I feel like people who complain about today's music aren't doing so in good faith

[315]

Thundercat are depressing

I was done when nikkas dismissed Thundecat. Not only does he makes jams but he's one of the most skilled musicians out right now.

 

[R=G]

Musics as good as its ever been.

Modern r&b is as good as its ever been.
Solange's 2018 album was universally liked by critics, was popular, and had personal and empathetic lyrics.

Hip hop has never given you more variety.

1. Injury reserve with the more experimental sound.
2. Pop smoke with the drill
3. Travis Scott with the auto tune
4. Lil uzi vert and lil baby with that emo influence
5. Young thug with the early screaming blues singer influence on tracks like harambe
6. Tyler the creator keeping that Neptune's influenced sound alive while evolving it and pushing it
7. Lil nas x trying to mix hop with country and it becoming a hit for the first time since Nelly collaborated with Tim Mcgraw.
8. Meanwhile drake still gives people that familiar rap sound but he experiments with singing too.
9. Kendrick dropped 3 albums that still hold up while sounding different.

R&B, jazz and soul as good as its ever been.
Masego had a hit record in 2017

Jon batiste literally won an Oscar and dropped an album in spring that has everything. Choir, bass, guitar solos, rapping, and the brass instruments going crazy.

H.E.R., Solange, and SZA representing for people who want those soulful female vocals and her is a legitimately gifted singer, writer and guitarist. Like yall just need to admit you're comfortable with your music collection and just keep it moving. Some research suggests people stop looking for music in their 30s just come out and say you're good instead of saying music is trash cause you know that shyt isn't true. You know your parents were shytting on the likes of Tupac and Wu tang and their parents clowned them for listening to Hendrix

Today's music is str8 up garbage..rap is almost a disgrace at this point. Adele is dropping better heat than modern rappers..so is Carrie Underwood. Thats a DAMN SHAME.

 

[Kenny West]

I don't see your point... Just because it flops doesn't mean it wasn't great music.... Records just don't sale anymore without a lot of games and gimmicks...... but you knew that already

The ironic thing is the vast majority of songs/albums posted in this thread is flops.

nikkas don't wanna bring out the Pooh Shiestys, Playboi Carti, Trippie Redd, Moneybagg Yo type rappers that make up what's considered popular music rn.

That's why the thread title talmbout some "good faith" is killin me. Lil nikkas would tell you to turn most of this shyt tf off

 

[Field Marshall Bradley]

This is just stupid. There's always gonna be something "better" to somebody

So what's the point of the fukking thead then graduate?

 

[Threnody]

Listen to trash so much it starts to sound good to you brehs

 

[Kenny West]

How is this a myth? I don’t hear folks talking about Oddisee but I’ve attended 3 of his shows from like 2015 - 2018. And he makes great music to me.
this is true for a lot of artists across genres

I don’t think folks realize how “the machine” and promotion can work for an artist. And when you don’t have that backing it’s really a grassroots battle for ears.

Its always been that way though. I like weird music so I been used to fringe underground acts. I was a Blu fan ffs. I been listening to The Internet since their first album and been to every tour.

Difference is there used to be a floor. Or a standard. RnB singers had to be able to sing, rappers had to rap. Now?

When I'm being honest with myself I only like 1/5 songs I listen to on an album. shyt is just so lazy that it really just comes down to if it can hit a bop. nikkas not giving you no extra meat on the bone with verses, just better beats. Hit or miss type shyt.

People not trying to make those Kendrick like album experiences either outside of maybe the Weeknd. Its playlist music. I don't even have a favorite rapper anymore just a pool of good songs I recently heard.

Its different.

 

[315]

First of all, those are ALBUMS I listed; not songs.

 

[Kyle C. Barker]

Its always been that way though. I like weird music so I been used to fringe underground acts. I was a Blu fan ffs. I been listening to The Internet since their first album and been to every tour.

Difference is there used to be a floor. Or a standard. RnB singers had to be able to sing, rappers had to rap. Now?

When I'm being honest with myself I only like 1/5 songs I listen to on an album. shyt is just so lazy that it really just comes down to if it can hit a bop. nikkas not giving you no extra meat on the bone with verses, just better beats. Hit or miss type shyt.

People not trying to make those Kendrick like album experiences either outside of maybe the Weeknd. Its playlist music. I don't even have a favorite rapper anymore just a pool of good songs I recently heard.

Its different.

You hit the nail on the head with the playlist comment.

And to be really real Kendrick is probably the last great rapper. And before him it was Lupe. The similarity between the two of them is that they both try to make cohesive albums with actual concepts. Joey Badass deserves an honorable mention as well even though he's not technically as good as them (I do enjoy the youngin's music though).

 

[JadeB]

Oldhead gonna oldhead OP

I tried these folks but they don't listen
New music doesn't suck, it's mainstream new music that's sucks

 

[Cartier Murphy]

Commenting in here so I can keep a catalog of the piff being posted

 

[Biscayne]

How tf you saying that with a future avatar knowing that DS2 is a landmark album and mask off legitimately had people dancing and turning up and is now hitting again in 2021 4 years after its release because humanity fought back against a deadly virus and is winning.

Quavos flow is different from 21 savage whose flow is different from Freddie Gibbs who in turn sounds nothing like polo G or lil baby. Both future and Travis Scott use auto tune but Travis sounds very different from future. You know you're hearing a Travis Scott track less than 10 seconds into it.

And rappers actually care about if they can sing now and you got guys like childish Gambino being praised for his singing, rapping, and his overall lyrical content.

Hip hop sounds different now because they're mixing and matching different sounds more than ever. Its not easy to call someone like Rico nasty a rapper because she also has tracks where she sounds like an alternate version of Avril Lavigne.

Rico Nasty does pop punk?

 

[Cloutius Maximus]

The Internet, Anderson Paak, Thundercat, & The Weeknd are dope artists. then you got Tyler the Creator, Kali Uchis, Kelela, Frank Ocean. Malibu and Ego Death would make my top 25 albums of the 2010s

having said that, it's obvious the quality of singing, lyricism, musicianship, arrangements and songwriting have declined. The production, sound design & mixing/mastering are usually on point tho. A lack of good melodies. You can ignore melody if the groove is on point but a lot of times the music lacking groove because of lack of musicianship.

arrangements / songwriting skills, that's what separates the big dogs from the amateurs. A lot of ms just singing over beats for 2-5 minutes which is cool sometimes...

A lot of mfs dont care and just see music as a lick. We let too much wack shyt get by because the artist had the right image/connections or we don't want to appear to be an out of touch hater. People only speak out when the shyt is comically wack like dababy's red light, green light


here's a good one:

 

[Absolut da poet ®]

As far as rap goes Nope

Today's music has no skill just auto tone and recycled flow. .

^ this. Outside of Kendrick, Jcole, Drake I barely listen to any of it anymore

And R&B is currently the worse it's ever been

Coming from Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Whitney, the Temptations to this era

Where there are no more groups
No Jodeci, Dru Hill..

And if you're not autobtuned up and talking about getting drunk , high or fcking then you're the not poppin at all

 

[DoubleClutch]

All facts, OP.

Here are some god-tier R&B albums since 2015 (just off the top of my head):

The Internet -- Ego Death
A Seat at the Table -- Solange
We Are KING -- We Are KING
Anderson .Paak -- Malibu
Phonte & Eric Roberson -- Tigallerro
Daniel Caesar -- Freudian
Moonchild -- Voyager
Gwen Bunn -- Safe Travels
Marie Dahlstrom -- Like Sand
Thundercat -- It is What it Is

I'm an 80s baby, and a super R&B connoisseur of the genre from 60s-present. Let's just say I've been eating extremely well with R&B in the modern streaming era. I hate how people my age (30s) think that everything has to sound like the 90s and early 00s. Music is supposed to evolve, and the old music is still available to enjoy. I have old school playlists on Spotify, but I also have lots of new heat.

can’t lie R&B is still alive. Although you gotta look harder and a lot of the singers are black Americans from USA or they don’t have the traditional soul/church 90/early 2000s influence like Jodeci, Dan Gelo Brandy, Monica, boys 2 men, r Kelly etc

it’s more like Neo soul lite

not including Anderson paak who’s really tapped into that older soul l/dunk sound and is on another level than most you mentioned

plus solange is basically from the 2000s generation she been around

 

[Geode]

A lot of times people say "there's good r&b you just have to look for it". So when they give examples I'm all Then, I listen to those examples and I'm still