all went downhill but I still like about 2-3 songs from her albums……
and please tell me is unfaithful and we ride, final good bye, p.s im still in love with you, a girl like me, music of the sun, there’s a thug in my life…..is not rnb…by rihanna…
and I agree with @the truth….there is no creativity anymore……it’s just the same old stuff now.
Rihanna used to be R&B but then Umbrella flew up in her head(she found her sound) and then she moved to Pop Ballads and then Pop/dance songs
@mhud
BWAAAA 1 song that is rnb….out of how many pop/dance songs she has released these last 2 years and you think she is rnb…you make me laugh…
Look i was born in 1998 and R&B starting to die around that era (1998-2001) because the white audience didnt like R&B as much as blacks ! So around the yr. 2001 pop began to takeover ! 2001-2011 we have be living in a poppy world !
POP, ELECTRONIC, ROCK, SYNTHPOP, EUROPOP, SOFT ROCK ETC., ALL DAY !
i think the artists that can’t sing and use autotune in R&B is what making rnb crap. Lil Wayne how to love? Then we got ppl like nicki minaj, cassie….all these horrible singers. I admit r&b has gotten more pop over the years, being an r&b fan. But I disagree with someone who said 4 is a good song. Though beyonce has a vocal gift. Those songs are nothing special or worthwhile and don’t execute any real passion. Just good singing. R&B should be passionate like whitney, mariah carey, lauryn hill, joe, genuwine, those people…
Like back in the 80’s I wouldn’t consider Janet Jackson’s “Control” or even “Saturday Love” R&B songs but they are regarded as such so it has happened before and it made a comeback in the 90’s so… its bound to….
Rihanba had R&B INFLUENCES & TINGES. She was never pure, classic R&B.
Rihanna is waterdowned r&b like a lot of r&b these days. Rihanna has admited to wanting to be versatile with her music That’s why you hear reggae, hiphop, pop, electro, and pop in her sound. Those type of artists get the most recognition among masses and therefore creating a brand name for themselves that’s pop for everyone to listen to.
Good point@ Kavion
Look at the trend that’s in pop music and ask yourself that other than Bey, who would be able to do that(Contemporary R&B) and get a credible audience on Radio?
@MILEYCYRUSFAN LETS PUT ALLL OUR DIFFERENCES ASIDE FOR NOW….IDK I THINK “I MISS U” AND “I CARE” AND “BTINH” AND “RATHER DIE YOUNG” ON 4 REALLY SHOWCASE EMOTION AND PASSION AT THE SAME TIME! I AGREE ON THE AUTOTUNE THING…I DON’T EVEN THINK “HOW TO LOVE” IS R&B….IS IT?? IT DOES HAVE R&b FACTORS AND HE IS REALLY TRYING(YOU CAN TELL) BUT I THINK THE AUTOTUNE KIND OF RUINED THE SONG!
I don’t think R&B will die. Have you ever seen a genre coming to an end? I don’t. Like Kavion said, Country has been around for decades. Just because the genre isn’t mainstram doesn’t mean it’ll suffer. Yes there were a lot of commercial ‘failures’ (don’t get me wrong!) in the last year (even though I liked them), such as Chrisette, Jazmine, Faith, Kandi, maybe Ciara (she isn’t strictly R’n’B), even Toni and Keri and Keyshia did only mediocre numbers. But have you seen promoting the hell out of their albums? No, I just bought them because I live for R&B. Monica & Fantasia did great because they had a lot of promotion and they actually were floating on a high wave of success before. Trey Songz did well too! This year has brought its lows like Keke (I really like her new album, she can SING!), but there have been also artists which did very well like Jill and Marsha! And there are artists like Tamia and Kelly Price who have ALWAYS BEEN underrated and never had a huge successful album. There’ll be always ups and downs in R&B.
And in general: Albums don’t sell like they used to. When an artist like Rihanna and Katy (generic as hell) can get only Platinum in the US, how can you expect Mary or Alicia doing like 4x Platinum nowadays!? And let’s be honest R’n’B has NEVER BEEN famous in Europe (like in my country they barely know songs from Mary).
Just wait till the peers come back to the scene like Mariah, Whitney, Alicia, Mary, Monica. Pages will turn again!
If this Cyrus fan don’t run back into the backwoods of Tennessee…
“4” is an amazing, emotional album.
How is it not special when it’s nothing like anything on the radio?
Have you even listened to “4”?
Nicki Minaj isn’t a singer
R&B acts don’t use autotune, Pop stars do.
Weezy is a rapper.
I agree with Curtwill.
@Kavion
None of them other save, Lalah Hathaway, does “classic R&B” anymore. The neo-soul artists don’t do it either cause soul music is more than doing classic R&B. It’s influence is music from the 70s where there was lots of experimenting with music.
That’s why it’s a fail when people try to debate whether Rihanna is R&B or Pop. Yeah, she’s pop. She’s Urban Top 40. She depends on Urban and Rhythmic formats as well as pop formats. She’s not true pop. She’s influenced by Beyoncé/DC, enough said.
@YEABEY- HEY 🙂
@KAVION- Hey, Glad to see ur back 🙂
@Kavion I know a little bit about music just because my name says cyrus fan doesn’t mean she is the only artist I listen to dumbarse. Miss me with that s***. Btw, I’m black.
Beyonce is mainly R&B and Rihanna is mainly pop….
about the R&B thing…if you dig deep enough,you’ll find some R&B gems but if you’re lazy,then of course you’re going to be subjected to this R&B you call “boring”.If you are going to celebrate “black music”(I know there are all types of people who sing r&b so please don’t accuse me of stereotyping.) then CELEBRATE “Black Music” and stop whining & hating everything about it!
@QUEENBEY HEY!
@Kavion it is a PROVEN FACT nicki minaj is trying to generate more sells by making r&b music as well as rap. And YES unfortunately she is a singer. A terrible one at that. Haven’t you heard “right thru me” and “save me” yeah I’ve heard those live and she sounds horrible that’s why I said she’s messing up r&b. You need to read more carefully.
nobody will be buying R&B cds okay ! the younger generation like me !
beyonce is the only r&b artist that i buy !
ROCK, POP, EURODANCE, SYNTHPOP, EUROPOP, ELECTRONIC ALL DAYYY !
@JAMIR21 NO CHILD…I’M 3 YEARS OLDER THAN YOU AND I LOVE R&B…YOUNG PEOPLE LOVE R&B!!
I ask myself do some of these people even know what rnb is……sam I think you should do an article on what rnb is…..
and 4 is different from anything on the radio but I wudn’t exactly call it great or even a classic….honestly I am sasha was better than it….I give her props for taking a risk but the problem is the bey stans overhype it like it’s the best album known to man kind.
@CURT WILL
I know. Rihanna has R&B tinges, I pointed that out. She’s not R&B enough to compare her to these classic R&B singers who have molded the genre though. I’m just not understanding why Sam even brought her up. Most people don’t consider her R&B. People think Black= R&B. Not saying anyone here does, but award shows etc. do.
@MILEY FAN
It was just a joke, lmao. What dies race have to do with this?
Please, explain to me how Beyonce’s most emotional album to date, lacks emotion.
@QUEEN BEY
Hey. 🙂
Missed y’all, lol.
It’s amazing how Faith Evans , Kelly Price and Tweet are never mentioned in these comments or responses. Have we forgotten the real singers who don’t need to studo to showcase their skills and can blow the younger generation straight out of the venue LIVE??? Ridiculous. Props to the younger generation who are on their grind but let’s not forget the ones who are not fortunate to be singed by a major label or get the big promotion…..however who can SANG their faces off…
Letoya Luckett is a great R&B artist.
I stil listen to her albums “Letoya” & “Lady Love”
—-> wich are puuuure R&B
@MILEY CYRUS FAN
That doesn’t make her a singer. Beyonce has rapped (Diva, RTW, Upgrade You), but she’s not a rapper. She’s not affecting R&B at all. She’s not a horrible singer. She just can hold a tune & she knows that’s where it stops. No one’s ever claimed she was a Whitney, or Mariah.
@JAMIR, if you really know the history of R&B, you would know that Pop didn’t create dance music. R&B had and still has a place in this dance world. If you don’t believe me, watch some Soul Train episodes from the 70s to the 90s…
R&B is not dead at all, BUT I do put some blame on the labels. They do not promote their R&B artists like they should. Can someone tell me why J Records only gives Fantasia & Monica two singles, and a third if they’re lucky. That shouldn’t be. I BET that if Fantasia sent “Falling In Love Tonight” as a promotional single in between “I’m Doing Me” and “Collard Greens and Cornbread” that she could’ve sold more records. Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Gaga release like 5 or 6 singles from one album, while our R&B artists only release 2?! That is BS!
Also, I notice that labels want to keep R&B artists in a box. *cough* Remember Larry Jackson *cough* It makes no sense! How can any artist “compete” with a pop artist that not only receives good promo, but their label gives them the freedom and backup they need?
I know that times are changing, and so is the music, but to say that there’s no hope for R&B, when a Caucasion Female Soul singer from the UK (who I love by the way) is selling millions of albums around the world, would be pretty dumb to say.
I feel like Adele shows some sign of people getting tired of Dance music, and moving towards a more authentic sound.
But, even if all this changes with the labels and the musicians growing as artists, it really won’t make a damn difference if ya boy is selling Fantasia’s, Jennifer’s, Ledisi’s, Jazmine’s, and Monica’s CDs at the barber shop. And it certainly won’t help if we buy them.
@ Kavion
I agree with this: She’s not R&B enough to compare her to these classic R&B singers who have molded the genre though. I’m just not understanding why Sam even brought her up
Sam sees her in the same lane as Beyoncé. Always have. I wonder if anyone remember when his site did their entry on Rated R’s first week sales. The argument was that since Bey and Rihanna are in the same lane that Rihanna should be selling the way Bey does. At least during that time.
@Ummm
^5 @ this: JAMIR, if you really know the history of R&B, you would know that Pop didn’t create dance music. R&B had and still has a place in this dance world. If you don’t believe me, watch some Soul Train episodes from the 70s to the 90s…
@ Yeabey Well I like R&B but not as much as I love Pop, Rock, Synthpop, Europop, Eurodance, Electronic, etc.,
@Umm
And !!!!!!!!!
@ This: But, even if all this changes with the labels and the musicians growing as artists, it really won’t make a damn difference if ya boy is selling Fantasia’s, Jennifer’s, Ledisi’s, Jazmine’s, and Monica’s CDs at the barber shop. And it certainly won’t help if we buy them
@JAMIR21 ALL OF THOSE GENRES ARE RELATED TO OR DERIVED FROM R&B…
It depends on the artists.People that should be keeping the genre alive are in fact killing it, releasing dire supposed-to-be mainstream hits that do well nowhere but on the Urban format.The goal should not be to make urban music crossover, but to make urban radio mainstream.
and on the subject of Urban music…
How the Hell did we come back from Tupac,Biggie,Run DMC,etc all the way to Soulja FAIL and WACKa Flocka????
‘4’ is not an ALL R&B album. 4 has Pop/Soft Rock/ DanceHall/R&B 4 has a lil bit of everything
ISTANN4GAGA(CAUSE BEY LIKES TO PARTY!)
July 13, 2011 at 5:09 pm
and on the subject of Urban music…
How the Hell did we come back from Tupac,Biggie,Run DMC,etc all the way to Soulja FAIL and WACKa Flocka????
_____________________________________________________________
COOO-SIIIGGN! HAVE U EVER HEARD THE AD LIBS IN ONE OF WAKA’S SONGS HE’S LIKE “BOW BOW BOW WAKA WAKA FLOCKA HUH HUH” …EVERY SINGLE SONG!! Soulja Boy is just BLAH!
Btw, the Urban genre will never be as strong as it once was, because it’s peaked since the 90’s – mid-00’s.I got a feeling it’s time for rock now to rule, even if I don’t like the genre.R n’ B will comeback if it remains genuine.
@PAM i Agree …Beyonce did say it will be a mix of her favorite genres but most of the songs have an R&b INFLUENCE and is not generic like most of today’s music!
@ Yeabey How the bleep did Electronic derived from R&B !
@JAMIR21 No that’s not what I meant…..Today’s electronic music in the US is sometimes R&b/Urban influenced!
YeaBey
Just because there’s alot of Slow and Mids on 4 doesn’t mean the album R&B influenced
@ Yeabey Ohhhh ! Well I still think Electronic, Pop, Rock, Synthpop, Europop, is more better for my opinion ! Why do you like R&B though so much !?
I think it will resurge evntually. Trust me TGJ, I don’t think RnB is dead.
Kavion
Beyonce does not rap on RTW, DIVA or UPGRADE U Beyonce knows how to sing very fast she knows to ride a beat like a rapper but she’s singing
@JAMIR21 Well as an African American (no racism intended in anyway) I grew up listening to R&B you know? and once something sticks in your brain when you are young it will live with you forever!!
@PAM I understand but songs like “Rather Die Young” “Lay Up Under Me” and “Schoolin’ Life” on 4 has that old school R&B factor that I grew up listening to
R&B is just so boring to me it doesnt excite me like Electronic, Synthpop music does !
Rihanna doesnt need to do pop to get a #1 hit. your telling me rude boy and whats my name are pop song ? its clearly r&b
I kno its alot of up and coming r&b artist, but they dont see the time of day bcuz everyone is makin pop music and using autotune. Real R&B artists shouldnt use autotune at all.
@KAVION- Y did u abandon us??? 🙁
I must say that this post is amazing and the article was really well written, accurate and honest. I think there will definitely be an R&B resurgence in the near future. Music genre’s always come in and fade out and then find it’s way back in again when someone creates something fresh. I think the key to it is just keeping it innovative. What’s out is that syrupy, fluff R&B as well as the kind that drags and sounds dated. I’m not trying to being cruel by pointing out these artist, but acts guilty of that are Faith Evans, Jagged Edge, R. Kelly and even Ne-yo and Monica(who probably gets a pass and deserves it most). Also these artist are singing every cliche in the book like: I love you so much/ I need your touch/ you take away my pain/ after the rain… This is what we don’t need or if it is sung it has to sound really modern(melody wise). That still might not help! Still, everything goes through a revovlving door. Gaga brought dance music back in ’08 and we’ve seen it take off and blossom. The same can happen for R&B. Chris Brown always been genuis at making R&B fun and giving it style. I’m sure Beyonce’s R&B influence on “4” will inspire other artist to step it up as well. That album is incredible! Having some heavy hitters follow up behind these projects will definitely bring it back and make a real impact. Mariah is usually bankable and Brandy is always current and refreshing. So, it’s possible for R&B to get that 2nd wind – which is what is needed. Those artist who do it well must contribute to it , not abandon it! *cough, Usher* … Alicia Keys has done a great job in the last decade, but it’s time for others to do there part – and hopefully get the same opportunities. I’m glad to see Kelly Rowland on board with great R&B music, as well as J Hud – doing her best stuff musically that I’ve heard from her ever! I think these artist will whip things back into shape! Then once the legends do it (Whitney,Janet, Mariah, etc) everything will be right with the world. It’s cool to branch out and experiment with different sounds, but I hope all the R&B masters are willing to make their next projects an R&B smash!
http://www.thepagewithroyalkev.b*******.com
First & foremost I’m glad to see certain names continuing to pop up when it comes to R&B…..one in particular is MONICA. People can say what they want, but this woman here touches a soul when she sings. No gimmicks, no tricks, just pure talent. I respect that she released “Everything to Me” & “Love All Over Me”. So what because they did not top the Hot 100 she topped her category R&B which she stayed true too. See us “real R&B fans” no the difference from authentic R&B and gimmick music that some artist push down our throats! No we do not need to get up and shake our asses every time a song comes on. Some of us still appreciate great lyrics, songs that tell stories, and music we can relate to. You can clearly tell who grew up and the 90’s and who was born in the 90’s on this damn site!
Now for those calling “4” an all R&B album please stop it. Sit the f*** down and get the f*** out of here. I love the “4” album to death but I am not blinded by her celebrity to call it R&B. Some songs yes. Anything that will be considered a classic on there, maybe “Best Thing I never Had.” There are NOT too many songs that BEYONCE has made that we can look back 10 yrs from now and say that was a classic. Some say Dangerously In Love, but when you put that song up against an I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, or ONE SWEET DAY, or even UNBREAK MY HEART, it does not compare at all. So while yes she is selling records and entertaining us what she is commended for please do not make it seem like she is saving R&B because she is not. If that was the case more people would be requesting to hear her music on the radio and last I checked Motivation is still kicking all her singles asses. Remember I said I love “4” the album never said I was a fan of hers!
Moving on. Back to MONICA, her new single with Rick Ross and Lil Kim gives me a 90’s vibe. When we would sit around nod our heads, and just vibe to the music. The content is appropriate and the lyric phrasing of MONICA’s is great. Anyone who follows MONICA knows that she adores Whitney Houston. A name that needs no explanation despite her personal problems not many artist will ever have an impact on music and people the way she did. She inspired, she set the tone, she knocked down doors so that people like MONICA, MARIAH (who always gave Whitney props), TONI, etc can come and make a mark in music. This article is great but needed to be on another site. Because the comments on here is clearly in support of these kids that were just born yesterday and cannot appreciate the legacy that set before a damn BEYONCE! LOL
YeaBey
@JAMIR21 ALL OF THOSE GENRES ARE RELATED TO OR DERIVED FROM R&B…
Agreed! All the artists that we have come to love today have been influenced by an R&B artist.
Micheal Jackson was definitely R&B, but is also the King of Pop. Just so everyone knows, Michael’s biggest inspiration was James Brown…
If you know music, you’ll know that the Beatles AND Jimi Hendrix were influenced by the Isley Brothers.
Teena Marie took Lenny Kravitz in at a young age, and nurtured him.
Whitney Houston has made an impact on artists all around the world.
When I hear these Pop songs today, I hear Stevie Wonder, who used synths in a lot of his music, ie Living for the City and” “Master Blaster”…
HELL, so many artists sample these artists. Kanye sampled Chaka Khan and Usher sampled Stevie, and James has been sampled by so many people.
People need to know how much R&B has done for music today, and I’ll be the teacher if need be! lol
@ Yeabey Well as a thirteen African American boy I grew up listening to Boys II Men and many R&B singers but I grew up out of them ! I first got into Pop when i was seven when my cousin introduce me to Toxic by Britney ! So for now on I just like Pop music, Rock, Synthpop, Europop, and I got Electronic from Jersey Shore !
BRITNEY, BEYONCE, RIHANNA, NICKI, GAGA, MJ ALL DAYYY !!!!!!!!!!!
POP, ROCK, SYNTHPOP, ELECTRONIC, EUROPOP, EURODANCE, ETC., !!
I’m a Faith Evans fan but I didn’t like her last album. I mean quality is also required, a good solid RnB album would sell, and this album was her worst, least for me it was. I also liked J Hud’s first album, haven’t listened to the last one yet, wasn’t available on Deezer when I last checked. A Keys still makes good RnB music, Riri’s Rated R was good but it still flopped, guess her fans thought that style didn’t suit her. I however consider it to be her best album. I’m just saying RnB isn’t dead and that sooner or later it will be revived. This whole Electro Pop thing is just a trend. Remember Disco? Exactly.
@QUEEN BEY
I had a big move, so I’ve been adjusting. I’ll be on more though. 🙂
I REALLY hate Jenifer Hudson singing voice. Her voice is so annoying to me. She ALWAYS tend to over sings words in songs, I guess she does that to prove to ppl she knows how to sing. She sounds like a #gospel r&b singer. 🙁
@Aisha I agree with you. That was Faith’s worst album. I have them all. I still rock out to Faithfully cause the album was good. In my opinion when she left Diddy is when her music started to fall off.
@KAVION- Thank God. Now it will be more level headed ppl on here like myself. Lol 🙂
Hell even Mary J Blige gone to DANCE she has a song with David Guetta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrrO6YeVPBM
@Queen Bey
That’s cause Jennifer is(She sounds like a #gospel r&b singer), LOL.
@Pam
Not surprised.
@UMM…
People need to know how much R&B has done for music today, and I’ll be the teacher if need be! lol—EXACTLY MY POINT!
@QUEENBEY I do NOT live for Jhud’s voice this era ….Gone (one of the songs on her latest album) sounds like she oversang it…when Ester Dean did the Demo i enjoyed it much more except for the autotune…
@JAMIR21 Well i was introduced to Pop as well but I still do not Live for it as much as I do for R&B …i enjoy pop but they are really all about the same thing!
Wow For the First time there is a MATURE debate on TGJ and not one of those usual stan-wars! *applause*
Everyone has there moment….and i know that the rihanna era is coming to a end….yes she has catchy music but she lacks the talent….now on the other hand look at my girl BRANDY…who is one of the most talented singers of our time she will shine again becuz u cant deny the talent…R&B will never die…artist jus have to make a stand and go back to there roots…
LMAO @ BEY TRYING! THAT B**** IS A FLOP R&B IS DEAD Y ALL JUST NEED 2 BUILD A BRIDGE AND GET OVER IT. POP IS D RULING GENER AND SELENA GOMEZ NEW ALBUM IS POP PERFECTION. U GUYS NEED 2 GET IT AND TOSS 4LOP IN D TRASH #QUEENSELENA
I think that so many people love R&B because it not just requires soul, but talent! The reason why it’s so distressing is because the R&B singers who could sing circles around many of the pop artists out today are not getting their credit. Any artist that wanted to make it in the business back in the day needed 60% talent and 40% luck. Now it’s the other way around….
Bottom Line: To sing R&B, you have to be able to sing.
THAT’S why I love R&B!
@ Selena Gomez 4Ever Nobody cares about Selena Gomez`s s***** ass album !
She`s boring, tacky, ugly and cant f****** sing for s*** !
Nobody cares about Justin Bieber and her I dont care !
Real Pop music is Madonna, Britney, and Gaga not s***** selena
Beyonce is better than Selena and always will be okay !
BEYONCE, BRITNEY, AND GAGA ALL DAYYYYYY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brandy,Brandy,Brandy!!! The vocal Bible!!
@Todd yes sir with Brandy being a vocal Bible. That girl does some s*** with her voice….yea u right.
Electronic and SynthPop music hurts my head and aggravates me because it all has the same basic beat when you listen to it…….It makes me feel like there is no passion behind it like R&B
I thought this was about R&B…not Gaga or Brittney…and Selena doesnt even deserve to be mention in the same sentence!!!! R&B………
@ BAM BAM Well it doesnt hurt my head i love Electronic and Synthpop !
Honestly there is nothing that can be done. The 90’s saw a surge of incredible layers of the R&B genre. However when you go out and support artist that don’t do much in terms of lyrics,music all in out quality why ask a question when you already know the answer. The biggest problem is that the general public only like microwave style hits currently. I feel like now we are back to the 80’s when the whole generic music took over. There needs to be a Thriller to save the music industry as a whole not just R&B…Sadly there won’t be. We have tip top vocalist even if they are few in numbers.There just needs to be a change the males in R&B constantly have to have a s** song for attention,not to mention most males in R&B are quite boring and sing about the same tired things. The females have to dress like a harlot on main st.Beyonce,Jennifer,Fantasia,Ledisi,Jill Scott,Marsha, are currently the best singers of the genre.However they make the same tired songs too. R&B needs more topics. There are not even anymore Social songs.
@ jamir21
I don’t believe for 2 seconds that you’re black…and if you actually are, then you must be enrolled in the Uncle Tom Jr. academy — specifically for gay boys. No 13 year old Black boy favors Electro and Synth pop over R&B; and cites “Toxic” by Britney Spears as his musical awakening. Are you forreal? Seriously, I bet you wear skinny jeans and try your damnedest to be a emo-hipster with the Becky’s and Chad’s you want so desperately to click with. What a fake.
@TODD YESS! I LOVE ME SOME BRANDY…DID YOU SEE THAT VIDEO WHEN SHE WAS RECORDING ” I DONT CARE” AND STACEY BARTHE CALLED HER THE LYRICAL BIBLE??..HER VOICE IS ONE OF A KIND AND HER AD LIBS ARE AMAZING!!
Do yall remember wen T-Pain was hot??? Can somebody tell me what happen (besides his ass always yellin on ppl tracks)????
Like someone pointed out before Country music has been around and is not going anywhere so why should R&B….besides this pop crap thats on the radio now (even though i don’t listen those stations) don’t hold a candle to a good R&B or even Country song #BelieveThat
R&B is kind of dead, but it is not going to die. We still have Monica, Fantasia, Marsha Ambrosius, Chrisette Michelle, and others. The problem is they are not being promoted in the right way. They are not releasing the right singles for them or they don’t release enough singles. Monica should have released at least 1 or two more singles. “Stay Or Go”, “If You Were My Man”. And Fantasia should have released different singles after Bittersweet. Maybe “The Thrill is Gone” and “Man of The House”. Most artists are crossing over 2 Pop bcuz thats what selling rite now!!!!
@ DMWN LOOK I like R&B music but I love Pop, Rock, Synthpop, Europop, Electronic, more ! I dont even wear skinny jeans like that !
p.s. I love Britney Spears, Gaga, Beyonce,Nicki Minaj and Rihanna !
@DMVN- Umm whats wrong with gay boys???
Cosign @DMWN…..
@QUEENBEY T-Pain was the King Of Autotune but now everyone is doing it so I think he grew irrelevant over the years….Best Love Song could have been a huge hit!…I still bump T-Pain though!
http://soundcloud.com/bearmac006/cupsofthex0
Yes music works in cycles. This dance trend will die
Nice to see people thinking!
I, myself am an R&B guy 100%, pop can only take me so far and I’ve been wondering the same thing. Less and less girls have that soul today.
Happily Miss Jill Scott had her Light of the Sun go to # 1 so there is hope and the fantastic Ledis had her first top 10 hit with Pieces of me.
These are not main stream women, yet have a huge following. Miss Kelly Price’s last album KELLY is sublime, but did’n’t chart that well…
I’d say the potential is there, the women who do it, kill it every time. Sadly it’s not what moves people as much anymore..,
Here’s hoping for more soon!
R&B died when Aaliyah passed & Kelly is not R&B puhhlease all she had was one hit motivation and thats all its gon be. R&B is not where the money is at anymore thats why everyone is on the pop bandwagon & i hate it i miss R&B i think its slowly but surely dying & the artists who do make R&B albums you guys dont even support & then call em flops!! so whats the damn point
Brandy has to come back hard! Monica has to bring that heat on her ‘New life’ album. And Megan Rochell needs to return back onto the scene because her ‘You, Me and the Radio’ (unreleased album 2006) was classic r&b at it’s finest amongst this modern generation of crossover artists. One of the best r&b albums to ever be shelved.
I honestly don’t know. It’s gonna take a LOT of work.
Brandy needs to release “I Don’t Care” as a buzz single! I love that song!
I don’t think it has anything to do with the genre it has something to do with the way music is consumed in our generation. There are less BIG stars and more LITTLE stars… meaning more sub-communities then back in the day it was a novelty to see a R&B singer sing like that on TV… now music is competing with ketchup chips and video games… R&B has evolved and you can hear the influences in urban pop music so it hasn’t died… the music game has changed… the population has increased, new genres and styles have immersed.. the human kind has almost reached the limits as to what it can do it can now only re-create…
Look here the mainstream audience doesnt like R&B music that much !
They like Electronic, Pop, Rock, Europop, Synthpop, etc., like ME !!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a great piece! R&B is my heart and to see it all so well written out is like candy. The female R&B star is definitely what reigns most successful, besides Trey Songz. It’s good to see no shade thrown besides the (eventually Ashanti thing, she earned her spot) but your explanation was dead on!
@Yeabey about WACKa…Tell me about it….
He’s basically Soulja FAIL 2.0 saying the same words over & over again…
@Queen Bey will always…When august comes apply for ATRL lol
@Kavion/Korean Dream (Bad news.) TB & Icon aren’t going to comment here anymore.
@YeaBey
July 13, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Wow For the First time there is a MATURE debate on TGJ and not one of those usual stan-wars! *applause*
_ Yeeees it’s a nice surprise!
@Kavion welcome back!:) It’s funny the fact that i never see you but i missed reading you!!!!
Ok just to complain, It’s heart me the fact that people giving credit all the talented artists and ALWAYS FORGET JANELLE MONAE!:-( guys this girl has all, voice, stage presence, nice lyrics, James Brown legacy(on her performance)…
@ISTANN4GAGA Not to mention this LIL B guy!! ugh!
@ Yeabey Who the hell is Lil B !
R&B music is not doing it now ! it’s kinda boring ! and lots of artists turned pop cuz this is what ppl buying now ! i remember when USHER released his album Raymond V raymond no one cared about it untill he released the baddest song in it “OMG” !! this telling you that R&B artists are doing pop and only real risky artists .. cough… beyonce .. make a real R&B albums while she’s capable of doing pop easily !!
god ! even chris browns last album is pop !!!!!!!
and did someone said “Rude boy” was R&B ?!!!!!!!!!!!!! someone seriously forgot to take his/her medicine !!!!! all of “loud” is pop except “complicated” and “skin” ! sit down plz ! and rihanna is mainly pop/dance pop ! plzz !
R&B music is not doing it now ! it’s kinda boring ! and lots of artists turned pop cuz this is what ppl buying now ! i remember when USHER released his album Raymond V raymond no one cared about it until he released the baddest song in it “OMG” !! this telling you that R&B artists are doing pop and only real risky artists .. cough… beyonce .. make a real R&B albums while she’s capable of doing pop easily !!
god ! even chris browns last album is pop !!!!!!!
and did someone said “Rude boy” was R&B ?!!!!!!!!!!!!! someone seriously forgot to take his/her medicine !!!!! all of “loud” is pop except “complicated” and “skin” ! sit down plz ! and rihanna is mainly pop/dance pop ! plzz !
@JAMIR21 Look Him Up! He calls himself BASEDGOD and he says B**** i look like miley cyrus, B**** I look like Jesus….He is a mess…he has his times where he is deep and he makes sense…his album is called “I’M GAY” (no offense to gay people at all)…he’s a big gimmick!!
Don’t get me started on Lil B
I still can’t believe that he
came out the closettitled his next project “I’m Gay”(who does that s***???)@ISTANN4GAGA
Yup i think he’s gay too …when Kanye’s penis pictures were leaked..he said he looked at it to compare his to Kanye to see who was bigger! I was like wow…and he said it on a radio show too!
SMH….and I thought Omarion was gay….This guy makes omarion seem like the straightest man out there.
2 points:
1. How come TGJ posts this article about Resurrecting RnB when all they do is post about pop acts such as Rihanna/Lady Gaga
2. I know that TGJ would definitely not agree but out of the current RnB males, Trey Songz in the one who sticks most to RnB. Breezy always gonna jump from genre to genre on his albums cus he’s creative like that and he can pull it off, and usher seems to have abandoned RnB to go into this pop/dance stuff, which is disappointing cos i still bump to confessions.
@ Yeabey
@ ISTAN4GAGA
He says that he is heterosexual !
ISTANN4GAGA(CAUSE BEY LIKES TO PARTY!)
July 13, 2011 at 7:59 pm
SMH….and I thought Omarion was gay….This guy makes omarion seem like the straightest man out there.
______________________________________________________________
omarion is gay , right ?! u remember the whole B2K was considered gay at some point !
im only 16 so i can’t really comment on the so-called glory days of RnB (90’s, early 2000’s) but its disappointing that there aren’t really any males/females representing solely RnB who are acclaimed/relevant commercially. :/
@BILBO I AM 16 TOO….AND I AGREE WITH THE 2 POINTS YOU MADE! I am a huge Chris Brown Fan but Trey Songz really is more R&b than he is!….
@ Yeabey Chris Brown i think hes great ! But Trey Songz cant stand his ass he cant sing he sounds like a goat ! !!!!!!
Trey is a YODELER lol
WHO SAID R&B IS DEAD WHEN BEYONCE 4 IS RULING THE CHART ALL OVER THE WORLD..SMDH!
@JAMIR21 TRUE….there are times when i pity that he might pop his veins in his neck or damage is vocal chords!
@ JAMIR21 nobody can really argue that Trey doesn’t have vocal abililty/range etc. im not a stan or nutin but i respect a good singing voice, however it is true that he sometimes tries a bit too hard with his voice especailly at live shows
@ JAMIR21 nobody can really argue that Trey doesn’t have vocal abililty/range etc. im not a stan or nutin but i respect a good singing voice, however it is true that he sometimes tries a bit too hard with his voice especailly at award show performances
Nobody is saying Beyonce will save the R&B.We are all saying beyonce may help the radios to play more R&B songs and hopefully the audience to love it more.
When Crazy in love becam huge,many girls did the same R&B inspired type of song (Only U-Ashanti,1 Thing Amerie or Get Right-JLOW).
Beyonce is herself struggling on the radios right now cause her album is way to mainstream.
Beyonce is R&B.’4′ is R&B even BTIHN is too urban that’s why it’s not smashing on the charts yet.
I wonder way the post became a BASHING BEYONCE’S PARTY.
>>>>Rihanna is NOT R&B,She never was and Never WILL<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>S** SELLS,LABELS SUPPORT SELL<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Dont forget wen Trey sings he also look like he’s about to burst into tears and cry…..he really be havin a stink face 🙁
@QueenBey maybe his neck hurts….
AGREE WITH THE 2ND POSTER, BAM BAM
Where’s Keyshia Cole
DAMMMMMNNNN. Im pretty new to this site, is this where everybody goes to hate on Trey Songz? :L
like i said before,queen kelly rowland and other artists are doing their best to keep rnb strong…kelly rowlands voice is out of this world.n she is talented as well.love me some queen kelly rowland 4eva..
LOL ‘queen’ Kelly Rowland’! That joke has made my day, thank you :))
@BILBO WELCOME! NO! THIS IS WHERE BEYONCE FANS AND RIHANNA FANS GO HEAD TO HEAD…(LACEFRONCE AND PERRYLICIOUS AND RIHANNANAVY) you will meet them soon. Lady gaga stans and Beyonce stans get along most of the time…There is this one Kelly Stan who bashes ciara, beyonce etc…. but no this is the first Trey Songz came up in a long time!
First of all to the Kelly Rowland hater at the top..do not SPEAK on somebodies career if you kno NOTHING about it.. Ms Kelly & Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe wer e PURELY r&b albums! and this next album as I have heard it is R&B and Kelly was R&B since Destinys Child days….she has only had 3 international dance single out of her MANY R&b SINGLES!. sO #sitchoasdown
Keyshia Cole
@OMAR i Like Keyshia Cole….I wish her Latest project “calling all hearts” wasnt handled so badly…Take Me Away could have been a hit!
I think since Beyonce basically killed this whole classic R&B thing she’s the only one that could bring it back. However just because she loves to dance doesn’t mean her music isn’t still R&B she always mixes it up but quite well actually and that’s why she is who she is…
@YEABEY It could have but the vid was released late
R&b is not dead, its just that all of the r&b singers we have either go pop or make some stupid ass s*** that don’t sound good cause if you had r&b artists that put out albums like destiny child’s destiny fulfilled, keyshia Cole just like you, fantasia free yourself, mjb the breakthrough, Chris brown first album or either something that as good as brandys never say never than people will go buy their albums but all the artists are scared they are going to flop so they go pop and flop even harder! So this is a idea for all the singers trying to be something they are not or do music they don’t like doing just cause they think its hot at the time they should actually work hard on their albums and try to find hit r&b songs cause Monica is representing right now and not letting no one stop her from the music she loves and help her get to where she is today and that’s why she is finding success again!
BILBO
2 points:
1. How come TGJ posts this article about Resurrecting RnB when all they do is post about pop acts such as Rihanna/Lady Gaga
2. I know that TGJ would definitely not agree but out of the current RnB males, Trey Songz in the one who sticks most to RnB. Breezy always gonna jump from genre to genre on his albums cus he’s creative like that and he can pull it off, and usher seems to have abandoned RnB to go into this pop/dance stuff, which is disappointing cos i still bump to confessions.
______________________________
@Bilbo EXACTLY! That Grape Juice and the rest of these popular urban blogs don’t even post on artists who are keeping R&B alive. Except for Monica, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce and a few others this site doesn’t talk about the Eric Benets, Ledesi’s or Jill Scotts of the R&B side that often. You can’t expect us (consumers, fans) to gravitate towards these artists if they’re not getting proper promotion from their labels or the blogs. Half the time I don’t even know about a new album from these artists because there’s a lack of promotion.
I luv R&b music and its my favorite genre, but sadly sales in general have declined massively and R&b music is struggling to remain revelant on mainstream radio. Artists like monica, fantasia, jazmine sullivan are oure R&b artists, but they still lack crossover appeal and depend on networks like Bet to play their videos and promote their record. But i also feel that R&b music isnt completely dead just yet, jill scot having a number one album speaks vo9lumes to the music industry in terms of music and R&b music reveltancy. Beyonce’s 4 is a pure classic records that speaks true R&b and pop music, very emotional and raw records, similar to jazmine sullivans love me back, which failed to become a success on the charts. Kelly is R&b/pop/dance and rihanna who is talented is simply pop/R&b/dance and little bit of hip hop. You also have R&b artists like keri hilson, ciara, miguel, and even llyod that are struglling to remain relevant, lackluster album sales, only time will tell for the future of R&b music
TGJ is so off and biased. Keri Hilson doesn’t sell s***, nor does J. Hud. And what has Kelly Rowland done for R&B but have one hit in the past decade. Give me a damn break. Monica, Fantasia and A. Keys are the only female R&B acts even doing anything for R&B. Be honest.
What about Keyshia Cole
@OMAR yea…unfortunately
@Todd co-sign everything! @Justin Knows Best YEEEESSSSSS!!
Now to the topic at hadn, R&B will never die because music conveys emotion that is its main purpose. Beyonce’ is an artist that is Pop with a splash of R&B, The onely album that was soley R&B was Dangerously In Love with the exception of the two or three uptempo joints. Monica has stayed to true to her R&B roots since she she came out in ’95 she released Everytime the Beat Drop which was not what she is known for and that single alone messed up the sales of Makings of Me because the rest of the album is strictly R&B and it is an amazing album. Brandy,Brandy,Brandy, is the one who started it all for ME! I saw I Wanna Be Down and was like I wanna sing have my music convey what I feel now through others. Brandy to me is R&B she’s a soul singer and that’s what R&B is you feel it in your soul. A lot people can sing and that’s fine but I need to be moved by your music. I feel like what Whitney is to Brandy, Brandy is to me. PLEASE TGJ MORE POST ON R&B, “REAL”R&B that is not POP infused.
Ughhh R&B is blah too me sometimes !
Give me Electronic, Pop, Rock, Synthpop, Eurodance any day
I love R&B but not most of the time !!!!!!!!!!!!
Monica needs to put “Infinity” on NEW LIFE it was my favorite song from her reality show!
@ Yeabey Whats that !?
NO COZ R&B DONT MAKE AS MUCH MONEY AS A POP STAR DOSE.. THE WORLD IS NOT THE SAME PEOPLE DONT BUY ALBUMS ANYMORE…. U HAVE TO BE A POP STAR TO BE VERY SUCESSFUL LIKE QUEEN BEYONCE……
@ Shariff Your right !
Pop, Rock, Electronic, Eurodance, Europop, Synthpop all dayyyyyyY !
My summary:
R&B (or any other music genre) will never ‘die’ as long there are people who listen and enjoy the music and the feelings, emotions that the music brings to them, same for any genre. At the end of the day, R&B (and music in general) is a form of entertainment, with its primary job being to entertain listeners, so as long as it does that it does not matter who the artist is, how much they sell etc. it will never ‘die’ because that would imply no body is listening and people will always listen to R&B because it is unique and brings emotions that other genres can’t.
*takes breath* 🙂
@ JAMIR 21 we get it! ur into other types of music :L
Someone kill dance-pop with a stick please!
Okay i was just making sure !
Unfortunately for profit, blacks have relinquished the reigns of most of their previously dominated genres (JAZZ, Blues, R&B, and soon Hip Hop/ RAP)! I never thought we would realistically have conversations about the end of R&B/Soul music. Those who control the media and music industry dictate what we will hear and from whom. Whenever I stated this FACT, I get mad grief from some but the truth is the light! …….So haters #dropdead!
I don’t think R&B will die but media ownership is vital. If certain ppl don’t start owning their music, radio stations, video outlets, etc we will continue to see a decline in R&B. Not in talent but in its visibility! Just look what happend at rhe MTV VMA awards! They have stop including R&B as a genre they recognize. They still recognize country though!!
*I’ve
@ Justin knows best:
So according to the second part of your post, 4 isn’t R&B because the songs off of it aren’t as popular as mainstream radio as Kelly Rowland’s Motivation? What a bunch of bull. I don’t think you’re in much of a position to say what will stand the test of time and what won’t, if that’s the logic you’re running with. Oh, and your sweeping generalization that anyone born the 90s wouldn’t know what R&B music is is also quite wrong.
@ Kavion, Curtwill & RoyalKev:
I totally agree with all the points you’ve made.
Artists today like Beyonce are absolutely ruining music. What a shame!
ok i jus gave 4 another listen from start to finish and must say its definetly a grower its definetly better than s***** ass born this way. loud – 4 – femme fatale
Whats with that @LACEFRONCE ? what an imposter….
To be honest R&B is NOT dying…it is probably on a brief hiatus at the moment but it will not die! someone who commented said music genres is a cycle…very soon people might start to grow tired of Pop because all the artists in that genre tend to sing about the same thing! All we need is ONE successful R&B single on the HOT 100 and many will start to follow suit to achieve the same success! If R&B was to die…music would have no meaning…well for me at least!
if you’re going to post as LACEHO the LEAST you could do is CHANGE your picture to something that isn’t a default.(like that B&W picture.)
1st off… 4 isn’t r&b. Secondly, I agree with the posters that said that the r&b that we currently have is desperately subpar. Jennifer Hudson yells on her records. Fantasia has a gospel voice, so she appeals to that crowd and Monica, whom I truly adore has a dated voice and her music needs to sound like new age r&b. We cannot keep trying to re-create r&b of the 90’s and I loooove 90’s r&b, but I think artist need to capture the soul of r&b and not the time frame of it’s peaking.
Mariah,Beyonce,Monica,Tyrese,Chris Brown’s latest album, or atleast some of the songs, Ledisi,Jill Scott, Kelly Price and act all will have or have released some really great material. A few of them just don’t get the mainstream attention. But R&b is begining to surge to me now. There has been some great music released as of late. Trey makes some good r&b to. Chris’s & Kelly’s songs are creeping up on Pop radio. I think alot of R&b songs are gonna start doing well, Adele song is way left of what Pop was spinning.
Fantasia, Monica, Ledisi, Jill Scott, Marsha are the only female R&B singers that I know that always stay true 2 R&B. Jazmine Sullivan was killin it with Holding You Down and 10 seconds then she decided 2 take a break. Jennifer Hudson is all ova the damn place screaming to the top of her damn lounges 2 prove dat she could sing. Alicia Keys is a flip/flop between R&B and Pop and Beyonce is not R&B anymore in my opinion.
Alicia is R&b, she doesn’t flipflop.
KELLY ROWLAND IS THE DANCE DIVA ………….
I could care less about R&B……….The R&B of today is beyond garbage……….It needs to go away..
Amerie’s new sound AIN’T R&B…….her new sound from her upcoming album is new wave, trance, dance
Whoever wrote this article clearly needs to update themselves.
@MHUD….PLease do not categorize Kelly Rowland in that rubbish you call R&B
Kelly is the DANCE DIVA not R&B…….She i s the Queen of dance……
R&B of today stands for —————->REAL B*******……….
1. Beyonce is not R&B nor will she bring back either. She is trying too hard to be “the next MJ” and worried about her legacy.
2. The music industry simply lack GREAT singers who can carry a song and have listeners follow it the entire time. Look at the top of the charts the past 5 years. The people who are consistently at the top are generally the least talented people in the industry.Record companies are also interested in the next biggest hit, and sadly they invest more in Pop because it sells more short term.
It is funny how no one mentions MARSHA AMBROSIUS….She is the only female artist making good R&B…….she deserves RESPECT………You write an article on R&B and you don’t mention her name??????? SMH………..As far as I’m concerned, Marsha is putting out the best R&B songs in the industry right now.
@I STAN 4 GAGA
For sure?
@GAGALO
Hey! Thanks. I’ve missed everyone here, lol. My lil TGJ Fam, lol.
@KING B
You’re never on when I am!
@ Kelly Motivation R&B dont stand for no real f****** b******* !
@Kavion
if you were referring to @KingB yes,she’s not going to comment on here anymore due to SAMantha moderating comments.
Kelly Motivation…please go away. r&b stans only.
R&B will never die!
As long as there are artist like Mariah, MJB, Beyonce who are continually doing R&B sounds, im fine!!
Pop music are just good while radio is playing it but becomes old and irrelevevant after a year…
R&B sound is classic!!!
TATTZ N TIPZ
UNIQUE TATTOO DESIGNS AND TIPZ
*DATING ADVICE, ETC*
http://tinyurl.com/tattzntipz
COMING SOON!!
R&B was a term coined in the 80’s. there was no R&B in the 70’s, just SOUL music.
Pop will be around for yrs. it`s been around since the 80s !!!!!!!!!
@HelpMe,Rhonda actually R&B has been a category since Ruth Brown…… and @KellyMotivation please go away because if you read the comments you would see Marsha’s name all through the posts #NowDontYouFeelSpecial………
@Jamir21 and R&b has been around since the 20s #GOH
R&B music is dying because it’s not in demand anymore, especially when being able to actually SING is not a requirement. What’s in right now is electro/techno/euro/dance-pop. Immature, catchy, explicit lyrics are in and hot beats that you can dance to, but are very bubblegum, are the biggest thing right now. Music labels choose to sign untalented hot chicks and under aged attractive young men or smoked out rappers who will rap about anything because they earn a whole bunch of money from these types of acts. What’s making R&B music and music in general die is the idiots who support this sh*t. There are too many untalented people in this industry who make fun and upbeat music and people go out and buy it. Haven’t y’all noticed that emotional pop ballads, not that generic sh**, is out too? All real music now-a-days is over. I remember when R&B was huge in the 90’s. Can you believe that Brandy’s Never Say Never sold 12 million albums worldwide and Monica, Envogue, TLC, Destiny’s Child, Ginuwine, and Joe sold millions with her albums too? I don’t understand why music industries don’t put more time and money into talented R&B musicians. Also, I don’t understand why these R&B musicians don’t find good management. Keyshia released her album before any of her singles got attention, Marsha A isn’t performing at any big events, Erykah Badu had that stupid publicity stunt then stopped the promo, Jasmine Sullivan was getting good feedback an recognized from Billboard, but took a break, Maxwell only released 2 singles, Robin Thicke only released 2 singles and barely did any promotion…. Wth???
Don’t nobody want to hear about no damn Beyonce or no damn howling a** Rihanna,neither one of their damn names should even be in the discussion of soul and Rihanna especially shouldn’t be in the damn discussion.I am sick and damn tired of mofos that don’t know shyt about music trying to lift up mofos who ain’t soulful or one that don’t belong on any damn stage pretending to be a singer.
Soul Singers are people of my Grandparents and parents generation.People like Miss Aretha Franklin who sung “Never Loved a Man,The Way that I Love You” or “Grazing in the Grass” Friends of Distinction,a song that my mother always pops her fingers to because her mother according to mom always played the song when she was little,LMAO! I am so damn glad that I have been schooled by people that really love music and know what the hell it is!
@ Secret Voice Dont nobody want to hear about soul music !
pop been around since the 60s my bad when the beatles came along !
50s i think yeah 50s !!!!
the only thing killing R&B is black female, there is a saying about black female hating on each other and read it everyday on this website, r*****, m**, b*****, concreteloop, brown sista and youtube. whitney, janet, anita and sade were able to sell million of album in the 80’s why because there was no internet .
black females for the past 10 years on the internet have spread hatred regarding black female singers as a individual.
this is how the game is played, one group of black female say hateful things toward a particular black female singer they dislike, don’t buy her cd or request her song on radio, in return the other group of black females sense that the other group of black female dislike the black female singer they like so they don’t buy the other group beloved black female singer cd or request her song on the radio. in short one group don’t want any other black female singer to out shine or out sell their favor black female singer, when did this happen.
in the end no one win, the result is low selling R&B cds and songs for all. there is another saying ‘together we stand divided we fall’
i really would like to know, what is wrong with black females leaving so many hateful messages on the internet toward other black females, does the black females born in the eighties and nineties want to see black females their age thrive flourish and succeed.
during the seventies eighties and nineties black females as a whole celebrate and up hold every black female singer on the radio or television.
thatgrapejuice you ask, will there be a R&B resurrecting, that question is left up to the black female bloggers on the internet.
I think R&B is slowly making a comeback. Most of the new generation prefer pop, but I am desperately hoping for R&B like the 90’s to comeback. Also, I think people don’t know the real meaning of R&B these days.
Everything goes in a cycle.
This dance music trend was here already in the 90s, in the form of Disco way back then, I guess. Same way at one point Hip-Hop was dominating, R&B was too etc.
Pop was put on the back-burner for while during the 2000s (when the boybands/t*** pop trend was fading) and you had Pop artist mixing their sound with Hip-Hop and collaborating with rappers.
R&B will make it’s return when someone tries to be fresh with it and that will mean mixing it with something else to give an edge. There’s nothing wrong with mixing genres.
Rock is the genre that seems to be on it’s death bed.
Actual rock, not pop-rock.
Real instrumentation in general seems to be a thing of the past.
Somebody remove the d*** from jamir21’s mouth, and stick a pacier in it instead. What a dork.
This article and the comments are a little more ‘dramatic’ than necessary. Music trends go in cycles. What’s popular this year won’t necessarily be what’s hot next year. Dance/Pop has a history of going in and out of style after a few years, and since it’s been nonstop dance for like the last 2-3 years, my bet is that it’s probably going to start playing out sooner than later.
In the meantime, R&B will never die because black people will never let it go. Sellout’s like Usher and Neyo are just a dime a dozen. As a community, we will never give up rhythmic/soulful music for the sake of Katy Perry-type s***. My bet is that it will make a resurgence just as soon as this current electro fad burns itself out.
After reading the comment I also see a common problem which is r&b pioneers, these were the artist,songwriters, producers who set the trend sound of r&b.Teddy Riley, R Kelly, timberland, missy, Aaliyah , brain micheal c** , Mary jb, there are more. But they are the one that set the sound & it seem to me once they are gone so dose the progression. Devonet from jodeci made a large group of different unknow artist songwriters producers a large group called the basement made them complete to make the best song from that group we had the top artist of 90-2001. This what we need to save r&b, it won’t come from artist already out because they are not as hungry as they were they younger it got to be a new artist.
Since music began, it has changed and evolved, with popular music regularly coming in and fading out, then returning again. Once upon a time, Rock n’ Roll was considered to be the hottest thing, and legends like Elvis Presley continued to move that form of music forward, and engrained it into the history books.
The 90’s was clearly the R&B moment, with the singers that were listed above, pushing that type of music, so that it too can get remembered. But like all good things, we always looking for something new to listen to, something which is different. At the beginning of the 00’s, Dance music became the next ‘thing’ to listen to, and artists like the BEP, Lady Gaga etc. took advantage of that and again, made it popular. But now, I feel that people are getting tired of similar beats/ dance songs and are again, looking for what to listen to. First signs of this I think was the Adele’s album. There was no dance music, there was no auto-tune and there was no meaningless lyrics. It was just simple, pure music where her voice was highlighted. I think that in the next year or two, we’ll begin to see that change become more distinct.
So, can R&B be brought back? Yes, if the right type of music is put out, which will catch the public’s attention and radio begins to play it more than dance.
@Jamir…..Just because your gay b*** don’t want to hear about soul music does not mean others don’t want to.I didn’t say shyt about no damn Beatles or Pop,so sit your sweet a** down with that lameness!
LMAO @ HUSH!
It is very possible to reserrect R&B but only if the industry changes and go back to actual talent and not just someone with “THE LOOK”. Then possibly the younger generation will see how R&B is supposed to be. Not everyone wants a song to shake their @ss to, I’ve noticed that the younger generation thinks most real R&B is boring (Monica, J-Hud, and others).
But, the music iundustry changes all the time everything goes in and out of style. The same way 80’s and 90’s style of dress have come back in, so will R&B it’s just a matter of time.
Like I said before, the first step to “bringing back” R&B is to actually buy albums FROM THE STORE. NOT the BARBERSHOP or THE STREET CORNER.
Why is it that people like Fantasia and Monica have over 2 and 3 million fans on Facebook, and can’t even get a platinum album?! Something’s wrong with that.
I notice that country fans are VERY loyola to their artists, and I wish that was the case with R&B….
@ UMM…
I AGREE WITH YOU 1000%
This is the thing…everyone that on this site commenting should go support artist like Brandy and Monica…talking about it aint gona do anything….support R&B…dont talk about it be about it…Aw and BRANDY BRANDY BRANDY!!!!
rihanna confirms she is not re-releasing loud
http://tinyurl.com/6gp3kt6
—————————————————————
SO…she could easily be making a part 2 FULL ALBUM TO PAIR UP WITH LOUD.
AND I WOULD LOVE THAT, BUT I DON’T THINK SHE HAS ANY TIME WITH HER TOUR, BUT WE’LL
SEE.
JUST THINK ABOUT IT:
“LOUD” AND “LOUDER”.
OR AS SOME OF THE FANS SAY:
“LOUD “AND “LOUDR” (MEANING LOUDER)
The artist are younger the fans are dumber and the music industry is only focused on selling s** and not talent. The End
I think why r&b has lost its luster is due to the heavy influence of entertainment media in this generation. No matter how much you try to entertain people, they want more every following performance. R&B is no exception to this. While many r&b singers are amazing vocalists, the traditional female R&B image is of a diva who croons standing still using only her voice to capture her audience maybe with 2 background singers and 2 flashy dresses. BUT today: Everything is about ENTERTAINMENT. If you are not 5 seconds away from dancing until your heart falls out, half naked, accompanied with Pyrotechnics, lasers, 12 dancers on the stage, with 10 ft high wigs and about 10 gossip stories out about you…. most write your show/video off as “boring”. In these days of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Rihanna and the influence Hollywood/movies/TV/ joined in the Marketing and Sales of Music (Hence the Industry’s creation of 360 deals) Artists who have spent more time and effort focusing on what SHOULD be most important as a “SINGER” are falling short to demographics and expectations of today’s definition of an “ENTERTAINER”. At the end of the day today’s YOUTH runs the world.
This generation Listens with their EYES, not their ears!
singers like Rihanna are really crap singers. i’m not a fan at all. R&B has changed alot and now some of the R&B singers like Avant, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown are the only ones that are still making good R&B. pop music just sucks alot now. i hate lady gaga and all that electronic beats. i like electronic music but don’t like when the wrong artist does that
@HOW MUCH: i agree, but we might not get that any time soon?
I Believe that all music evolves, many times over. Musical stylings will change back and forth. So What’s hot today will not be in the future. I beleive artist need to be open to adaptation. The R&B genre isn”t dead., It’s just got a new facelift. Production styles, the sounds, and many of the elements are quite different but some of todays sound comes from past decades stylings too. Using synths in songs is not new it just wasn’t that popular in the mulltiple genres that it is now.
“There’s only two types of music: Good and Bad
-Buddy Rich