As a lover of R&B, I find it heavy on my heart that we're not truly evolved in the sound and lyrical content. Everyone talks about "bring the 90s back" but that means we're going backwards. And that is not a statement that anyone truly wants to come into fruition. There needs to be a balance and it's unfortunately lopsided atm.

Female R&B is lock and loaded The ladies are pushing the genre forward. Artists such as Jazmine Sullivan, Kelela, Rochelle Jordan, Ari Lennox, SZA, Summer Walker, HER, and more have carried the genre on their backs with different lanes and perspectives. You can sonically tell them apart like a Coca Cola Freestyle machine at a McDonald's.

Male R&B on the other hand, and I say this respectfully atm, is limited. It appears there are two lanes, you either the quirky DIY genius or the s***appeal oriented model. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when the latter is 60% or more of what is presented in the male side of R&B, it becomes oversaturated. The DIY genius is cool and multitalented, but where is the interest when most of the public kinda views them as pretentious and a bit closed off.

This is where I bring up James Brown. When this man came on the scene, he was culturally earth shattering. His dynamic stage presence, guttural vocal phrasing, his band's proto break-beats, and social commentary was anomaly in a time when most Soul artists were lovey dovey and gospel influenced. He was his own man and his style birthed the genre known as Funk. A Black American sensation, he laid the groundwork of a raw, expressive lane of R&B. One that was cultural and artistic.

It's a lot to ask for but we are in need of male artists who strives to push boundaries in musicality and cultural leadership. Those who are not afraid to speak on topics that are atypical outside of the usual love, sex, and heartbreak. R&B is a genre known for it's storytelling and it's saddening that we're losing that essence of what made it impactful to not only the world but to the Black American experience. For Example, Curtis Mayfield created the soundtrack Supa Fly(1971) which was a concept album filled with socio-political issues and themes. Funk, or specifically Funksters up until the rise of Hip Hop, where the embodiment and representatives of that expressive creativity. They were the Black American versions of the Rockers that you saw throughout history(Ex. Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, George Clinton, CAMEO, Zapp, etc.) . We need more artists of that ilk that can provide new challenges, perspectives, and voices.

Special shout to guys such as Brent Faiyaz, Anderson PAAK, Corey Lingo, Diamond Cafe, Hudson East, etc. who are carrying that spirit in one way or another. Much love

Pnd out now

I aint reading allat but true

wtf do u think the weeknd is doing

Appreciate it breh

dw, just read it

you still right

Real

PND has made his mark. Most of the dudes out rn are clones of his. But I talked about my main point in depth in the post

did you read op?

he’s an OVO d*** sucker so of course he’d bring him up like he isn’t part of the problem of the current state of male R&B

unfortunately I feel very pessimistic about the likelihood of such an artist arising from our current dispensation.

yeah it’s fried

i was saying awhile ago that if Prince was to come out in this day and age he would’ve gotten called mysterious music and a flag

Don’t worry, soon come brother!

vocaroo.com/1ixhyGIZeErr (iPhone headphone mic)
vocaroo.com/170y8DOl6hdu
vocaroo.com/18erkDKJOsXs

I used to think Mystikal was it but that did not pan out

Yeah but JB and Prince were such workhorses that toured and released so much they weren't THAT mysterious.

D'Angelo and Frank however decided to never release music and be mysterious as f*** when they could have been the last few generations version of JB/Prince.

It doesn't feel like that long ago beginning of Neptunes reign

hardest working man in show business due to the completion of his skin and still was jam packed with unlimited energy on some DBZ s***.

James Brown was generational. They don't come around often pause

time is f***ed up that way

Lol they’d call him a f@​g

Damn.. that take aged worse than milk outside in the middle of summer, or Ballad In Plain D.

kinda feel like D'angelo had this potential early on, maybe I'm tripping tho

imagine if Prince dropped When Doves Cry today?

“Where the f*** is the bass ”
“Nigga always trying so hard to be different “
“We not listening to no music with no bass in it ”

it’s the truth

nigga got booed and s*** thrown at him in the 70/80s when he opened for Rick James

they would FRY him now

Sa-Ra gave me James Brown vibes idk why they came to mind for me.