R&B sucks!!! There I said it! Usher is causing controversy with his new video and honestly I can't tell the difference between Chris Brown, Ne-Yo and who the f*ck ever else passes themselves off as male R&B artists these days. I may be showing my age because I don't know any of these guys, don't listen to them and hope they all get an STD! Do these guys make music that you could create that playlist where you can get your groove on to with your woman? I say no, in fact I so badly want a revival of the music of the past, you know your dad's R&B and that is some of the R&B I remember. I have 542 R&B songs on my iPod right now and alot of that is old school (and steadily growing!). Who do I like and who would be necessary for "Business Time" (ah yeah...you know what I am talkin about)?
Artists I like
The O'Jays (I think I was an O'Jay in a previous life...I'll tell that story some other time)
The Whispers: Was given a tip that their Greatest Hits Album is 5 star for Business Time
David Sanborn: Not R&B I know, but his album "Pearls" is NOT for anyone under 21. I recommend it highly as "Baby Making Music"
R. Kelly: You kind of knew he might get thrown in. Two words... 12 Play. That's it, the rest of the story goes to my grave...
Roberta Flack: Hell, I saw her in concert with my ex! You know how that story ended...that was a great night!
The Isley Brothers: Voyage to Atlantis. Let me repeat myself...VOYAGE TO ATLANTIS!!!
I could go on for a minute, but you get the idea. The majority of these artists have a few things in common
1. Longevity
2. Classic Music
3. Love of music and skill of the lyric
Can we apply these elements to Usher, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo et al? I say no but what do you think?
Uniqpoet Says --
Ahh, the ever-present argument about R&B and what's good or not. I try to put myself in the moment and ask, "would I fuck with this if I were 18 years old?" The answer is probably. Now, it's hard for me to truly believe that because I had a mother who listened to Stevie Wonder, cousins that listened to George Duke and Parliament, and let's not forget about Earth, Wind & Fire. So, the question is this: if I were 18, would I still have some of those musical influences on my taste? Probably not.
So....
Reality. I'm a child of the 70's. My influences by way of family, friends, and the radio (back when it was good) included Phyllis Hyman, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Earth, Wind & Fire, The O'Jays, George Duke, Parliament, Chaka Khan & Rufus and a bunch of other folks. I know what a LOVE song sounds like. I know what baby-making music sounds like. Having said that, I'm not going to let my music snobbery completely diss any and all of today's music.
But....
There's simply no replacement for Phyllis Hyman or Sade. There will never be another LTD or EWF or Parliament. First of all, the whole idea of a GROUP seems to be lost. Like Woody said, there's a Chris Brown and a Ne-Yo and an Usher. There's a Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Mary J. Blige. Yet, I don't know about timeless performers. I like Alicia and was encouraged when she first came out. Now...I just don't know. Beyoncé might be able to blow, but I'm not truly feeling her either. Let's put it out there right now.
There are simply no OLDER R&B artists!!!
If you're not twenty-something and video-worthy, then you're not going to be successful. Jennifer Hudson is doing her thing but they'll find a way to slim her down, glam her up instead of letting her voice do all the talking.
I agree with the Professor on his 3 points. These kids are writing their own material but it's just HORRIBLE. Beautiful lyrics...are they no more?
Awwwww, fuck it! I could go on and on!! This is just the FIRST installment. More to come!!!
Peace....
Reality. I'm a child of the 70's. My influences by way of family, friends, and the radio (back when it was good) included Phyllis Hyman, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Earth, Wind & Fire, The O'Jays, George Duke, Parliament, Chaka Khan & Rufus and a bunch of other folks. I know what a LOVE song sounds like. I know what baby-making music sounds like. Having said that, I'm not going to let my music snobbery completely diss any and all of today's music.
But....
There's simply no replacement for Phyllis Hyman or Sade. There will never be another LTD or EWF or Parliament. First of all, the whole idea of a GROUP seems to be lost. Like Woody said, there's a Chris Brown and a Ne-Yo and an Usher. There's a Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Mary J. Blige. Yet, I don't know about timeless performers. I like Alicia and was encouraged when she first came out. Now...I just don't know. Beyoncé might be able to blow, but I'm not truly feeling her either. Let's put it out there right now.
There are simply no OLDER R&B artists!!!
If you're not twenty-something and video-worthy, then you're not going to be successful. Jennifer Hudson is doing her thing but they'll find a way to slim her down, glam her up instead of letting her voice do all the talking.
I agree with the Professor on his 3 points. These kids are writing their own material but it's just HORRIBLE. Beautiful lyrics...are they no more?
Awwwww, fuck it! I could go on and on!! This is just the FIRST installment. More to come!!!
Peace....
3 comments:
I dont think R&B is dead I just dont think its readily available to us anymore. You can't find the good R&B on the radio station... you have to search for good R&B
artists like Teedra Moses, Ledisi, India Arie, Jazmine Sullivan, Tamia.
For men you have JOE, Maxwell, Dwele, Raheem Devaugn, Anthony Hamilton.
Artists just aren't falling into your lap anymore but R&B is definitely alive and well.
Yeah, I hear that. I fell out of love with the radio back in 1988. I found myself exploring other forms of music: mostly electronica and house. Some 20 years later, I'm loving my deep house mixes and broken beat stuff. I also am digging the hell out of my old school R&B playlists. Nothing like a little Guy, DeBarge, Anita Baker, Sade, Earth Wind & Fire, and Parliament to restore your faith in music again ;-)
I was holding on tightly to the radio for so long. When I left the 757, radio was still somewhat decent. I moved here and it is a radio wasteland. It's bad when NPR sucks! Since that time, I have come to the realization that radio will never be like it was and eventually I will be getting Sirius in addition to my iPod which I rock daily in my car. This is just the ongoing saga of the decline of music.
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