Contemporary R&B

According to Geoffrey Himes speaking in 1989, the progressive soul movement of the early 1970s "expanded the musical and lyrical boundaries of [R&B] in ways that haven't been equaled since". This movement was led by soul singers, songwriters and producers such as Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. Norman Whitfield's productions at Motown, the record label of Gaye, were also pioneering for setting the soul vocals and simple hooks of earlier rhythm and blues records against strong backbeats, vocal harmonies, and orchestral sounds, all of which thickened the texture of the music. Gaye's own music on albums such as ''What's Going On (1971) incorporated jazz influences that led the genre into a looser musical direction. The first result was Off the Wall'' (1979), which—according to Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic—"was a visionary album, that found a way to break disco wide open into a new world where the beat was undeniable, but not the primary focus" and "was part of a colorful tapestry of lush ballads and strings, smooth soul and pop, soft rock, and alluring funk". Richard J. Ripani wrote that Janet Jackson's Control (1986) was "important to the development of R&B for several reasons", as she and her producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, "crafted a new sound that fuses the rhythmic elements of funk and disco, along with heavy doses of synthesizers, percussion, sound effects, and a rap music sensibility." Ripani wrote that "the success of "Control" led to the incorporation of stylistic traits of rap over the next few years, and Janet Jackson was to continue to be one of the leaders in that development." ==1990s==

Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992) eventually sold over 45 million copies worldwide becoming the best-selling soundtrack of all time. Janet Jackson's self-titled fifth studio album Janet (1993), which came after her multimillion-dollar contract with Virgin Records, sold over 14 million copies worldwide. Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey recorded several Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits, including "One Sweet Day", a collaboration between both acts, which became the longest-running No. 1 hit in Hot 100 history. Carey also released a remix of her 1995 single "Fantasy", with Ol' Dirty Bastard as a feature, a collaboration format that was unheard of at this point. Carey, Boyz II Men and TLC released albums in 1994 and 1995—Daydream, II, & CrazySexyCool. In the late 1990s, neo soul, which added 1970s soul influences to the hip-hop soul blend, arose, led by artists such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Maxwell. Hill and Missy Elliott further blurred the line between R&B and hip hop by recording both styles. Beginning in 1995, the Grammy Awards enacted the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, with II by Boyz II Men becoming the first recipient. The award was later received by TLC for CrazySexyCool in 1996, Tony Rich for Words in 1997, Erykah Badu for Baduizm in 1998 and Lauryn Hill for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1999. In 1994 the singer Aaliyah dropped her debut album and in 1996 she released her second album called "One In A Million" with different sounds and produced by Missy Elliot and Timbaland, unknown at that moment. At the end of 1999, Billboard magazine ranked Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson as the first and second most successful artists of the 1990s. Simultaneously, in the second half of the 1990s, The Neptunes and Timbaland set influential precedence on contemporary R&B and hip hop music. ==2000s==

Writing in 2003, music critic Robert Christgau describes modern R&B as being "about texture, mood, feel—vocal and instrumental and rhythmic, articulated as they're smooshed together". was cited by Billboard as the no. 1 Hot 100 artist of the 2000s decade, with 7 number-one singles that accumulated 42 weeks at the top. Following periods of fluctuating success, urban music attained commercial dominance during the early 2000s, which featured massive crossover success on the Billboard charts by R&B and hip hop artists. ranked fifth on Billboard Artist of the Decade list. "No One" ranks No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs of the decade. In 2001, Alicia Keys released "Fallin'" as her debut single, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Mainstream Top 40 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It won three Grammy Awards in 2002, including Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. It was also nominated for Record of the Year. Beyoncé's solo studio debut album Dangerously in Love (2003) has sold over 5million copies in the United States and earned five Grammy Awards. Usher's Confessions (2004) sold 1.1million copies in its first week and over 8million copies in 2004, since then it has been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and, has sold over 10million copies in the US and over 20million copies worldwide. Confessions had four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number one singles—"Yeah!", "Burn", "Confessions Part II" and "My Boo". It won three Grammy Awards in 2005, including Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "My Boo" and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Yeah!" was named by Billboard the most successful female act of the 2000s. In 2004, all 12 songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 were African-American recording artists and accounted for 80% of the number-one R&B hits that year. Bryan-Michael Cox co-wrote Usher's "Burn" and "Confessions Part II"(2005), Mariah Carey's "Shake It Off" and "Don't Forget About Us" (2006), and Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye"(2006). Keri Hilson would co-write songs Mary J. Blige's "Take Me as I Am" (2006), Omarion's "Ice Box" (2006), and Ciara's "Like a Boy"(2006). Rico Love co-wrote Usher's "Throwback" (2005), Keri Hilson's "Energy"(2008), Pleasure P's "Boyfriend #2"(2008). The-Dream wrote Rihanna's "Umbrella"(2007), J. Holiday's "Bed" and Usher's "Moving Mountains" and "Trading Places"(2008). Ne-Yo wrote Mario's "Let Me Love You", Rihanna's "Take a Bow" and "Unfaithful", Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable"(2006) and "Me & U"(2006) by Cassie. According to Billboard, the most commercially successful R&B acts of the decade were Usher, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo and Akon. ==2010s==

Continuing from the 1990s and 2000s, R&B, like many other genres, drew influences from the technical innovations of the time and began to incorporate more electronic and machine-made sounds and instruments, this evolving style called electro-R&B slowly began dominating the genre. Historically, the electro-R&B sound had been associated with R&B songs with an electronic backbone by 1990s or 2000s girl groups like TLC or Destiny's Child. The use of effects such as Auto-Tune and new computerized synths have given R&B a more futuristic feel while still attempting to incorporate many of the genre's common themes such as love, relationships, heartbreak, and loss. As defined by Apple Music, electro-R&B is "at the intersection of R&B and electronic music, creating abstract hip-hop that blends the moodier end of electro with minimal R&B beats". According to Christgau in 2017, "almost all R&B goes for voice-plus-sound rather than voice-plus-song, with the sound ranging from precision track-and-hook to idiosyncratic atmospherics." Early 2010s artists Usher and Chris Brown began embracing new electronic influences while still keeping R&B's original feel. Usher's "OMG" and "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", and Chris Brown's "Yeah 3x" are all EDM-oriented. Singers Miguel, John Legend and Jeremih are popular in mainstream hip hop for many collaborations with rappers such as Wale, Rick Ross and J. Cole. Today's R&B is far more diverse and incorporates more sonic elements than before, as it expands its appeal and commercial viability. Trap music's influence maintained a strong presence on the music charts with R&B singer Beyoncé's songs "Drunk in Love", "Flawless" and "7/11", Bryson Tiller's debut studio album, Trapsoul and Mary J. Blige's "Thick of It". Latin R&B is gaining ground since the wave of artists began mixing trap with that sound in the middle of this decade. Spanish-language singles by Alex Rose, Rauw Alejandro and Paloma Mami, which borrow shrewdly from R&B, are captivating a global audience. In Latin America, the genre became popular with Alex Rose's "Toda", ==2020s==

In the 2020s, R&B continued to diversify and blend with other genres, most notably alternative R&B, a subgenre characterized by its experimental production, introspective lyrics, and departure from traditional R&B structures. Artists such as SZA, Victoria Monet, Frank Ocean, and the Weeknd have been pivotal in bridging mainstream R&B with alternative styles, introducing ethereal soundscapes, electronic elements, and unconventional storytelling to a broader audience. Streaming platforms and social media, particularly TikTok and Spotify, have amplified the reach of R&B music. Viral moments have catapulted songs like SZA's "Snooze" and Daniel Caesar's "Best Part (feat. H.E.R)" into global hits. ==See also==