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I’ve always loved R&B music. The sound is soulful, and the vulnerable lyrics always resonated more than any other genre of music. When I woke up to my mother blasting it on Sunday morning, I always knew I had permission to have a slow, easy start to the day.
Kehlani’s World Tour is going on right now, and I went to her show in my city. At the same time, a few blocks over, on the same night, Silk was performing too. It’s like R&B genre had two different parties going at once and forgot to send a group text. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Kehlani's show was packed, and from my (very reliable) sources on the ground, Silk's crowd was just as strong. But if you looked at online discourse, you'd think R&B was a dying genre. For the purpose of simplicity, in this article, I'll keep the focus on contemporary R&B.
Discourse vs. Data
People have been trying to write R&B's eulogy since the pandemic. This is likely because the genre at one point had a big push around production and technology. Producers like Timbaland and Babyface were kind’ve at the forefront of this. But the culture around us has shifted since then: hookups and hustle became the dominant language across every genre, not just R&B. The data tells a different story than the discourse. R&B posted 9.1% growth last year, its first time cracking the top five fastest-growing subgenres in three years.
So where is this discourse coming from? I’d argue it's a generational divide; older generations expect the artists of our time to sound like the artists of their time. But really good music is going to be progressive and grow.
Evolution vs. Extinction
The cornerstone of R&B is groovy, rhythmic instrumentals, harmonic chords, and deep, soulful, emotionally expressive vocals. So much of today's music still has that. We're seeing artists like Summer Walker, Steve Lacy, and Leon Thomas achieve commercial success without losing any of the pillars that make their sound smooth. The genre has birthed several sub-genres and blends that younger audiences gravitate toward, because they want their favorite artists experimenting, not repeating. And that’s what keeps the music interesting!
