Contemporary R&B

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Contemporary R&B
Stylistic origins
Cultural origins
Typical instruments
Mainstream popularity Moderate since 1980s around the world, especially in recent years in the United States
Subgenres
Quiet storm
Fusion genres
New jack swing - Hip hop soul - Neo soul - 2-step - R&B/Soul - R&B Punk
Other topics
Musicians

Contemporary R&B (also known as R&B, singing with a rhythmic beat, urban pop, R'n'B, RnB, Hip Pop R&B or Heavy R&B) is a music genre of American popular music, the current iteration of the genre that began in the 1940s as rhythm and blues music. Although the acronym "R&B" originates from its association with traditional rhythm and blues music, the term R&B is today most often used to define a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in the 1980s. This newer style combines elements of soul, funk, dance, and, from 1986 on with the advent of New Jack Swing branded R&B, hip hop.

The abbreviation R&B is almost always used instead of the full rhythm and blues term, although some sources refer to the style as urban contemporary (the name of the radio format that plays hip hop and contemporary R&B) .

Contemporary R&B has a slick, electronic record production style, drum machine-backed rhythms, and a smooth, lush style of vocal arrangement. Uses of hip hop-inspired beats are typical, although the roughness and grit inherent in hip hop is usually reduced and smoothed out. R&B vocalists are often known for their use of melisma.

Contents

[edit] History

With the transition from soul and disco to R&B in the early to mid 1980s, new stars such as Prince and Michael Jackson rose in popularity. Jackson's Thriller re-popularized black music with pop audiences after a post-disco backlash among United States mainstream audiences.

Female R&B singers such as Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson became very popular during the second half of the 1980s, and Tina Turner came back with a series of hits with crossover appeal. Also popular was New Edition, a group of teenagers who served as the prototype for later boy bands.

In 1986, Teddy Riley began producing R&B recordings that included influences from the increasingly popular genre of hip hop. This combination of R&B style and hip hop rhythms was termed new jack swing, and was applied to artists such as Keith Sweat, Guy, Jodeci, Bell Biv DeVoe, and the popular late 1980s/early 1990s work of Michael Jackson. Another popular, but short-lived group (with more pronounced R&B roots) was Levert.

In the late 1980s, George Michael become one of Britain's best-known Contemporary R&B musicians. His debut album Faith went to the top of the R&B album chart in the US, making him the first white artist to achieve this honor. Faith produced an amazing chart-topping singles, including a U.S. R&B number-one hit. The album also won several music award including the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

During the early 1990s, new jack swing/R&B group Boyz II Men, the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time, re-popularized classic soul-inspired vocal harmonies. Several similar groups (such as Shai, Soul for Real, Az Yet, All-4-One, and Dru Hill) followed in their footsteps. Boyz II Men and several of their competitors benefited from producers such as Babyface and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. As a solo artist, Babyface and contemporaries such as Brian McKnight eschewed prominent hip hop influences, and recorded in a smooth, soft style of R&B.

In contrast to the works of Boyz II Men, Babyface and similar artists, Other R&B artists from this same period began adding even more of a hip hop sound to their work. The synthesizer-heavy rhythm tracks of new jack swing was replaced by grittier East Coast hip hop-inspired backing tracks, resulting in a genre labeled hip hop soul by producer Sean Combs. Hip hop soul artists such as Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, Monica, Brandy, Ginuwine, Usher and Aaliyah brought more of hip hop slang, style, and attitude to R&B music. This subgenre includes a heavy gospel influence in terms of vocal inflections and sounds. The style became less popular by the end of the 1990s, but later experienced a resurgence.

During the mid 1990s, Mariah Carey, girl groups TLC and SWV and Boyz II Men brought contemporary R&B to the mainstream. Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey recorded several Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits, including "One Sweet Day", a collaboration between both acts which became the longest-running number-one hit in Hot 100 history.

Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and TLC released albums in 1994 and 1995—Daydream, II , and CrazySexyCool respectively — that sold over ten million copies, earning them diamond RIAA certification. Other top-selling R&B artists from this era included Vanessa L. Williams,Toni Braxton, Ginuwine, Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Monica, Usher and R. Kelly, and groups En Vogue, BLACKstreet, Salt-N-Pepa, SWV, Jodeci/K-Ci & JoJo and Destiny's Child in the late 1990s.

In the late 1990s, neo soul (which added 1970s soul influences to the hip hop soul blend) arose, led by artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell. Artists such as Missy Elliott further blurred the line between R&B and hip hop by recording both styles.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the influence of R&B on dance could be heard in the work of several artists, such as Jennifer Lopez, *NSYNC and 98 Degrees. *NSYNC's lead singer, Justin Timberlake, released recordings with heavy influences from both R&B and dance/hip hop music. Other stars who performed heavily R&B-influenced pop music include Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Fergie, Nicole Scherzinger, and Nelly Furtado.

In the United Kingdom, R&B found its way into the UK garage subgenre of 2-step, typified by R&B-style singing accompanied by breakbeat/drum and bass rhythms. Among the most notable 2-step acts are Mario, B2K, Immature Mis-Teeq, Lisa Maffia and Craig David, who crossed over to American R&B audiences in the early 2000s.

[edit] In the 2000s

By the 2000s, the cross-pollination between R&B and hip hop had increased. Usher had began to dominate Mainstream modern R&B has a sound more based on rhythm than hip hop soul had, and lacks the hardcore and soulful urban "grinding" feel on which hip-hop soul relied. That rhythmic element descends from new jack swing. Some of the most prominent R&B musicians today include artists such as Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Mario, J. Holiday, Ashanti, Ciara, Usher, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Khia, Marques Houston, Omarion, T-Pain, Akon, Mary J. Blige, Keyshia Cole, and Trey Songz.

Soulful R&B continues to be popular, with artists such as Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Corinne Bailey Rae, Amy Winehouse, Anthony Hamilton, and John Legend showcasing classic influences in their work. Some R&B singers have also used elements of Caribbean music in their work, especially dancehall and reggaeton.

[edit] References

  • "Urban". All Music Guide'. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  • "Contemporary R&B". All music Guide'. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
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Contemporary R&B
Other topics

[edit] See also