We have many a playlist to definitively prove there’s a lot of exceptional R&B music out there. We must, of course, take exception to this view. now everything is leanin one way smh so it gets played out quick! We need R&B for the balance no kap! Music don’t feel the same because we barely have R&B, … R&B brung that balance to music. now everything is leanin one way smh so it gets played out quick! We need R&B for the balance no kap!” tweeted “Music don’t feel the same because we barely have R&B, … R&B brung that balance to music. This was the thought expressed in February 2020 by rapper Young M.A. There are street fables that Confessions was a response to Justin Timberlake’s Justified. We’ll leave that debate to the streets, but the point is the 00’s were certainly an R&B highpoint, with R&B dominating the charts.Īnother theory that pops up a fair bit is the R&B doesn’t even really exist anymore. Not to mention Usher’s Confessions, an album packed with classic slow jam bangers that would shut clubs down even today (if, of course, they weren’t in lockdown mode). Maxwell, Floetry, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys’, John Legend, Jazmine Sullivan are just a few of the names who stayed the lane. But, nonetheless, the essence of Soul music stayed alive.

For example, Mariah’s The Emancipation of Mimi album is a significant sonic pivot from ’90s Mariah. Artists introduced to us in the ’90s, like Mariah Carey and Usher continued to release music. These use much more upbeat rhythms and signifies a notable shift in the genre.Īrtists like Chris Brown and Ciara launched their careers, bringing in a new wave, more up-tempo sound with pop and Hip Hop influences. Take Destiny’s Child’s Survivor or Amerie’s One Thing for instance. Swiftly moving on to the next decade, the ‘00s, saw an introduction of more funk, disco and faster tempo elements used more frequently in R&B. Mary J Blige’s Real Love is the example here with its booming beats and Mary’s iconic dance moves. But there were also some very present Hip-Hop influences in the genre. From Boyz II Men and SWV, to Toni Braxton and Mariah Carey. Generally, the ‘90s gave us a love for downtempo ‘slow jam’ type songs.

Major throwback feels arise when songs like Bobby Brown’s Every Little Step I Take come on at family functions and everyone heads to the floor. It certainly existed before, but the ’90s is definitely the height of R&B’s mainstream music and chart domination. The era is often referenced as the foundation of R&B. All 3 of these legends have in common that they hit the peak of their careers in the ‘90s! For so many of us 90’s babies, these are some of the greats that raised us.

Today&#39;s hip hop r&b

Today's hip hop r&b