vingu

3mo

another aquila joint as usual posting the best threads on this god forsaken site

Elric

3mo

Fewtch the modern Ray Charles (ayy, trap star, ayy, brett favre, ayy, money, cars, ayy)

Tilia

3mo

Pnd out now

Aquilla

3mo

· edited

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

X7JQ9L2MF4A8Z

3mo

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 ”

internet buddy

3mo

That’s over with
Elvis, James, Kraftwerk, etc.
We’re not getting that type of revolutionary s*** anymore

009

3mo

I feel like if Teezo started singing for real like consistently he'd surprise a lot of people. For the record I'm not comparing him to James Brown. There will never ever be another James. The stars were aligned just right to make that happen.

Aquilla

3mo

I've shouted them out near the end of my post. That's another factor too, not a lot of attention put on those guys

MCMIC13

3mo

We have bruno mars no???

vingu

3mo

· edited

i agree of course and i'd add here that the common denominator for me is the lack of VOCALS and the overall lack of appreciation for them. when r&b doesn't value vocals it's like what we even doing, like what differentiates this music from rap, really. most of these mfs can't sing without the melodyne or antares crutch, and im not talking about folks that use it stylistically. i appreciate you mentioning actually talented female vocalists but sza and summer walker in particular are kinda part of this problem, and it's no secret they're way outsized in their popularity compared to the other ladies you mentioned. and male r&b... don't even get me started.

if it were up to me jazmine sullivan would be where sza's at now but i digress don't want any sza fan hate. it's not that i think she doesn't have talent, she's a very skilled songwriter and a great lyricist, but if you can't even sing live without live pitch correction that's a problem for me personally. i can't even stand to listen to her records because they're so slathered in autotuned sparkly compression that makes the voice sound like AI. that's why they be so easy to make AI models from! lol. i come to r&b and soul to hear REAL VOICES. and great songwriting of course.

that don't even mean i need dusty ass neo soul (which i love). everything about the production could be "artificial" as long as the VOICE isn't. rochelle jordan is an amazing example of this actually, and 90s uk electronic/d&b as a whole.

earthwalka

3mo

yea there's not a lot of attention on R&B in general now I will concede that the women of R&B have been able to garner mass appeal in ways that the men have not. One reason I think it's because the men are not as forward facing as the women are. less performances, less theatrics, even less just showing their face.

inspoeater

3mo

It can be out there but its way too many people making music to where a musician/ vocalist has to be just as talented at marketing even to a point where a more skilled manager or marketer discovers them

internet buddy

3mo

You think Elvis would’ve had the time and energy to grow his craft if he had to be Tom Parker as well?

GodzillaMinusOne

3mo

We're gonna have a funky good time