Ouch! Billboard Snubs Sade, Monica, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, & Angie Stone / Adds SZA, Summer Walker, & H.E.R. to ‘Best R&B Artists of All Time’ List

Billboard has been setting social media ablaze all week with their ‘75 Best R&B Artists of All Time‘ – a countdown to honor the genre’s most game-changing artists.

Expected names like Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Brandy, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin all found entries on the tally, but discourse around their placements flooded the net – particularly because Ross, Brandy, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Usher, Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, and Mary J. Blige all ranked outside the top 10.

And while fans of the aforementioned are crying foul, supporters of acts like Sade, Ciara, and Monica are still stunned their faves were completely absent from the listing.

As we previously reported, staff of the mag’s official website created the ranking in honor of Black Music Month and ordered their picks by “enduring generational/cultural impact, vocal prowess, industry achievements, game-changing influence, body of work, and career longevity.”

With the latter two being a marker, readers were surprised to see newcomers Summer Walker, H.E.R., and SZA ranking in place of or sometimes higher than some of the more tenured acts on the tally.

Look below for a list of R&B faves who didn’t make Billboard’s cut.

Sade

Ciara

Monica

Kelly Rowland

Tina Turner

Solange

Chrisette Michele

Michael McDonald

India.Arie

Chante Moore

Jody Watley

Cheryl Lynn

Melba Moore

Mya

Janelle Monae

Angie Stone

Brian McKnight

Miguel

Tamar Braxton

Kelly Price

Tamia

Deborah Cox

Kelly Rowland

Faith Evans

Eric Benet

Mario

Jhene Aiko

Trey Songz

Betty Wright

Ginuwine

Tyrese

See the full list of who did make the final run here.