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R&B: Past and Present

Previously on “The Spotlight”, we discussed Metamorphosis: RAP to Hip-Hop.  In that addition of Real Talk we spoke on the transition of RAP from the beginning to today’s current form of Hip-Hop.  Now I venture a little further into the music realm and pose the same viewpoint to R&B.  Back in the day, singers sung about love; being in and making it.  Another thing that I noticed was that there weren’t a lot of solo artist, mostly groups in the past.  I’m not going to go ALLLLLLLLLL the way back to the beginning of R&B, just the 60’s and 70’s.  Times were definitely different back then.  What changed? Society, relationships, men, women, what? Could it be the mergence with Hip-Hop? I remember when an R&B artist wouldn’t dare curse in a song.  R&B music is (or should I say “was”) a derivative of Gospel music.  Yet and still today’s hottest R&B artist sing of strip clubs, doing atrocious things to women and men, cheating, money, drug use and other things I never would have thought sung of.  How many R&B artists today release an album without marrying it to Hip-Hop? Do you remember in the 80’s and 90’s when R&B artists used to do their own “corny” raps in a song? The lyrics were funny and pretty corny but we would still know all the words and had the understanding that they were singers not rappers.  I must admit, I miss the older style of R&B.  I don’t even listen to a lot of these newer artists, I mean don’t get me wrong there are a handful of modern artists of whom I listen.  I’m more into the Neo Soul, Jazzy type singers – the Musiq Soulchilds, the Erykah Badus, Anthony Hamiltons, Corrine Bailey Raes, Dweles and my hands down favorite male vocalist – Maxwell.  My question is has R&B downgraded  and if so, why?

We would like to know your opinion. Email us at: realtalk@spentertainmentmusicgroup.com or Call in to the show 646.727.3126.