Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye to Rihanna, Beyonce, Usher and Chris Brown. They’re all R&B artists. And they’re really good R&B artists.
R&B (Rhythm & Blues) dates all the way back to the 1940s when the likes of Cab Calloway, The Harlem Hamfats, Count Basie and Louis Jordan came to prominence. Eight years later in 1948, music journalist and record producer Jerry Wexler derived the term R&B for this genre of music. R&B was originally used by record companies to refer predominantly to African-Americans at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular.
The commercial R&B music typical of bands from the 50s through to the 70s, usually consisted of piano, one or two guitars, saxophone, bass, drums, and sometimes even background vocalists. The 50s was largely dominated by artists Ray Charles and Ruth Brown, as well as vocal groups like The Drifters and The Coasters, it was only then when the genre began to metamorphose into soul.
Famous tracks from these artists in the 50s include "Bad Blood” by The Coasters which carries the theme of a guys night out and has an energetic, boisterous and freewheeling mood to it, comprising of a pop but also rock and roll feel. “Come Back (Baby)” by music phenomenon Ray Charles was also an extremely popular track, encapsulating elements of blues and soul to mix up the R&B tendencies.
Later Doo Wop, funk, dance, disco, blues and other forms of R&B music began to develop in the industry. R&B has been forever changing and encompassing new elements to evolve the genre, including components of soul, jazz, hip hop and rock. The 21st century particularly has introduced a new type of R&B featuring lighter lyrical subjects and faster beats.
Gradually, more and more artists are experimenting with the genre, developing it and revolutionising it to bring a new sound and feel. Up-tempo beats with a faster pace are common with experimental features ranging across a range of genres.
Artists to date are also experimenting with the R&B genre for each of their individual tracks produced. It’s not uncommon to discover that a song by an artist in the 21st century is R&B combined with another genre, including hip hop or pop. It is rare that a group or artist is solely an R&B producer, as they are renowned for mixing up their musical tendencies and vibes to produce fresh and different concoctions. Controversial singer-songwriter Justin Bieber evolved his music brand and overall artist outlook for himself by transitioning from elements of teen pop and R&B from tracks including “Favourite Girl” and “Baby” to more of an EDM vibe seen in “Where Are U Now” and “What Do You Mean?” inspired by electronic music producers Skrillex and Diplo.
To listen to R&B in years gone by would be extremely different to the type of evolved genre material that more recent artists are producing. In the 40s and 50s it was common to see groups singing about the meaning of love. However, recently song meanings have become less serious and much more light-hearted. The 1953 track "I Want You To Be My Baby" by Louis Jordan, despite the jazz-like and upbeat tempo connotes romantic feelings and meanings in comparison to the 2006 track by Rihanna titled “Unfaithful” which is a complete contrast, suggesting infidelity and cheating, a notion that would have likely rarely been featured in earlier R&B tracks.
Previous to the kind of lyrics we hear in R&B tracks today, which include prominent themes about the triumphs and failures of relationships, economics, aspirations, freedom, and sex; it was more regular for artists of the 40s to the 70s also to sing about and express the African-American experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy.
In the 21st century the term R&B still, in many contexts, categorises music made my black musicians and suggests a distinct genre style in comparison to music produced by other musicians.
R&B music does demonstrate a marxist development from when and how it first originated. Despite the lyrical contexts of most tracks from this genre referring to African-American pain and fight for freedom, it is clear to see that R&B, while still being largely dominated by African-Americans, has made an obvious step forward socially and historically. 21st century African-Americans now typically refer to money, expensive jewellery, fame, sex and women, with a few exceptions including the likes of Nico and Vinz who have produced tracks focusing on African-American advancement.
It is clear to see that the genre has made social, historical and musical advances over time. But one thing that has remained the same is the quality of music and the quality of the artists.
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