THE STATE OF R&B
ESSENCE gives the definitive take on the “R&B is dead” debate.
WRITTEN BY Brooklyn White
In the winter of 2004, I was sitting in my Cool Aunt's parked Toyota, checking out the CD cases scattered around the car. I found Fantasia's 'Free Yourself' and the single for Beyoncé's "Me, Myself and I" in the backseat. Usher and Alicia Keys' "My Boo" bumped from the little silver radio. (Shout out to 99.7FM and 103.7FM for always keeping it tight). If I'd never had a song that was mine before, this was it. I was a little too young for a boo, but I was old enough to hypothesize about what R&B represented. R&B, to me, was sweet, sometimes sticky, love. Now, I see it as our pleasure, pain, and promise to keep our people reflecting while they groove.
The State of R&B is ESSENCE's love letter to the past, present and future of R&B. She's been mighty sweet to us, and we know more magic will come.
We're showing love to the kids who read the liner notes with their fingers. We're also blowing kisses to the enthusiasts who wrote the liner notes."
PHOTO CREDITS:
Courtesy of Spelman College Archives; 2C2K Photography; Samira Rashid; Courtesy of Shaw University Archives and Special Collections; 2C2K Photography. William H. Kelly/University Communications; University Archives & Special Collections J. F. Drake Memorial Learning Resources Center, Alabama A & M University; Courtesy of the David Campbell Photographic Collection, Alabama State University Archives, LeviWatkins Learning Center; Courtesy of Mario Germanye Smith; Ezekiel Best/Fayetteville State University/Office of Strategic Communication; Kai Tsehay (@official_kaikai). Tyana Talley/@heytyanasimone; Midori Rainford; Morris Brown College Photographs, Archives Research Center, Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library; Courtesy of Mahalia Jessup; Anthony Fitzpatrick/Fitz Frames Photography (@fitzframesphotos); The Waheed Photo Archive/NAAMHC.
back to the top
We need this reminder to pause and consider who R&B has allowed us to be. Her benevolence has given us music to seethe to, cuts to share a midnight kiss, tracks to enjoy the first dance, and songs to say farewell to. For every phase of life, R&B is there.
This week, we're rolling out a series of stories that get to the heart of discussions about R&B. We're talking freedom of expression, trendsetters, hot takes, must-know songs, and so much more.
We're showing love to the kids who read the liner notes with their fingers. We're also blowing kisses to the enthusiasts who wrote the liner notes. The El Debarge fans, our beloved Beyhive, the Rhythm Nation, and the avid readers of the Vocal Bible. The teens who choreographed dances to "Every Little Step." The purists who don't mind being called haters. The stans. The muses. That wide-eyed little girl who couldn’t leave her Cool Aunt’s CD’s alone.
This is for you, you, our number one.
I've heard every side of the "R&B is dead" debate. I've rallied for my generation and asked that our desires, language, and progression be heard. I’ve also recognized the genre's changes in the past few decades. But what is life without acceptance and change?
ARTICLES
back to the top
the state of
R
B
&
ENTERTAINMENT
Never Too Much? A Look At Sexually Explicit R&B Lyrics
by Jaelani Turner-Williams • OCT 22, 2022
ESSENCE tapped Black women music journalists to report on the "R&B is dead" debate.
ENTERTAINMENT
How Did Hip-Hop And R&B Become One Genre?
by Rivea Ruff • OCT 27, 2022
Part 2
ENTERTAINMENT
R&B Isn't Dead, It's Just Different Now
by Imani Mixon • OCT 28 2022
ENTERTAINMENT
How Much Money Do R&B Artists *Really* Make?
by Jasmine Browley and Brooklyn White • OCT 26, 2022
ENTERTAINMENT
How Did Hip-Hop And R&B Become One Genre?
by Rivea Ruff • OCT 27, 2022
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4
Part 3
Part 2
Part 1
ENTERTAINMENT
R&B Isn't Dead, It's Just Different Now
by Imani Mixon • OCT 28 2022
Part 4