Are we ready to admit that R&B isn't a real genre of music?

[Uchiha God]

Eh, like most social constructs - they work as long as people have an agreed general understanding of it. If I say "I'm listening to R&B" guaranteed most people here know the type of song I'm listening to

 

[Westbama Heartthrob]

You say this now but will be :HHHangryGIF: if a non black artist says they are doing R&B.

So michael mcdonald and average white band don't get love?

 

[Elim Garak]

So michael mcdonald and average white band don't get love?

Of course they do.

 

[boogers]

R&B isnt a real genre anyway, OP is technically correct. billboard used to call them "race records" before the term "rhythm and blues" was invented

r&b could be anything from soul to disco back in the 70s. then in the 80s you had 'contemporary r&b' or 'quiet storm' stuff too. having a quick catch-all term to describe a sound isnt bad, but "R&B" was invented to refer to all black music as such

also, i have come to accept microgenres. i think its good to have more genres than less. we as humans are supposed to be evolving music anyways. retro trends are weird to me. go forwards, not backwards

i wonder if rap will ever have a "retro" trend one day. rock music has had multiple revival movements like swing/jazz in the late 90s and the garage rock revival in the 2000s. would be some weird shyt to see young people wearing big clocks and hi top fades again.

 

[Budda]

@IllmaticDelta

 

[Yzak]

Whites don't make authentic rock n roll since only Black people can. They can't make a music they didn't create. They can imitate the music but will never sound like us.

R&B is used as a catch all term for any Black music, but it is itself its own genre that most non-Black people can't enjoy since it's so heavily focused on singing and they can't match us in vocals.

This is another issue related to not being in "control" of our culture. We need our own media companies to promote our music and we need to stop working with non-Black artists and record labels.

 

[Yzak]

True but if we really sit and look at it, a lot of what we considered 90’s R&b was straight up pop. Blues, soul, new jack swing, actual R&b/disco, and pop (basically anything with a black voice singing) got crammed together under R&b.

It hurts us in the long run because it gives us less of an opportunity on the charts. It also de-incentivizes the musical, artistic, and regional variety we used to have. When the clear channel deal happened it was a wrap.

Other genres have countless official sub-genres to chart in, we barely have a handful to fight over.

Of course artists always leaned toward what was popular, but now there’s no choice but to chase what’s currently charting, and only a sliver of room for real innovation. Algorithmic promotion makes it near impossible for anything other than white, Ivy League bro A&R repressed music to rise to the top of you aren’t already a mega star.

Pop isn't a genre, most of it is R&B. But that's Black music and would point to the obvious of how the entire global music industry is basically built on our music.

All the popular music making cacs are just doing cac R&B. Nothing more.

 

[987654321]

Pop isn't a genre, most of it is R&B. But that's Black music and would point to the obvious of how the entire global music industry is basically built on our music.

All the popular music making cacs are just doing cac R&B. Nothing more.

I agree that pop shouldn’t a genre, but music has been officially categorized that way for a while.


I personally feel that “pop” should be considered whatever is popular. The music industry and all of its appendages have collectively decided that it is whatever is lively, upbeat, and commercially friendly.

Cac’s have a multitude of genre’s. Some of their imitations of “R&b”, funk, soul do end up being catagorized and awarded as pop. And they often take up space that could be occupied by a better black song.

 

[Chelsea Bridge]

Pop would actually be a more accurate subject for this thread. It’s not a real genre of music at all.

 

[David_TheMan]

Nope r&b was just a polite way to say the blues to white folks. That's how the genre started it was blues and jazz.

But working within that concept rock developed from blues, but they didn't want to call black artists rock musicians so they expanded the definition of rnb.

I don't think it's a non genre it's more an example of genre or label creep due to racism

 

[David_TheMan]

I agree that pop shouldn’t a genre, but music has been officially categorized that way for a while.


I personally feel that “pop” should be considered whatever is popular. The music industry and all of its appendages have collectively decided that it is whatever is lively, upbeat, and commercially friendly.

Cac’s have a multitude of genre’s. Some of their imitations of “R&b”, funk, soul do end up being catagorized and awarded as pop. And they often take up space that could be occupied by a better black song.

Pop isn't a genre it's short for popular. It's a designation of audience, which is why you can have country, rap, rnb, and folk music on the pop charts are certified as pop hits. Imho

 

[BlackAchilles]

Big wake n bake energy

 

[FTBS]

Little Richard said R&B was just rock and roll slowed down. There is that and you could also say its gospel music that isnt about God.

 

[Richard Glidewell]

Sounds Like a cac talking point before trying to relabel and claim ownership.........

Like that shyt they tried/tring to do......slowed and reverbed.......

Wish a mufukka would........hope the ghost of DJ screw haunts and ruins whatever they got going on

 

[BruhManFromTheFifthFlo]

Somebody tell the OP to kill himself in another langue