| Contemporary R&B | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s and early 1980s,North America |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
| Fusion genres | |
Contemporary R&B is apopular musicgenre, originating fromAfrican-American musicians in the 1970s that combinesrhythm and blues with elements ofpop,soul,funk,hip hop, andelectronic music. The incorporation of pop and electronic textures and production styles, which came to prominence since the 2010s decade, brought forth a style calledelectro-R&B.[1]
The genre features a distinctiverecord production style and a smooth, lush style of vocal arrangement.Electronic influences and the use of hip hop ordance-inspiredbeats are typical, although the roughness and grit inherent in hip hop may be reduced and smoothed out. Contemporary R&B vocalists often usemelisma, and since the mid-1980s, R&B rhythms have been combined with elements of hip hop culture and music, pop culture and pop music.
According toGeoffrey Himes speaking in 1989, theprogressive soul movement of the early 1970s "expanded the musical and lyrical boundaries of [R&B] in ways that haven't been equaled since". This movement was led by soul singers, songwriters and producers such asCurtis Mayfield,Marvin Gaye, andStevie Wonder.[2]Norman Whitfield's productions atMotown, the record label of Gaye, were also pioneering for setting the soul vocals and simplehooks of earlierrhythm and blues records against strongbackbeats, vocal harmonies, and orchestral sounds, all of which thickened thetexture of the music. Gaye's own music on albums such asWhat's Going On (1971) incorporatedjazz influences that led the genre into a looser musical direction.[3]
The nearest precursor to contemporary R&B came at the end of thedisco era in the late 1970s, whenMichael Jackson andQuincy Jones added more electronic elements to the sound of the time, creating a smoother dancefloor-friendly style.[3] The first result wasOff the Wall (1979), which—according toStephen Thomas Erlewine fromAllMusic—"was a visionary album, that found a way to break disco wide open into a new world where the beat was undeniable, but not the primary focus" and "was part of a colorful tapestry of lush ballads and strings, smooth soul and pop, soft rock, and alluring funk".[4]
Richard J. Ripani wrote thatJanet Jackson'sControl (1986) was "important to the development of R&B for several reasons", as she and her producers,Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, "crafted a new sound that fuses the rhythmic elements of funk and disco, along with heavy doses of synthesizers, percussion, sound effects, and a rap music sensibility."[5] Ripani wrote that "the success of "Control" led to the incorporation of stylistic traits of rap over the next few years, and Janet Jackson was to continue to be one of the leaders in that development."[5] That same year,Teddy Riley began producing R&B recordings that included hip hop influences. This combination of R&B style and hip hop rhythms was termed "new jack swing" and was applied to artists such asKeith Sweat,Bobby Brown,Johnny Kemp, andBell Biv DeVoe.[6][7]
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Whitney Houston'sThe Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992) eventually sold over 45 million copies worldwide becoming the best-selling soundtrack of all time.[9]Janet Jackson's self-titled fifth studio albumJanet (1993), which came after her multimillion-dollar contract withVirgin Records, sold over 14 million copies worldwide.[10]Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey recorded severalBillboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, including "One Sweet Day", a collaboration between both acts, which became the longest-running No. 1 hit in Hot 100 history. Carey also released a remix of her 1995 single "Fantasy", withOl' Dirty Bastard as a feature, a collaboration format that was unheard of at this point. Carey, Boyz II Men andTLC released albums in 1994 and 1995—Daydream.
In the late 1990s,neo soul, which added 1970s soul influences to the hip-hop soul blend, arose, led by artists such asErykah Badu,Lauryn Hill andMaxwell. Hill andMissy Elliott further blurred the line between R&B and hip hop by recording both styles. Beginning in 1995, theGrammy Awards enacted theGrammy Award for Best R&B Album, withII byBoyz II Men becoming the first recipient. The award was later received byTLC forCrazySexyCool in 1996,Tony Rich forWords in 1997,Erykah Badu forBaduizm in 1998 andLauryn Hill forThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1999. In 1994 the singerAaliyah dropped her debut album and in 1996 she released her second album called "One In A Million" with different sounds and produced by Missy Elliot andTimbaland, unknown at that moment. At the end of 1999,Billboard magazine ranked Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson as the first and second most successful artists of the 1990s.[11]
Simultaneously, in the second half of the 1990s,The Neptunes and Timbaland set influential precedence on contemporary R&B and hip hop music.[12]
Writing in 2003, music criticRobert Christgau describes modern R&B as being "about texture, mood, feel—vocal and instrumental and rhythmic, articulated as they're smooshed together".[13]
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Following periods of fluctuating success,urban music attained commercial dominance during the early 2000s, which featured massivecrossover success on theBillboard charts by R&B and hip hop artists.[15]
In 2001,Alicia Keys released "Fallin'" as her debut single, peaking at number one on theBillboard Hot 100,Mainstream Top 40 andHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It won threeGrammy Awards in 2002, includingSong of the Year,Best R&B Song, andBest Female R&B Vocal Performance. It was also nominated forRecord of the Year.[17]Beyoncé's solo studio debut albumDangerously in Love (2003) has sold over 5 million copies in the United States and earned fiveGrammy Awards.[18][19]
Usher'sConfessions (2004) sold 1.1 million copies in its first week[20] and over 8 million copies in 2004, since then it has been certifiedDiamond by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and, As of 2016,[update] has sold over 10 million copies in the US and over 20 million copies worldwide.Confessions had four consecutiveBillboard Hot 100 number one singles—"Yeah!", "Burn", "Confessions Part II" and "My Boo".[21] It won three Grammy Awards in 2005, includingBest Contemporary R&B Album,Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "My Boo" andBest Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Yeah!"[22]
In 2004, all 12 songs that topped theBillboard Hot 100 were African-American recording artists and accounted for 80% of thenumber-one R&B hits that year.[15] Along with Usher's streak of singles,Top 40 radio and both pop and R&B charts were topped byOutkast's "Hey Ya!",Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot",Terror Squad's "Lean Back" andCiara's "Goodies".[15] Chris Molanphy of "The Village Voice" later remarked that "by the early 2000s, urban music "was" pop music."[15]
Between 2005 and 2009 Raymond, Knowles and Keys released albums—B'Day,Here I Stand,I Am... Sasha Fierce andThe Element of Freedom.
Mariah Carey'sThe Emancipation of Mimi (2005) debuted at number one on theBillboard 200 and earned ten Grammy Award nominations. The second single "We Belong Together" topped the Hot 100 charts for 14 weeks, and was later hailed "song of the decade" and won aGrammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2006.
The mid-2000s came with the emergence of new R&B actsAshanti,Keyshia Cole andAkon. Ashanti's eponymous debut album topped both USBillboard 200 andTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It earned her three Grammy nominations winning one for theBest Contemporary R&B Album. R&B newcomerChris Brown released his self-titled album in 2005 which debuted at number two on the"Billboard" 200. His debut single "Run It!" peaked atop on theBillboard Hot 100,Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and theUS Radio Songs.
During this time also came the emergence of R&Bsongwriters.[23]Bryan-Michael Cox co-wrote Usher's "Burn" and "Confessions Part II"(2005), Mariah Carey's "Shake It Off" and "Don't Forget About Us" (2006), and Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye"(2006).[24]Keri Hilson would co-write songsMary J. Blige's "Take Me as I Am" (2006), Omarion's "Ice Box" (2006), and Ciara's "Like a Boy"(2006).[25]Rico Love co-wrote Usher's "Throwback" (2005), Keri Hilson's "Energy"(2008),Pleasure P's "Boyfriend #2"(2008).[26]The-Dream wroteRihanna's "Umbrella"(2007),J. Holiday's "Bed" and Usher's "Moving Mountains" and "Trading Places"(2008).[27]Ne-Yo wrote Mario's "Let Me Love You", Rihanna's "Take a Bow" and "Unfaithful", Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable"(2006) and "Me & U"(2006) by Cassie.[28]
According toBillboard, the most commercially successful R&B acts of the decade wereUsher,Alicia Keys,Beyoncé,Mariah Carey,Rihanna,Chris Brown,Ne-Yo andAkon.[29]
Continuing from the 1990s and 2000s, R&B, like many other genres, drew influences from the technical innovations of the time and began to incorporate more electronic and machine-made sounds and instruments, this evolving style calledelectro-R&B slowly began dominating the genre. Historically, the electro-R&B sound had been associated with R&B songs with an electronic backbone by 1990s or 2000s girl groups likeTLC orDestiny's Child.[30] The use of effects such asAuto-Tune and new computerized synths have given R&B a more futuristic feel while still attempting to incorporate many of the genre's common themes such as love, relationships, heartbreak, and loss. As defined byApple Music, electro-R&B is "at the intersection of R&B and electronic music, creating abstract hip-hop that blends the moodier end of electro with minimal R&B beats".[31]
According to Christgau in 2017, "almost all R&B goes for voice-plus-sound rather than voice-plus-song, with the sound ranging from precision track-and-hook to idiosyncratic atmospherics."[32]
Early 2010s artists Usher and Chris Brown began embracing new electronic influences while still keeping R&B's original feel. Usher's "OMG"[33] and "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love",[34] and Chris Brown's "Yeah 3x"[35] are all EDM-oriented.
SingersMiguel,John Legend andJeremih are popular in mainstream hip hop for many collaborations with rappers such asWale,Rick Ross andJ. Cole. Today's R&B is far more diverse and incorporates more sonic elements than before, as it expands its appeal and commercial viability.[36]Trap music's influence maintained a strong presence on the music charts with R&B singerBeyoncé's songs "Drunk in Love", "Flawless" and "7/11",Bryson Tiller's debut studio album,Trapsoul andMary J. Blige's "Thick of It".[37]
Latin R&B is gaining ground since the wave of artists began mixing trap with that sound in the middle of this decade.[38] Spanish-language singles by Alex Rose,Rauw Alejandro andPaloma Mami, which borrow shrewdly from R&B, are captivating a global audience.[39] In Latin America, the genre became popular with Alex Rose's "Toda",[39] andSech's "Otro Trago".[40]
In the 2020s, R&B continued to diversify and blend with other genres, most notablyalternative R&B, a subgenre characterized by its experimental production, introspective lyrics, and departure from traditional R&B structures. Artists such asSZA,Victoria Monet,Frank Ocean, andthe Weeknd have been pivotal in bridging mainstream R&B with alternative styles, introducing ethereal soundscapes, electronic elements, and unconventional storytelling to a broader audience.[41]
Streaming platforms and social media, particularlyTikTok andSpotify, have amplified the reach of R&B music. Viral moments have catapulted songs like SZA's "Snooze" andDaniel Caesar's "Best Part (feat. H.E.R)" into global hits.[42]
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