Artists like The Weeknd and frank may make some rnb but overall they’re genreless so there’s no point in lumping them in

Even The Weeknd’s first 2 projects had a lot of influence other than rnb, he was crooning over beach house samples

R&B isn’t prominent because the youngins just want to make songs about f***ing eachothers b**** instead of making love music.

You know what here's a question. Just what the f*** even is R&B to a lot of y'all? Cause just going through this thread everyone seems to have some kinda different idea as to what is and isn't R&B, despite artists and producers who are making the music themselves are saying it is R&B.

Like who the f*** even are y'all b?

Almost every r&b threads ends w niggas arguing whether Abel is r&b and whether he isn’t.

The actual term “r&b” had no meaning beyond Black person who sings. The s*** niggas have considered to be r&b has changed damn near ever decade

Me personally I see him as both r&b and pop

Because he is lol

People really wanna call Trilogy and Kiss Land darkwave before R&B because it's not pop lmfaoooooo i'm crying. The way these niggas go their way to discredit someone for not being pure r&b is hilarious when the whole market is filled with saturated r&b

I still like their first album better but both are good

I was just pointing out that dvsn could’ve brought back the 90s sound and didn’t

I still think that the line is their best song too

Nah still put out quality music after and had popular songs

People are just mad that Abel isn’t making the same music he made in 2011, yet in the same breath chastise the genre for being too stagnant..when it’s the trilogy sound a lot of these guys are chasing

ovo curse

broooo majid jordan

Yeah this

Also not all artists need to be boxed into one specific genre. The Weeknd being called strictly rnb still is basically saying “black and sings”

What KTT know about Kem tho?

Yep, and this is very much a time where it's okay to take from other things and add it into whatever it is you do or make. Back then, you'd probably get yelled at by your production team for making something that was "too hip-hop" or "too pop" when it came to r&b purist but that had a lot to do with how strong of a genre it was, and it could sell records off its own traits. Which is why I just take "rnb" now for what it is, cause it makes sense it is the way it is now

Ok so frank dropped one “inherently” rnb type project a decade ago since then he’s only dabbled in it occasionally here and there....and that makes him different from kevin parker how exactly?

You’re being completely arbitrary

Abel dropped multiple alternative rnb projects almost a decade ago sure but his last what 3-4 records have been pop, electronic s*** right? Ive listened to both extensively and imma just tell yk there is virtually no difference in the style of music the xx and abel make. None. Both play with elements of indie house pop rnb and electronic but that doesn’t make EITHER RnB artists.

Brent faiyaz is an RnB artist, 6lack is an RnB artist, dvsn etc i can go on

Also james blake is virtually identical to frank too in the kind of style of music they make intrinsically and it aint RnB bro

Im all for you saying ok lets widen the definition of what Rnb means especially since it’s been the most influential genre in basically every other genre of music but none of the above artists I mentioned would call themselves “RnB” which is what the thread is talking about.

R&B doesn't really have a place in today's climate

I don't mean that in a bad way or in my own opinion either

Majid Jordan is a lot more pop influenced imo or even alternative influenced, like I guess their sound is kinda like la roux. But they’ve dropped so many great records even their good people’s record

the weeknd literally samples

beach house
cocteau twins
portishead
Siouxsie and the banshees

yes the weeknd is closer to those guys than his peers, his success was due to him being the furthest thing from his peers

BBTM is more pop than r&b IMO so i’ll just leave that alone

you can’t argue starboy and i’ll leave MDM alone bc those synths telling me otherwise but i’ll let you have that one bc of his vocals.

bryson tiller’s pop rap is closer in sound and references r&b more often than weeknd. this isn’t even subjective, bryson’s music is influenced more largely by r&b

there is no abel without r&b but his source of influences is so massive and widespread, it’s hard to reasonably pick out the r&b elements.

it’s not in the drums, it’s not in the melodies, it’s definitely not in the chord progressions he uses. weeknd tracks play out and organized like pop songs, you tell me if you hear the same progressions you would hear on a maxwell record, on a d’angelo record, on a prince record, on ANY weeknd record.

you’re just wrong about this one bro

What the hell are you talking about

i miss mainstream r&b singers that could sing their asses off i.e early 90s
thankfully that ovo mumble r&b s*** is fading away now

Nah I was just saying they went away from that golden age of rnb type sound cause they started incorporating that 2010s sound on their second and then their third almost went in a kind of snoh Allegra bleak barebones direction

R&B is rhythm and blues...so blues = soul...it derives from gospel and soul music....without the soul....its not r&b. Feel me?

I remember I read an article/interview about FKA Twigs and she was talking about how when writers/bloggers didn’t know what she looked like they classed her s*** has alt, pop, etc but as soon as they found out she was black they put her in the r&b box

yeh i was just going on a tangent thinking about ovo signees cause you were talking about dvsn

how is appreciating his wide array of influence a discredit to him...