Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and Blues (or simply R&B) is a genre of popular African-American music. The term was coined in the 1940s to describe the "black music" currently playing on the radio during that time in America. The music itself was a hodgepodge of blues music and rhythmic interplay, with gospel and jazz sounds thrown into the mix.

Nowadays, R&B music pretty much envelops a lot of sounds from the traditional sounds to Funk and Soul, and nowadays Hip Hop and Pop. The vocal quality of R&B singers is another important element, and most R&B fans aren't kind to thin-voiced singers. A singer, who need not be Aretha Franklin, usually must be at least a little more than competent at carrying a tune.

R&B is split into or encompasses these genres:
 * Alternative R&B
 * Contemporary R&B
 * Neo Soul
 * New Jack Swing
 * Hip Hop Soul
 * Soul
 * Disco
 * Funk
 * Jazz
 * Pop