Contemporary R&B

Contemporary R&B
Stylistic origins	Soul Pop R&B Hip-Hop
Cultural origins	Early 1980s North America; New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto
Typical instruments	Synthesizers - Keyboard - Drum machine - vocals (sometimes rapping)
Subgenres
Quiet storm
Fusion genres
New jack swing – Hip hop soul – Neo soul – 2-step – R&B Punk
Other topics
Musicians

Contemporary R&B (also known as R&B) is a music genre of western popular music. Although the acronym “R&B” originates from its association with traditional rhythm and blues music, the term R&B is today most often used to define a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in the 1980s. This newer style combines elements of soul, funk, dance, and, from 1986 on with the advent of New Jack Swing branded R&B, hip hop.

The abbreviation R&B is almost always used instead of the full rhythm and blues term, although some sources refer to the style as urban contemporary (the name of the radio format that plays hip hop and contemporary R&B).

Contemporary R&B has a slick, electronic record production style, drum machine-backed rhythms, the occasional guitar riff to give the song a rock feel, the occasional saxophone solo to give a jazz feel (mostly common in R&B songs prior to the year 1993), and a smooth, lush style of vocal arrangement. Uses of hip hop-inspired beats are typical, although the roughness and grit inherent in hip hop is usually reduced and smoothed out. R&B vocalists are often known for their use of melisma, which was popularized by Mariah Carey.

History

1980s

With the transition from soul and disco to R&B in the early to mid 1980s, new stars such as Prince and Michael Jackson rose in pop. Jackson's Thriller re-popularized black music with pop audiences after a post-disco backlash among United States mainstream audiences.

Female R&B singers such as Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson became very popular during the second half of the 1980s, and Tina Turner came back with a series of hits with crossover appeal. Also popular was New Edition, a group of teenagers who served as the prototype for later boy bands.

In 1986, Teddy Riley began producing R&B recordings that included influences from the increasingly popular genre of hip hop. This combination of R&B style and hip hop rhythms was termed new jack swing, and was applied to artists such as Keith Sweat, Guy, Jodeci, Bell Biv DeVoe, and the popular late 1980s/early 1990s work of Michael Jackson. Another popular, but short-lived group (with more pronounced R&B roots) was Levert. In the late 1980s, George Michael become one of Britain's best-known Contemporary R&B musicians. His debut album Faith went to the top of the R&B album chart in the US, making him the first white artist to achieve this honor. Faith produced an amazing chart-topping singles, including a U.S. R&B number-one hit. The album also won several music award including the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

1990s

During the early 1990s, new jack swing/R&B group Boyz II Men, the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time, re-popularized classic soul-inspired vocal harmonies. Several similar groups (such as Shai, Soul for Real, Az Yet, All-4-One, and Dru Hill) followed in their footsteps. Boyz II Men and several of their competitors benefited from producers such as Babyface and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. As a solo artist, Babyface and contemporaries such as Brian McKnight eschewed prominent hip hop influences, and recorded in a smooth, soft style of R&B.

In contrast to the works of Boyz II Men, Babyface and similar artists, other R&B artists from this same period began adding even more of a hip hop sound to their work. The synthesizer-heavy rhythm tracks of new jack swing was replaced by grittier East Coast hip hop-inspired backing tracks, resulting in a genre labeled hip hop soul by producer Sean Combs. Hip hop soul artists such as Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, R. Kelly, Monica, Brandy, Ginuwine, Usher and Aaliyah brought more of hip hop slang, suggestive or explicitly sexual lyrics, style, and attitude to R&B music. This subgenre includes a heavy gospel influence in terms of vocal inflections and sounds. The style became less popular by the end of the 1990s, but later experienced a resurgence.

During the mid 1990s, Mariah Carey, girl groups TLC and SWV and Boyz II Men brought contemporary R&B to the mainstream. Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey recorded several Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits, including "One Sweet Day", a collaboration between both acts which became the longest-running number-one hit in Hot 100 history.

Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and TLC released albums in 1994 and 1995—Daydream, II , and CrazySexyCool respectively — that sold over ten million copies, earning them diamond RIAA certification. Other top-selling R&B artists from this era included Vanessa L. Williams,Toni Braxton, Ginuwine, Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Monica, Mya, Aaliyah, Usher and R. Kelly, and groups En Vogue, BLACKstreet, Salt-N-Pepa, SWV, Jodeci/K-Ci & JoJo and Destiny's Child.

In the late 1990s, neo soul (which added 1970s soul influences to the hip hop soul blend) arose, led by artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell. Artists such as like Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott further blurred the line between R&B and hip hop by recording both styles.

2000s

In the United Kingdom, R&B found its way into the UK garage subgenre of 2-step, typified by R&B-style singing accompanied by breakbeat/drum and bass rhythms. Among the most notable 2-step acts are Mis-Teeq, Lisa Maffia and Craig David, who crossed over to American R&B audiences in the early 2000s.

Soulful R&B continues to be popular, with artists such as Jennifer Hudson, Mary J Blige, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Mario, Alicia Keys, Lyfe Jennings, Tyrese, Anthony Hamilton,Ashanti, Chris Brown,Ne-Yo, Pink, and John Legend showcasing classic influences in their work.

Top selling solo singers

Artist	WW Sales	US Sales	Period	Source
1. Michael Jackson	750 million	61.5 million	1967–present
2. Mariah Carey	230 million	62.5 million	1990–present
3. R. Kelly	150 million	33 million	1991–present
4. Janet Jackson	100 million	26 million	1986–present
5. Mary J. Blige	40 million	18 million	1992–present
6. Toni Braxton	40 million	19.5 million	1993–present
7. Usher	35 million	19.5 million	1994–present
8. Brandy	30 million	10.5 million	1994–present
9. Alicia Keys	28 million	14 million	2001–present
10. Beyoncé	75 million	11 million	1997–present

Top selling albums

Artist	WW Sales	US Sales	Year	Source
1. R. by R. Kelly	20 million	8 million	1998
2. Confessions by Usher	19 million	9 million	2004
3. CrazySexyCool by TLC	15 million	11 million	1994
3. The Miseducation of ... by Lauryn Hill	15 million	8 million	1998
5. Never S-A-Y Never by Brandy	14 million	5 million	1998
6. The Writings On The Wall by Destiny's Child	13 million	8 million	1998
7. Songs In A Minor by Alicia Keys	11 million	6 million	2001
8. The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey	10 million	6 million	2005	References See also List of R&B musicians Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs List of the biggest selling R&B/Hip Hop albums of all time in the United States