R&B MUSIC

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CONTEMPORARY R&B

• Contemporary R&B music combines elements of rhythm and blues, soul, funk, hip hop, dance and pop.

• The term R&B originates from the traditional genre ‘rhythm and blues’.

• Today, the term refers to a genre of music originating in USA in the late 80’s, after funk and disco lost their popularity.

RHYTHM AND BLUES

• The parental genre to contemporary R&B, rhythm and blues was a term first used in the 40’s to categorize music aimed at the urban African-American market.

• In the early 50’s, blues music was frequently included in the R&B genre.

• By the mid-50’s, the term referred to electric blues, gospel and soul music.

• In the 70’s, soul and funk music was referred to as being part of the R&B genre.

• In the 80’s the R&B genre as we know it today was born.

MOTOWN

• The record label (also referred to a Tamla Motown) played an early role in influencing contemporary R&B.

• The label was largely responsible for racial integration into popular music, as there was a time when African-Americans struggled to get white DJs to play them and white consumers to buy or even listen to their music.

• The ‘Motown Sound’, developed during the 1960s, was a distinct combination of soul and pop influences. At this point, soul music was classified as R&B.

• Marvin Gaye and The Supremes have both hugely influenced contemporary R&B music, both of which were signed to the Motown music label.

MICHAEL JACKSON

• As a child, Jackson was the youngest member of The Jackson 5, also an act signed to the Motown label.

• Through his solo career, Jackson created hit after hit, with his album Thriller (1982) being the best selling album of all time.

• His music videos were exceptionally influential also, contributing to the success of MTV. The channel was relatively new at the time.

• Michael Jackson (and some of his brothers and siblings – including Janet Jackson) not only created successful music, but was also credited as a great performer. He has many signature dance moves, including the anti-gravity lean in Smooth Criminal and the moonwalk. These have been recreated multiple times in tribute to the artist.

1990-PRESENT DAY

• Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson, both R&B artists, were ranked as the two most successful artists of the 90’s.

• According to Billboard, the most commercially successful R&B acts of the 2000s include Usher, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Beyonce, Amy Winehouse and Ne-Yo.

• It was during these decades where R&B music took precedence in popular music, with some of the most successful artists having R&B musical influences.

• More recently, artists such as Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Bruno Mars and John Legend have also reached success as R&B artists.

WHAT MAKES AN R&B ARTIST

Through research into the music genre, I have concluded there are certain elements that make someone an R&B artist.

• Soulful Vocals: the artist has a soulful sounding voice

• Powerful Vocals: applies mainly to females – they have a good range and a lot of power, volume and strength in their voice

• Dance Ability: Their performances usually centre largely around dance. If the performer themselves is a good dancer there is an emphasis on both improvised dance ability and choreographed dance sequences.

• Backing Dancers: Those R&B artists who choose not to dance usually have a collection of backing dancers performing behind them in a choreographed manner.

• Piano: R&B ballads are often performed to a piano.