Yooo so is that early 2000s late 90s R&B pop sound coming back?

[Scustin Bieburr]

shyt sounds like something that could've been bumping back in those days

 

[kwazzy100]

2000s pop songs were more upbeat. These songs are more lofi with more snares and kicks.

 

[⠀X ⠀]

I don't know about all that...

 

[419scam]

It ain’t rnb if there isn‘t wind and one unbuttoned shirt nh

 

[SupaDupaFresh]

2000s pop songs were more upbeat. These songs are more lofi with more snares and kicks.

I was once reading an interesting study about pop culture entertainment in the 80s and 90s vs today. In the 80s and 90s films, music, and TV shows were more "over-emotional" production-wise. If a song was "upbeat" or "happy" you knew it because it was produced from the ground up as a upbeat song, with a fast tempo, high pitched wizzy synthesizers, loud samples, over-the-top percussion, all types of vocal effects. If a song in the 80s and 90s was meant to be "sad" it was slow, over-produced, and drowned in reverbs, delays, choruses and all types of effects.

And likewise if a 80s or 90s movie was "funny" then the script was filled with one-liners and slapstick-style comedy. TV in the 80s and 90s actually had cheesy laugh tracks to cue us in on when a show is "funny." Acting itself was more over-dramatic back then. Back in the day it was all about conveying and producing as much emotion as possible visually, audibly and creatively. The producer/director told the audience how to feel through their writing and production methods at the time.

In the 2010s films, tv and music became less emotional and more "quiet." Films today, even raunchy comedies, are relatively subdued with lots of room and space for realism and viewer interpretation. TV shows today lack laugh tracks and other "dated" methods of "over-emotional" 80s/90s production. I can't even remember the last time I watched a network TV show with a full-fledged opening sequence and credits complete with happy-sappy lyrics. Remember when music videos for "upbeat" songs were "fun" and included brief skits, slapstick humor, and all types of flashy lighting, outfits and props (not unlike the second video posted above). Today music videos are shot on iPhones and are mostly humble montages with the artist looking as casual as walking down the street (not unlike the first video posted above).

And music today, even lush, emotional R&B songs, are also relatively "quiet" with room for silence and listeners interpretation of what the song "is." Artists no longer communicate, production-wise, if a song is "sad," "happy," "slow," or "upbeat" because the production approaches today are so quiet and subtle it can be hard to even decide. Listeners are left to interpret if the song they are listening to is either upbeat to them personally or a chill, mellow jam.

Just something I found interesting. It really brings into perspective the generational gap between how this generation and our generation perceives "good music."

 

[419scam]

I was once reading an interesting study about pop culture entertainment in the 80s and 90s vs today. In the 80s and 90s films, music, and TV shows were more "over-emotional" production-wise. If a song was "upbeat" or "happy" you knew it because it was produced from the ground up as a upbeat song, with a fast tempo, high pitched wizzy synthesizers, loud samples, over-the-top percussion, all types of vocal effects. If a song in the 80s and 90s was meant to be "sad" it was slow, over-produced, and drowned in reverbs, delays, choruses and all types of effects.

And likewise if a 80s or 90s movie was "funny" then the script was filled with one-liners and slapstick-style comedy. TV in the 80s and 90s actually had cheesy laugh tracks to cue us in on when a show is "funny." Acting itself was more over-dramatic back then. Back in the day it was all about conveying and producing as much emotion as possible visually, audibly and creatively. The producer/director told the audience how to feel through their writing and production methods at the time.

In the 2010s films, tv and music became less emotional and more "quiet." Films today, even raunchy comedies, are relatively subdued with lots of room and space for realism and viewer interpretation. TV shows today lack laugh tracks and other "dated" methods of "over-emotional" 80s/90s production. I can't even remember the last time I watched a network TV show with a full-fledged opening sequence and credits complete with happy-sappy lyrics. Remember when music videos for "upbeat" songs were "fun" and included brief skits, slapstick humor, and all types of flashy lighting, outfits and props (not unlike the second video posted above). Today music videos are shot on iPhones and are mostly humble montages with the artist looking as casual as walking down the street (not unlike the first video posted above).

And music today, even lush, emotional R&B songs, are also relatively "quiet" with room for silence and listeners interpretation of what the song "is." Artists no longer communicate, production-wise, if a song is "sad," "happy," "slow," or "upbeat" because the production approaches today are so quiet and subtle it can be hard to even decide. Listeners are left to interpret if the song they are listening to is either upbeat to them personally or a chill, mellow jam.

Just something I found interesting. It really brings into perspective the generational gap between how this generation and our generation perceives "good music."

, explains also perfectly why everybody says music/movies nowadays are trash - they lack emotions

 

[SupaDupaFresh]

, explains also perfectly why everybody says music/movies nowadays are trash - they lack emotions

I appreciate Trap and R&B music today for what it is, musically and creatively, but sometimes I listen to old TLC, Public Enemy, or Ice Cube records and kind of miss when black music wasn't afraid to be over the top, loud, noxious and in your face.

Likewise Ill listen to Aaliyah, Kut Klose, or Mint Condition (or even like Atlantic Starr, Isley Brothers, or Stephanie Mills in the 80s) and kind of miss when black music wasn't scared to sound musically emotional and beautifully complex. I cant think of one R&B song in the past ten years that's more than 4 minutes long. Artists weren't afraid to put emotion into their music that people would find cheesy today. But then that was just the approach at that time.

 

[Cloutius Maximus]

been coming back

rina sawayama is my shyt rn

 

[Booker T Garvey]

It ain’t rnb if there isn‘t wind and one unbuttoned shirt nh

facts

 

[ba'al]

LMK came out like almost 3 years ago. But yeah the music industry is rehashing a lot of shyt. So is the movie industry.

 

[GUWOPPERS]

I blame Tory Lanez.

All he does is sample 90’s and 00’s R&B, now everybody wanna do it.


We’re never gonna see another time like that,

 

[Wear My Dawg's Hat]

And music today, even lush, emotional R&B songs, are also relatively "quiet" with room for silence and listeners interpretation of what the song "is." Artists no longer communicate, production-wise, if a song is "sad," "happy," "slow," or "upbeat" because the production approaches today are so quiet and subtle it can be hard to even decide. Listeners are left to interpret if the song they are listening to is either upbeat to them personally or a chill, mellow jam.

This seems like a longform way of saying that today's music lacks an ability to connect with listeners on an emotional/feeling level.

To put it in the jargon of our cherished ancestors, the songs today lack "soul."

 

[GnauzBookOfRhymes]

shyt sounds like something that could've been bumping back in those days

I can see/hear where you get that from the second video. Definitely has a throwback jam style feeling.

Piggybacking on the discussion of emotion, a very big part of the reason that's missing is that in any type of art the most honest and identifiable emotion is vulnerability. But what's happened is that nowadays that's seen as weakness so musicians driving emotion nowadays is a mixture of strength/independence/wealth/control (the successful artists) etc...but when artists demonstrate a willingness to show that they're not necessarily supermen/women, people react to it. beyonce's most successful project was her talking about how her husband was cheating on her lmao...

think about rap artists back in the day....biggie talking about how he's ugly/fat, remember ghostface talking about eating cereal with water and sharing a bed with like a dozen of his brothers/cousins etc

shyt's crazy, but one silver lining is that w/ youtube all of that is available at your fingertips.