Love was a prominent theme this year in R&B music, in all its guises. Muni Long famously channeled late ’90s soul in her hit “Hrs & Hrs,” which quickly went viral to become her biggest success to date.
K-R&B singer BIBI celebrates her STEM era in a striking music video for “Best Lover,” featuring complex coding and virtual reality scenes combined with eye-catching hologram animations to produce an eye-catching clip.
Tinashe – “X” & “I Can See The Future”
2022 saw R&B artists demonstrate a wealth of creativity, with aesthetics and storytelling playing key roles. Whether exploring love, pandemic or newfound empowerment; these artists brought it all to the screen in captivating and unique ways.
Tinashe has shown a newfound authenticity in her music with the release of her latest music video. The track itself is a mid-tempo R&B track featuring both soulful and futuristic elements, and visually is captivating as it depicts various futuristic settings – an impressive testament to Tinashe’s growth as an artist.
This year was filled with songs and videos about love – fitting, considering all of the global chaos we were witnessing. Perhaps one of the most captivating examples was Drake and Chris Brown’s “No Guidance,” which addressed various forms of romantic attraction such as spiritual, toxic and lost.
Phonte provides another refreshing take on love with their NSFW music video for “Cheatin.” The track itself is an amusing parody of R&B singers, with Phonte acting out a caricature of himself from Percy Miracles complete with corny lyrics and oversinging. This hilarious music video marks an excellent departure from overly-sexualized R&B released over recent years.
R&B made its mark in 2022 through songs like Rihanna’s “Needed Me.” Produced by Mustard with its spacey synths and sparse arrangements, this record proves Rihanna to be a versatile singer while showing how far R&B had progressed since 2021.
Miss Kam’s music video for “Let It Simmer” is another impressive use of music videos. She used her visuals to showcase Baltimore pride while showing fans she can still have fun dancing to good beats. Shot and edited by Rezt, the video features Miss Kam dancing with friends while eating crabs or showing their hometown pride – as well as shots of Miss Kam singing a tune that mixes ’90s club music with hip-hop beats!
Doja Cat – “Kitty”
Doja Cat is an extremely diverse artist with a knack for adding variety to her music, fashion and overall aesthetic. Her songs feature sexually charged RnB vibes which resonate with a broad audience while her videos visually stimulate listeners as research suggests that humans process video 60,000x faster than audio.
Doja Cat pays tribute to Nicki Minaj in her music video for “Kitty,” recalling both her style and tone while borrowing the line “got that big rocket launcher” from Minaj’s hit single “Massive Attack.” Doja Cat stands unashamedly as an advocate for gender equality and is an inspiration to women worldwide.
Doja Cat, known for her mix of hip-hop, pop, and RNB music is featured in an eye-catching sci-fi music video called “Kitty”. Doja Cat blends hip hop, pop, RNB elements into her own unique sound. The video’s colorful visuals include animations and comic book visuals; its final scene shows Doja kicking her legs twerking wildly while dodging laser beams to rescue her kitten!
Doja Cat is one of the most prominent female artists of 2021. After making waves on TikTok with her song, “Get Into It (Yuh), she released Planet Her, her Grammy-nominated sophomore effort that displayed both soft side as well as signature aggressive style of rapping.
Doja Cat recently disclosed to V Magazine that she is working on her third studio album, scheduled to drop this summer. The record will focus more on Doja’s feminine and sensual qualities compared to its predecessors which were mostly left untouched on them.
Doja Cat will push the limits of her genre with her third album. She has already proven she can produce various sounds, from synth-pop in “Agora Hills” to psych-funk on “Postman.” Though critics weren’t as excited by Doja Cat’s debut record, audiences may still find something remarkable on it.
Vaughn Woods – “So Be It”
R&B artists offered us an abundance of love-inspired songs and visuals in 2022. Ranging from longing for new love to lamenting old one, love was the central theme in R&B music. Each artist found his or her own way to convey this sentiment in their songs – whether through rapping or soulful singing.
Vaughn Woods’ “So Be It” is an intimate and seductive track, perfectly showcasing her ability to seduce audiences with her vocals. Additionally, this song marks a return to more organic sound from hip hop as its use of naturalistic backdrops and minimal production is evident throughout.
Summer Walker’s 2018 debut single “Session 32” marked an eye-opening departure from the conventional production that had long dominated her genre. Boasting an intimate setting and an acoustic guitar accompaniment, “Session 32” captured raw emotions without becoming overwhelming or intrusive – becoming the most streamed R&B song of 2018 and earning her a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song.
Pink Sweat$ kept things light with his hilarious “Cheatin,” which parodies R&B singers of the early 2000s who used to dominate radio airplay and dominate sales charts. Phonte also brings his famous Percy Miracles persona back for added comic relief – this song will bring back memories of relationship podcasts!
With the rise of female stars, more female R&B artists were bound to rise up. Coco Jones was among the first, with her breakout hit “ICU.” Channeling generations of Southern soul music for inspiration, the ballad chronicles how love cannot last when its effects take hold on an artist.
COVID-19’s impact and social unrest made it easy for artists to explore darker themes. Bryson Tiller took advantage of this to release an unsettling yet vulnerable single, “Your Turn,” in 2022. In it he recalls past relationships while venting his displeasure toward current love interests; its beat could fit seamlessly on an album by Drake or Future and demonstrated Tiller’s adept transition between rapping and singing seamlessly.
SZA – “Shirt”
SZA’s song, “Shirt”, is an epic ode to toxic relationships. Her soulful vocals beautifully convey the lust, desperation, and all-consuming love associated with an abusive romance. In its pre-chorus she admits she “shouldn’t be” being such an abusive girlfriend but still enjoys the thrills and spillover of an unpredictable lover’s behavior.
Dave Meyers-directed music video of “Tell Me Something Good” premiered alongside its release. Reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino films, it showcases SZA and LaKeith Stanfield creating chaos around town while SZA maintains her cool demeanor throughout. Her rugged crooning adds another sense of danger and destruction as part of SZA’s calm vocal delivery.
On the December 3 episode of Saturday Night Live on December 3, 2022, SZA gave an irresistibly seductive performance accompanied by stunning visuals. The R&B singer sang her single against an animated blue background while being joined by dancers – it marked SZA’s second SNL appearance since releasing CTRL in 2017.
TikTok became home for SZA’s song, “Shirt,” first going viral when used for a dance challenge. SZA herself confirmed in a January 8, 2021 tweet that she approved of its being called out as “Shirt”, using its first line from its chorus as the basis.
This song’s psych-funk production features bass, tambourine and Bear’s signature yelps; its pulsating groove and infectious beat are perfect for club settings; while its dreamy melodies can transport listeners to a relaxing beach retreat. Furthermore, its bridge captures that exciting feeling that comes from meeting someone special to share your life.