Popular Music Presentation R & B Music

ByTraci-Ann Burton, Troy Dumas,

Jonathan Grendell, Luvenia Manning, Cametrices Edwards-Ramsey

Introduction• Rhythm and blues, famously known as R&B, is the term

used for a wide range of musical styles black Americans created in the 1940s (Anjus, Chiedozie, 1999). Some of the styles under the R&B umbrella include gospel, soul, funk and even pop.

•Rhythm and Blues was and still is a term used for a number of post-war American popular music forms. The term is credited to Jerry Wexler when he was editing the charts in Billboard magazine (1947). The term was used in the chart listings from 1949 onwards and the charts in question encompassed a number of contemporary forms that emerged around that time (Peter Dean, 1997).

Cultural Background

• R&B predecessors were often credited as jazz and the blues.

• It was the music scene of urban industrial centers such as:– New York– Chicago– Los Angeles– Detroit

Cultural Background• 1948 – Black music was marketed as “rhythm

and blues”.• 1950 – It provided a template for another genre

called “rock and roll”.• 1960 – R&B market was dominated by Motown

Records, Berry Gordy.• 1970-1980 – It was a blanket for more than soul

music as it included funk and became a genre of dance music.

• 1990 – present – R&B is being referred to as “Contemporary R&B”.

Venues

• Music Channels (MTV, BET, VH1)

• Radio Stations

• Social Marketing (Night Clubs, Concerts)

Venues of Consumption

• Face book

• iTunes

• Music Videos

• YouTube

Cultural Values

• Cultural Influences

• Era and Regional Influences

• Cultural Heritage

Aesthetic Values

• Vital and aesthetically richness of R&B • Prevalent aesthetic value of R&B

• Genres that Rhythm and Blues music embraces

Aesthetic Values

• Music’s ability to affect our emotions, intellect, and psychology.

• R&B’s aesthetics include lyricism, harmony, hypnotism, emotiveness, temporal dynamics, resonance, playfulness, and color

Subcultures

• R&B was synonymous for Black Rock and Roll

• Rhythm and Blues influences forms of Rock Music, Country and Western, Gospel music, Jazz and also in Non-Western forms of music

Subcultures

• Urban Black Culture and R&B music• Mainstream American Culture and R&B

music• White Youth Culture and R&B music• Common Threads of R&B music

Trends

• Moved Release Dates• Songs About Drugs• Samples• Dubstep• Artists Getting Confused

Trends

• The Return of the Early 90’s• Same styles of fashion

Conclusion

• R&B has maintained a presence in popular culture and the influence of Jazz/Blues is still evident today’s R&B

• Radio, Internet, Television, Cell Phones will only continue the popularity of R&B

• Emotional roots of R&B still relate today• Stylistically R&B moves beyond music

References• Gracyk, T. (2008). Internet encyclopedia of philosophy. Retrieved from

http://www.iep.utm.edu/music-po/• musiclyric4christian.com. (2011). Christian music and lyrics. Retrieved from

http://www.musiclyric4christian.com/rhythm-and-blues.html•   Wikimedia Foundation. (2012). Aesthetics of music. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesthetics_of_music  • BLUES IN THE MIDWEST. (2004). Retrieved from EBSCOhost on January

14, 2012• Chiedozie, A. (1999). The History of R&B. Retrieved on January 15, 2012

from http://www.ehow.com• Dean, P. (1997). Shades of Blue. Retrieved on January 15, 2012 from

http://www.rhythmandtheblues.org• McAlpine, F. (2011). Five Trends To Watch for in 2012. Retrieved from

http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/01/five-trends-to-watch-for-in-2012/

References• Trends of Music in 2011 That Will Hopefully Stop in 2012. (n.d.).

Retrieved from http://unicornmusic.wordpress.com/2012/01/07/trends-of-music-in-2011-that-will-hopefully-stop-in-2012/