Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article

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Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/1 "Fantasy" is a song co-written and co-produced by American singer Mariah Carey and Dave Hall, and recorded for Carey's sixth album Daydream (1995). It is built around a sample of the Tom Tom Club's single "Genius of Love" (1982), which was written by Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Steven Stanley and Adrian Belew. It was released as the album's first single in 1995 (see 1995 in music), and is one of Carey's most popular songs. The urban remix of "Fantasy" features Ol' Dirty Bastard. The album version of the song was nominated for the 1996 Grammy Award for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance", losing to "No More 'I Love Yous'" by Annie Lennox.

"Fantasy" became one of the biggest hits of Carey's career and was her ninth number-one single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was the first single by a female artist to debut at number one in the U.S., and only the second single to do so after "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson. It spent eight weeks at the top of the chart, from September 24 to November 18, 1995, Carey's longest stay at the time alongside "Dreamlover" (1993). It replaced " Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio, and was replaced by Whitney Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)". "Fantasy" spent twenty-three weeks in the top forty and was successful on other Billboard formats, including the R&B and dance charts. Its strong sales led it to be certified double platinum by the RIAA, Carey's first single to do so. It was ranked seventh on the Hot 100 year-end charts for 1995 and forty-ninth on the 1996 year-end charts.

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/2 "Don't Forget About Us" is a pop/R&B song co-written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Johnta Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox, and recorded by Carey for the re-release of her tenth studio album The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). It was co-produced by Carey, Dupri and Austin and released as the album's fifth single (fourth in North America) in late 2005 (see 2005 in music). The song reached number one in Brazil, Finland and the U.S., and the top forty elsewhere. It was nominated for two awards at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

The song is a midtempo jam that harkens back to 1990s-styled R&B, and its protagonist regrets a failed relationship that never had a proper conclusion. Unlike "We Belong Together", another song from The Emancipation of Mimi, she is not very despondent, and has accepted that her ex-lover is now seeing someone else. However, she does not want him to forget what they had when they were together: "Nothing can compare to your first true love, so I hope this will remind you, when it's for real it's forever, so don't forget about us". She also reminds her ex-lover that no matter who his new girl is, "I bet she can't do like me, she'll never be MC".

Carey has been accused of repeating formulas for her singles if they are successful. For instance, in the past, she was called out for making songs such as "Heartbreaker" (1999) and "Loverboy" (2001) too similar to other up-tempos like "Dreamlover" (1993) and "Fantasy" (1995). Several music critics have drawn parallels between "Don't Forget About Us" and "We Belong Together", the second and most successful single from The Emancipation of Mimi. Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine called the song "little more than a continuation of the previous hit ... On its own, "Forget" is a soulful, satisfying track, but it suggests that Carey has hit a creative wall".[1] Bill Lamb of About.com, in a more positive summary of the song, wrote "It doesn't mess with the brilliant formula of "We Belong Together" ... [but] those wanting variety from Mariah Carey need to look elsewhere".[2]

"Don't Forget About Us" was nominated at the 2006 BET Awards in the BET.com "Viewers' Choice" category. It was nominated for the 2007 Grammy Awards for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" and "Best R&B Song".

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/3 "Baby Boy" is a Middle Eastern- and Arabic-influenced R&B/dancehall song recorded by American artist Beyoncé featuring vocals from Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist Sean Paul Henriques. It was written by Beyoncé, Scott Storch, Sean Paul, Robert Waller, and Jay-Z for Beyoncé's debut solo album, Dangerously in Love (2003). The track was produced by Beyoncé and Storch, and was released as the album's second single in the third quarter of 2003. The lyrics speak of fantasies and its accompanying music video features sensual footages.

"Baby Boy" was commercially successful, charting the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks. The song surpassed the feat of its predecessor, "Crazy in Love", becoming Beyoncé's longest running solo number-one single, until the record was beaten by her B'Day single "Irreplaceable" in 2006. Internationally, it charted equally well, entering the top ten in most markets. The single was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association and the Recording Industry Association of America.

The song received positive reception from pop critics and the music industry. The British record company EMI was recognized at the 2005 ASCAP awards as Publisher of the Year for publishing "Baby Boy", along with other tracks by contemporary artist. The song always appeared in public performances by Beyoncé and was later honored as the Most Performed Songs in 2005.

Early in 2003, Beyoncé collaborated with Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer Sean Paul. Beyoncé told him that she had been listening to a lot of his music.[3] She also said, "I knew Sean had to be on my album because I love his approach."[4] Sean Paul revealed: "I've been a fan of her work for a long time." The two, along with Scott Storch, Robert Waller and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, who appeared on Beyoncé's 2003 single "Crazy in Love", worked in a Miami studio, a few weeks left on the recording sessions of her debut solo album Dangerously in Love.[3]

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/4 Dreamgirls is a 2006 American musical film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006, with a nationwide release on December 25, 2006 and a home video release on May 1, 2007. Dreamgirls won three awards at the 64th Golden Globe Awards ceremony in 2007, including Best Picture - Musical or Comedy, and won two Oscars at the 79th Academy Awards.

A period piece set in the 1960s and 1970s with a primarily African-American cast, Dreamgirls is adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical of the same name. The musical was based on the history and evolution of American R&B music during the eras of doo-wop, soul, the Motown Sound, funk, and disco. In addition, the stage musical contains several allusions to the lives and careers of Motown Records act The Supremes, a connection the film version expands upon.[5] Dreamgirls follows the lives of Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson, three young women who form an R&B singing trio from Detroit, Michigan called "The Dreamettes". Thanks to manipulative agent and record executive Curtis Taylor, Jr., the Dreamettes become famous as the backing group for soul singer James "Thunder" Early. Conflict arises when Curtis transforms "The Dreamettes" into the pop-friendly "Dreams," particularly when he has Deena replace Effie as both lead singer of the group and as his romantic interest.

The film adaptation of Dreamgirls stars Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson, who won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Effie White. The film also features Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Sharon Leal, and Hinton Battle. Produced by Laurence Mark, Dreamgirls was adapted for the screen by director Bill Condon from the original Broadway book by Tom Eyen and the Broadway songs by Eyen and Henry Krieger. Four new songs, composed by Krieger with various lyricists, were added for this film.

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/5 "Déjà Vu" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles featuring rapper Jay-Z. The 70s-inspired funk song was produced in 2005 for Beyoncé's second solo album, B'Day, and was the album's opening track. "Déjà Vu"'s live instrumentation is varied; including bass guitar, conga, hi-hat, horn and 808. It was part of Beyoncé's vision of making records out of live instruments, parallel to Rodney Jerkins, who co-produced the song, and John Webb's aspiration during the pre-production of "Déjà Vu". The song's title and lyrics refer to a woman constantly being reminded of a past lover.

The track was released as the album's lead single in July 2006 to mostly negative reviews from music critics. While it failed to match the success of Beyonce's 2003 single, "Crazy in Love", "Déjà Vu" entered the top ten on most charts, topping many of Billboard's component charts and also reaching number one in the United Kingdom. Although the single received several award nominations, the quality of its accompanying music video displeased fans, thousands of whom petitioned for it to be re-shot.

Beyoncé had previously collaborated with producer-songwriter Rodney Jerkins on her former group Destiny's Child's 2004 single "Lose My Breath". In 2005, Jerkins and composer John Webb began working on "Déjà Vu" for Beyoncé's album B'Day. Webb said, "Rodney and I came up with the concept of doing an old-school track, a throwback with real bass and horns; that's part of why the title is 'Déjà Vu'." Beyoncé also enlisted Delisha Thomas, Keli Nicole Price and Makeba Riddick, who made her way onto the B'Day production team after co-writing the song.[6] Jerkins recorded a demo version of the song with Makeba on vocals, and presented it to Beyoncé, who later approved.[6] Jay-Z, who is featured in the song with an extended rap, originally never planned to work with her; but when Beyoncé saw his lips moving when he first heard the track, she asked him to go to the studio and record what he had done.

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/6 "Get Me Bodied" is a hip-hop soul song written by Beyoncé Knowles, Sean Garrett, Solange Knowles, Angela Beyince, Makeba Riddick, and Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean. The track was produced by Swizz Beatz, Beyoncé and Sean Garrett, for Beyoncé's second solo studio album, B'Day (2006). She took inspiration from her sister-singer Solange and former Destiny's Child band-mate Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams during the writing process. The song's accompanying '60s-inspired music video features the three women.

The single was released as the album's fifth single in the United States on July 10, 2007. "Get Me Bodied" reached number sixty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the album's lowest charting U.S.-released single. Internationally, it appeared in Canada and Portugal singles charts.

The song was positively received by contemporary critics. "Get Me Bodied" was nominated by VH1 Soul VIBE Awards Special for Video of the Year.

During a vacation after six months of filming Dreamgirls, Beyoncé rushed to the studio to begin working on her second solo album B'Day.[7] Beyoncé revealed: "[When filming ended,] I had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas".[7] She contacted American songwriter-producer Sean Garrett, who co-wrote her 2005 hit single "Check on It", and booked him at the Sony Music Studios in New York City.[8] She also called American hip hop producer-rapper Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean who had co-produced songs for her before. Besides from her sister-singer Solange Knowles, Beyoncé enlisted her cousin Angela Beyince, who had been collaborated on her previous album Dangerously in Love, and up-and-coming songwriter Makeba Riddick, who became part of the B'Day production team after co-writing the album's lead single "Déjà Vu".

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/7 "Green Light" is an R&B-funk song written by Beyoncé Knowles, Sean Garrett, and Pharrell Williams for Beyoncé's second solo studio album, B'Day (2006). Co-produced by The Neptunes and Beyoncé, it was released as the fifth UK single on July 30, 2007. The song received mixed responses from contemporary critics.

The single performed moderately on charts. "Green Light" peaked on the UK Singles Chart at number 12 and at number 46 in Ireland. The Freemasons remix of the track peaked at number 18 on the Dutch Top 40 chart. Its accompanying music video is inspired by Robert Palmer's 1985 music video "Addicted to Love". Beyoncé considered the video her toughest shoot, and features her all-female tour band Suga Mama for the second time.

After filming Dreamgirls in which Beyoncé landed a major role, she went on a month-long vacation. While in the break, she went to the studio to start working on her second solo album, B'Day.[6] She was inspired by her role and she "had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas".[6] Beyoncé contacted American singer-songwriter Sean Garrett, who had worked with her in Destiny's Child and on her 2006 single "Check On It".[8] Together with Pharrell Williams, who had also previously collaborated with Beyoncé, Garrett was booked to Sony Music Studios in New York City, each had studio to work in.[8] The track was co-produced by Beyoncé and The Neptunes, along with "Kitty Kat", and was recorded by Jim Caruana and mixed by Jason Goldstein at the same studio.

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/8 "Irreplaceable" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé Knowles. The song was written by Beyoncé, Ne-Yo, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and co-produced by Stargate and Beyoncé for her second solo album, B'Day (2006). Originally not created for her, Beyoncé re-arranged the demo presented by the producers—a country-turned-R&B-pop song. The lyrics refer to breaking up with an unfaithful man, part of Beyoncé and Ne-Yo's vision of creating a record that people could relate to, and was considered an anthem to female empowerment.

Following the less successful chart performances of "Déjà Vu" and "Ring the Alarm", "Irreplaceable" was released on December 5, 2006 in the United States as the album's third single, and the second single in most international music markets. "Irreplaceable" was a worldwide commercial and critical success, becoming Beyoncé's second best-selling single in her solo career after "Crazy In Love" and B'Day's most successful release. The single performed well on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, remaining at the top spot for ten consecutive weeks. Certified as multi-platinum, "Irreplaceable" was one of the best-selling singles in 2007, and its addition to Beyoncé's achievements establishes her among the most successful female artists to date.

"Irreplaceable" was lauded by contemporary critics, citing its distinct production compared with most tracks featured on the album. The song won awards, including one during the 2007 Soul Train Music Award. The single's music video features the debut performance of Beyoncé's all-female band Suga Mama, and earned Beyoncé additional awards.

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/9 "Lose My Breath" is an R&B-dance-pop song performed by the American group Destiny's Child. It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins III, Sean Garrett, and Shawn "Jay-Z" Corey Carter for Destiny's Child's fourth studio album, Destiny Fulfilled (2004). The song was already developed by Jerkins before it came to Destiny's Child. After hearing the song, they further improved it with help from Jay-Z.

"Lose My Breath" was released as the album's lead single in late 2004, considered as their comeback after a three-year hiatus. The single was critically and commercially successful, receiving positive responses from critics and the public. "Lose My Breath" reached the top spot on most charts in Europe, making it one of Destiny's Child's most successful single releases.

The song was nominated at the 2005 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo Or Group. The single's music video, which features Destiny's Child in three characters, also received nominations.

American record producer Rodney Jerkins, who had previously collaborated with the group on the 2000 single "Say My Name", had worked on the material before Destiny's Child knew about it. Beyoncé Knowles and Michelle Williams heard only the drums of the track and they liked it. They went to their band mate Kelly Rowland, who was excited without hearing it after seeing their expressions. Alongside Jerkins, the group asked for help from American rapper Jay-Z. Jay-Z made a chorus without hearing the track. They took the chorus and wrote the verses and bridge around it.[9]

"Lose My Breath" is an R&B song performed with a dance beat.[10] The song is composed in the key of E♭ major and is set in common time.[10] The song features drum sequence and choppy beats with hand-clappy percussion and clipped synthesizer blips.[11][12] The lyrics are constructed in the chorus-verse pattern. The song opens with a chorus following Beyoncé's rendition of the first verses. The chorus follows, leading to Rowland's second verses. The chorus is repeated twice before the bridge by Michelle. The trio sings together in a short ad lib ending with a repeated chorus.

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/10 "Ring the Alarm" is an R&B-hip hop song written by Beyoncé Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and Sean Garrett for Beyoncé's second solo album, B'Day (2006). The lyrics speak about a threatened woman with her cheating man. It is noted for its aggressive tone, compared to other tracks in the album.

"Ring the Alarm" was released as the second single to mixed reception. The single debuted at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Beyoncé's highest US entry on her entire musical career. It reached number 11 on the Hot 100, and was B'Day's second lowest charting US-released single, after "Get Me Bodied" peaked at number 68. The song was nominated at the 49th Grammy Awards. The single's music video is inspired by the 1992 film Basic Instinct.

In 2006, Beyoncé landed on a starring role for a Broadway musical adaptation Dreamgirls, that "heavily" inspired the content and music of the album.[7] While having a vacation after six months of filming, she rushed to the studio to begin working on her second solo album B'Day.[7] Beyoncé revealed: "[When filming ended,] I had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas".[7] She called up American songwriter and record producer Sean Garrett, who co-wrote her 2005 multi-platinum single "Check on It", along with Rodney Jerkins and Rich Harrison.[8] She also contacted American hip hop producer-rapper Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, who also co-produced "Check on It".[7] Beyoncé rented Sony Music Studios and booked Garrett, along with other producers, each with one room to work in.[8] He revealed: "I came to the studio and saw the zone…everybody in here is banging out. Rodney Jerkins had his session, Rich Harrison had his session going on…I started banging out some shit."[7] "Ring the Alarm" ended up co-written by Beyoncé, Garrett and Swizz Beatz.[13]

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/11 "We Belong Together" is a pop/R&B song recorded by Mariah Carey for her tenth studio album The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) and released as the album's second single in 2005. Written and produced by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johnta Austin, the song was inspired by 1980s R&B and soul. Its arrangement is built on simple piano chords and an understated back beat, and its lyrics chronicle a woman's desperation for her former lover to return after their separation.

Following a career-decline between 2001 and 2003, Carey achieved considerable success with "We Belong Together" as the song topped the charts in many countries, including Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Philippines, South Africa, and the United States Billboard Hot 100 for fourteen non-consecutive weeks. The song is also the most successful song by a female artist in the history of Billboard.

In the U.S., the song also repeatedly broke many BDS Airplay records. The song was warmly received by critics, and won Carey a number of industry awards, including two Grammy Awards in 2006.

Further information: The Emancipation of Mimi

"We Belong Together" was not composed until late into the production of The Emancipation of Mimi.[14] Following an unsuccessful career period between 2001 and 2003, Carey began production on the album in 2004. By November of that year she had considered the album complete, but some of what became its more popular tracks had yet to be written.[14] Antonio "L.A." Reid, the chairman of Island Def Jam Records, encouraged Carey to attempt additional studio sessions with producer Jermaine Dupri. "L.A. was like, 'You and Jermaine Dupri make magic together, why aren't you in the studio with him?'" she recalled. "'I said, 'I love Jermaine, is he free? I know he's doing a million things.' [...] But Jermaine said, 'Come on down.'"[14]

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/12 "Burn" is an R&B-ballad song written by American singers-rappers and songwriters Usher, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. The song was produced by Dupri and Cox for Usher's fourth studio album Confessions (2004). "Burn" is about breakup in a relationship, and the public referred to it as an allusion to Usher's personal struggles.

Originally planned as the album's lead single, "Burn" was pushed back after favorable responses for the song "Yeah!". The song was released as the second single from the album in July 2004. The single topped various charts around the world, including the Billboard Hot 100 for eight non-consecutive weeks; however, it failed to attain the same success of its predecessor. "Burn" was certified platinum in Australia and gold in New Zealand and United States. The song was well-received by critics and garnered award nominations.

When Usher planned to make a new record after his third album, 8701, he decided to not branch out that much with musical collaborators and continue building music with his previous producers. Usher again enlisted record-producer Jermaine Dupri, who had collaborated on his two previous albums, along with The Neptunes, R. Kelly, among others to work on his fourth studio album Confessions. Dupri contacted his frequent collaborator Bryan-Michael Cox, who had also made hits like the 2001 single "U Got It Bad" for Usher. During the early session for the album, Dupri and Cox talked about a situation which later became "Burn". At that time, Usher's relationship with his two-year relationship with TLC's Chilli was flaming out.They said, "Yo, you gotta let that burn... That's a song right there", and started writing.

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/13 "My Boo" is a duet between Usher and Alicia Keys, written by Jermaine Dupri, Keys, Usher, Manuel Seal and Adonis Shropshire. Set over a hip hop-style track, the song was produced by Dupri. It was included in the re-release of Usher's fourth album Confessions. The song received mixed reviews from critics, and garnered awards.

The song was released as the fourth single from the album in 2004. The single stayed on the top of Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks, but failed to equal the success of the album's first two releases, "Yeah!" and "Burn".

Usher and American R&B-soul singer Alicia Keys had previously collaborated with the remix of Keys' 2004 single "If I Ain't Got You", which was released in the United Kingdom. During the production of Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions, they thought for various female singers to pair him with the song. However, Jermaine Dupri, who co-wrote the song including Usher's number-one hits "Yeah!", "Burn" and "Confessions Part II", felt that he had established good relationship with Keys since she had worked with him and Usher.

Dupri based the concept of the song from the perspective of Keys and Usher had relationship in the past.For him, Usher and Keys "talk about how they used to be in love and how those feelings are still lingering despite the two not being involved anymore."[15] For Keys, "The song is talking about the first person you ever really had feelings for. I think we all know what that feels like. Even though you move on and meet new people, you always remember that first person."

"My Boo" is an R&B-hip hop song with a mid-tempo melody. It is composed in the key of F major, in common time. The lyrics are constructed in verse-chorus-chorus form. Usher starts the intro, and Keys followed her rap-intro, with background vocals from Usher. He proceeds to the first verse and chorus, leading to Keys singing another chorus, altering some of the lyrics of the original chorus to create a dialogue. Keys sings the second verse and Usher for the chorus, with background vocals from Keys. Keys repeats her version for the chorus. The song breaks with Usher and Keys singing "My oh, My oh, My oh, My oh, My Boo", one after the other. Usher repeats the chorus again, and they sing the intro of Keys.

Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Selected article/14 "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" is a song performed by American pop singer Justin Timberlake. The track was created after Justin and collaborators Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills were fooling around Timbaland's studio in Virginia Beach. They produced the song for Timberlake's second solo studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006). The song has similarities to "Cry Me a River"; although Timberlake disclosed to whom he wrote the song, the public had generated their lyrical interpretation.

The track was released as the third single from the album early in 2007. It became Timberlake's third consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The international chart performance of the single failed to match its domestic success, never reaching the top spot. The single's music video features "real" artists and is considered a short film. "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" was certified multi-platinum.

The song received mixed responses from critics. It was nominated for Record of the Year and won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

After the release of his debut solo album Justified in 2002, Timberlake thought he "lost his voice" in the sense of "not liking what he was doing".He felt "burnt out" after Justified's release; this partly changed his career's direction, opting to work in films and took a break from the music industry.[16]

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