Contemporary R&B

For the parent genre, see rhythm and blues.

Contemporary R&B, also known as simply R&B, is a
music genre that combines elements of rhythm and blues,
soul, funk, pop, hip hop and dance.
Contemporary R&B has a polished record production
style, drum machine-backed rhythms, an occasional
saxophone-laced beat to give a jazz feel (mostly common
in contemporary R&B songs prior to the year 1995) and
a smooth, lush style of vocal arrangement. Electronic inuences are becoming an increasing trend and the use of
hip hop or dance-inspired beats are typical, although the
roughness and grit inherent in hip hop may be reduced
and smoothed out. Contemporary R&B vocalists are often known for their use of melisma, popularized by vocalists such as Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Stevie Wonder,[1]
Whitney Houston[1][2][3] and Mariah Carey.[2][4][5]

History

Richard J. Ripani wrote that Janet Jacksons third studio album Control (1986) was important to the development of R&B for a number of reasons, as she and
her producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, crafted a
new sound that fuses the rhythmic elements of funk and Whitney Houston.
disco, along with heavy doses of synthesizers, percussion, sound eects, and a rap music sensibility.[6] 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.[6] That same year, Teddy Riley began producing R&B recordings that included hip hop inuences.
This combination of R&B style and hip hop rhythms was
termed new jack swing and was applied to artists such as
Bobby Brown, Keith Sweat, Al B. Sure!, Guy, Jodeci and
Bell Biv DeVoe.

1.1

1990s

In contrast to the works of Boyz II Men, Babyface and

similar artists, other R&B artists and groups from this
same period began adding even more of a hip-hop sound
to their work, like the innovative group Jodeci. The
synthesizer-heavy rhythm tracks of new jack swing were
replaced by grittier East Coast hip hop-inspired backing
tracks, resulting in a genre labeled hip hop soul by Mary J.
Blige and producer Sean Combs who also had mentored

R. Kelly was listed in 2010 by Billboard the most successful R&B

artist of the past 25 years.[7] He is also refereed to as the King of
R&B.[8]

group Jodeci in the beginning and helped them with their

unique look. The style became less popular by the end of
the 1990s, but later experienced a resurgence.
1

2
During the mid-1990s, Whitney Houstons The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album sold over 40 million
copies worldwide becoming the best-selling soundtrack
of all time.[9] Janet Jacksons self-titled fth studio album janet. (1993), which came after her historic multimillion dollar contract with Virgin Records, sold over
twenty million copies worldwide.[10][11] Boyz II Men and
Carey recorded several Billboard 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", with Ol' Dirty Bastard as a feature, a
collaboration format that was unheard of at this point.
Carey, Boyz II Men and TLC released albums in 1994
and 1995Daydream, II and CrazySexyCool.

HISTORY

R&B acts such as Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson,

Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson and Toni Braxton are
some of the best-selling music artists of all time.

1.2 2000s
Modern r&b isn't about discrete songs. Its about texture,
mood, feelvocal and instrumental and rhythmic, articulated as they're smooshed together

Robert Christgau, The Village Voice, 2003[14]

Following periods of uctuating success, urban mu-

Lauryn Hill.

In the late 1990s, neo soul, which added 1970s soul inuences to the hip hop soul blend, arose, led by artists such
as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Maxwell.
Hill and Missy Elliott further blurred the line between
R&B and hip hop by recording both styles. Beginning in
1995, the Grammy Awards enacted the Grammy Award
for Best R&B Album, with II by Boyz II Men becoming the rst recipient. The award was later received by
TLC for CrazySexyCool in 1996, Tony Rich for Words
in 1997, Erykah Badu for Baduizm in 1998 and Lauryn
Hill for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1999. At the
end of 1999, Billboard magazine ranked Mariah Carey
and Janet Jackson as the rst and second most successful
artists of the 1990s.[12]

Rihanna was cited by Billboard magazine as one of the biggest

R&B artists of the 2000s.[15]

sic attained commercial dominance during the early

2000s, which featured massive crossover success on the
Billboard charts by R&B and hip hop artists.[16] In 2004,
all 12 songs that topped Billboard Hot 100 were AfricanAmerican recording artists and accounted for 80% of the
number-one R&B hits that year.[16] Along with Ushers
streak of singles, Top 40 radio and both pop and R&B
charts were topped by OutKast's "Hey Ya!", Snoop
Dogg's "Drop It Like Its Hot", Terror Squad's "Lean
Back" and Ciara's "Goodies".[16] Chris Molanphy of The
Village Voice later remarked that by the early 2000s, ur[16]
Simultaneously, in the second half of the 1990s, The ban music was pop music.
Neptunes and Timbaland set inuential precedence on According to Billboard magazine, the most commercially
contemporary R&B and hip hop music.[13]
successful R&B acts of the decade were Usher, Beyonc,

3
Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Chris Brown and
Ne-Yo.[15]

2 See also
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

1.3

2010s

List of R&B musicians

3 References
[1] R&B at the Wayback Machine (archived March 15,
2012). Kustom Beats. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
[2] Frere-Jones, Sasha (April 3, 2006). On Top: Mariah
Careys record-breaking career at the Wayback Machine
(archived April 20, 2006). The New Yorker. CondNet.
Retrieved August 30, 2008.
[3] Jarret, Michael (October 6, 1998). Whitney Houston
Syndrome. Sound Tracks: A Musical ABC. Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1-56639-641-7.
[4] ""Vision of Love sets o melisma trend. The Village
Voice (Mcarchives.com). February 4, 2003. Retrieved
November 2, 2014.
[5] The 100 Greatest Singer of All Time : 79 Mariah Carey
at the Wayback Machine (archived March 24, 2010).
Rolling Stone. November 12, 2008. Retrieved November
22, 2008.
[6] Ripani, Richard J. (2006). The New Blue Music: Changes
in Rhythm & Blues, 19501999. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 130155, 186188. ISBN 1-57806-862-2.
[7] Concepcion, Mariel (November 18, 2010). The Juice
Presents Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25
Years. Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
Janelle Mone.

Continuing from the 1990s and early 2000s, R&B, like

many other genres, drew inuences from the technical innovations of the time and began to incorporate more electronic and machine-made sounds and instruments. The
use of eects such as Autotune and new computerized
synths have given R&B a more futuristic feel while still
attempting to incorporate many of the genres common
themes such as love and relationships. The evolutions of
the genres production and instrumentation have spurred
the successes of performers such as Beyonc, John Legend, Frank Ocean, Pharrell Williams, Miguel, Janelle
Mone, and The Weeknd, who have embraced new electronic inuences and kept R&Bs original feel. As this
electronic element continues to grow apparent throughout the genre, many of these more contemporary artists
are gaining popularity outside of R&B and continue to
collaborate with non-R&B artists. For example, singer
Miguel is popular in mainstream hip-hop for his many
collaborations with rappers such as Wale and Rick Ross.
Todays R&B is far more diverse and incorporates more
sonic elements than before, as it expands its appeal and
commercial viability.[17]

[8] Cover Story R. Kelly. Jet (Johnson Publishing Company) 95 (5): 56. 28 December 1998 4 January 1999.
ISSN 0021-5996.
[9] Gipson, Brooklyne (January 26, 2012). Adeles 21 Closing in on Billboard Charts Record. BET. Retrieved
November 2, 2014.
[10] Goldberg, Michael (May 2, 1991). The Jacksons score
big. Rolling Stone. p. 32. ISSN 0035-791X.
[11] Bickelhaupt, Susan; Dezell, Maureen (January 13, 1996).
Room with a private view. The Boston Globe. p. 26.
[12] Mayeld, Geo (December 25, 1999). Totally '90s: Diary of a decade. Billboard 111 (112). ISSN 0006-2510.
[13] Frere-Jones, Sasha (October 6, 2008). Archived October
1, 2008 at the Wayback Machine. The New Yorker. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
[14] Christgau, Robert (September 30, 2003). The Commoner Queen. The Village Voice (New York). Retrieved
October 15, 2014.
[15] Artists of the Decade Music Chart. Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2011.

4 FURTHER READING

[16] Molanphy, Chris (July 16, 2012). 100 & Single: The
R&B/Hip-Hop Factor In The Music Businesss Endless
Slump. The Village Voice Blogs. Village Voice Media.
Retrieved July 16, 2012.
[17] Bat (November 29, 2001). What is Hypersoul?". Riddim.ca. Retrieved December 11, 2013.

Further reading
Christgau, Robert (November 18, 1997). Our Love
Is the Cl!!". The Village Voice (New York).

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