View source for Contemporary R&B

{{trope}}
Modern [[R&B]] music.

'''Contemporary R&B''' was firmly established at the beginning of [[The Eighties]] when [[Disco]] died out and took a little bit of [[Funk]] and [[Soul Music|Soul]] with it (outside the mainstream, at least). The producers of that era started to experiment with synthesized sounds, with a stronger emphasis of [[Pop]] sounds. [[Michael Jackson]]'s highly influential ''Thiller'' is a perfect example his impact on R&B music for the later half of this decade. [[Janet Jackson]] brought producers Jimmy Jam and Teddy Riley into the mainstream with her own influential ''Control'' album. Teddy Riley was also big name producer in this era, fusing hip-hop and R&B, creating [[New Jack Swing]]. [[Tina Turner]] made a huge comeback and many other R&B artists got their start during this time

But by and large, the 1990s is considered to be the boom period. [[Michael Jackson]] and Janet Jackson continued to dominate, but we already had other popular artists riding the R&B wave, which has now absorbed [[Hip Hop]] within it's diverse sound. [[Boy Band]]s and [[Girl Group]]s reigned supreme, not to say that solo singers didn't make their impact. This was also the decade the Grammy enacted the Best R&B album.

By the late 1990s and the [[Turn of the Millennium]], '''Contemporary R&B''''s popularity cooled a little, but the rise of [[Neo Soul]] boosted by [[Lauryn Hill]]'s groundbreaking ''The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill'' took place, not to mention more fusions with other genres such as [[Electronic Music]], [[Rock Music]], and Dance. In [[The New Tens]], [[Hip Hop]] and R&B are almost inseparable as genres as artists like [[Beyoncé]] and [[Chris Brown]] can easily be played in [[Hip Hop]] playlists and the growing influence of dance music is shaping the genre.

So yeah, '''Contemporary R&B''' is a fusion of so many other genres. Unlike a lot of other genres, females tend to get more love with any given female singer can amass a devoted following. It is pretty tough for male R&B singers as they're mainly seen as soft due to the growing [[Hip Hop]] influence.

{{examples|Artists that ''generally'' fall under the Contemporary R&B label}}
* [[Aaliyah]]
* [[Amerie]]
* [[Ashanti]]
* [[Baby Face]]
* [[Beyoncé]]
* [[Bobby Brown]]
* [[Boyz II Men]]
* [[Mary J. Blige]]
* [[Chris Brown]]
* [[Mariah Carey]]
* [[Destiny's Child]]
* [[Whitney Houston]]
* [[Michael Jackson]] (though some would debate he is more [[Pop]], the music is rooted in [[R&B]])
* [[Janet Jackson]]
* [[Alicia Keys]]
* [[Lloyd]]
* [[Miguel]]
* [[Ne Yo]]
* [[Keke Palmer]]
* [[Prince]] (though he's more [[Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly]])
* [[Rihanna]] (Though slightly edging more towards pop.)
* [[R. Kelly]]
* [[Lionel Richie]] (some would say he is more pop than R&B)
* [[Kelly Rowland]]
* [[Teena Marie]]
* [[Trey Songz]]
* [[Justin Timberlake]]
* [[TLC]]
* [[Usher]]
* [[Luther Vandross]]

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Music Tropes]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Music Genres]]