R&B music emerged during the 1940s through African American artists as an eclectic genre combining elements of gospel music, traditional blues and rock and roll music.
R&B has grown increasingly popular since its introduction, sharing much in common with hip hop. Although their differences may seem minor, there are nonetheless a number of significant similarities.
Origins
R&B music emerged during the 1940s as an alternative to race music, drawing from African American cultural expression and evolving into a genre blending jazz, gospel, blues, boogie-woogie, jump blues and swing music styles. This genre emerged over 30 years, spanning legally sanctioned segregation eras while simultaneously reflecting global political and social changes. Since its debut, R&B has become one of the world’s most beloved genres with lyrics that appeal to diverse audiences while often touching upon themes of love friendship family as well as civil rights or faith making this genre an original form of art form.
At its inception, R&B was closely related to rock and roll; both styles shared similar instrumentation and structures. Musicians hailing from Black American church communities brought new songs northward, where they found success at clubs like New York’s Savoy Ballroom or Los Angeles’ Apollo Theatre; these bands usually comprised piano, electric guitar, double bass drums, horns or saxophones and later even brass instruments, creating more complex sounds with this ensemble approach.
In the 1980s, R&B evolved into a pop-oriented genre featuring smooth production styles and lush vocal arrangements. Artists such as Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, and Mariah Carey earned worldwide renown with their soulful sounds and chart-topping hits; further broadening the genre’s appeal by including elements from funk and disco music into their sound.
Contemporary R&B music spans an expansive spectrum of musical styles, from slow soulful ballads to uptempo dance tunes. Its characteristic beats and melodies are heavily influenced by various tempos; blues shuffles with strong backbeats, boogie-woogie rhythms modified rumba rhythms or syncopated variations on rock’s basic eight-beat pattern are just a few examples.
R&B music is distinguished by emotional harmonies and soulful voices, often reflecting real life situations from romantic relationships to struggles of life itself. R&B has long addressed important social issues ranging from racism, drug use, domestic abuse and domestic violence through its lyrics – in turn inspiring movies, TV shows and books alike.
Subgenres
Modern R&B music draws its influence from various genres, such as rock, pop, funk and hip hop. Lyrical themes typically revolve around love, relationships and heartbreak while many songs also contain sensual undertones. R&B has become an influential genre within contemporary pop music with artists like Rihanna and Drake employing rhythmic beats, synths and looped drums into their music to add another layer.
Rhythm and blues was first created by African American musicians nearly a century ago, and has become one of the most influential genres in music history. This style can be identified by its use of rhythm and melody backed by keys, drums, bass guitar and guitar with jazzy overtones that add warmth and atmosphere. It can be traced back to jazz, boogie-woogie, jump blues and gospel as its sources.
Early R&B overlapped heavily with rock music, with Bill Withers being seen both as R&B and rock ‘n’ roll artists. By the 50s and 60s, electric guitar-based instruments became widespread; as did singers such as Etta James and Sam Cooke making R&B an essential subculture.
In the 1970s, R&B reached new heights under the influence of funk artists such as James Brown and Earth, Wind and Fire. Their distinctive rhythms, funky bass lines and theatrical elements helped to establish R&B as dance music; while Louis Jordan created jump blues – an uptempo mix of blues and jazz that eventually evolved into modern rap music.
In the ’90s, hip-hop culture rose to prominence and caused a dramatic change to R&B sound. Younger audiences were drawn to its rebellious, edgy nature – which contrasted strongly with sentimental R&B of their parents’ generation – which caused New Jack Swing (a combination of R&B with hip-hop and dance) to emerge as a distinct subgenre.
R&B music has evolved to encompass a style that caters to dance clubs. This style typically has a distinct record production style with drum machine-backed rhythms and pitch corrected vocals.
Lyrical themes
R&B songs often boast emotionally moving and soulful lyrics that capture the emotion and message behind their lyrics. This genre of music is popular due to its relatable themes such as love, friendship and family; many artists in this genre possess distinctive voices which communicate these meanings effectively.
R&B music first emerged as an urban phenomenon during the 1940s in cities like New York, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles. Although initially catering solely to African American audiences, by the early 1950s more white teens had begun purchasing R&B discs due to factors including wanting something other than rock and roll as their musical preference.
Since its origin, R&B music has been heavily influenced by jazz and other genres, giving rise to an evolving style combining elements of blues, big band swing, gospel, boogie and rhythmic beats from blues, jazz and funk music with an unmistakably African American identity.
Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Beyonce (formerly of Destiny’s Child). These musicians are revered for their silky vocals and catchy melodies; often socially aware and including contemporary pop elements in their music.
R&B music is often associated with soulful and emotive vocals; however, R&B also features prominent rhythms ranging from slow and smooth to upbeat and danceable tempos. Whatever its tempo may be, 4/4 time often forms its core and serves as an anchor point for melody and harmony within songs.
R&B music is defined by its fast tempos and rhythms as well as sensual lyrics with sensuous themes like love, relationships, sex and other forms of sexuality being explored franky yet explicitly within R&B songs. Many songs explore themes like relationships, sexuality and sensuality while often featuring provocative images of women – not forgetting issues of economic inequality, social inequality and racial injustice that R&B addresses too!
Instrumentation
R&B music is an expansive genre with numerous subgenres that it’s difficult to define with one set of rules that apply across the board. But listening to songs by various artists will give an idea of what defines this genre: for instance, chord progressions from Doja Cat might closely resemble classical jazz progressions while those used by Ariana Grande may use more mainstream chord patterns; these variations help make R&B an appealing genre with plenty of variety and unique soundscapes.
R&B music is known for the vocal virtuosity exhibited by its singers. Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, and Jazmine Sullivan have made vocal improvisation an integral part of R&B genre – this often results in smooth yet emotive vocals along with lyrics about topics such as love, loss, or desire.
Instrumentation in R&B music varies depending on the song, but usually includes drums, bass, piano and guitars. Early R&B pioneers like Louis Jordan used elements that would become hallmarks of this genre such as shuffle rhythms, boogie-woogie bass lines and short horn patterns or riffs; they also often incorporated African American vernacular and humor into their music.
In the 1950s, R&B music started to transcend its African-American roots to attract white teenage audiences. Artists like Louis Jordan and Chuck Berry produced songs combining elements from rock, blues, jazz, soul music and more; eventually it overtook rock as the largest music genre in America.
Contemporary R&B has evolved, incorporating elements of hip hop and electronic music. Although these influences have led to ground-breaking and boundary-pushing music in R&B today, its soulful roots remain undisturbed. R&B remains popular genre today – John Legend, Anderson.Paak and H.E.R are just three popular examples who have won Grammy awards for their R&B work in 2017.
R&B music continues to evolve with each passing year. While traditional instruments remain the core of R&B performances, others are exploring production techniques and drum sampling in search of unique sounds. This continuous evolution will ultimately blur genre boundaries further and create distinct musical fusions.