Essence

Never Too Much? A Look At Sexually Explicit R&B Lyrics

Welcome to The State of R&B, ESSENCE's look at the past, present and future of rhythm and blues. In this piece, writer Jaelani Turner-Williams addresses claims that today's R&B is too sexual. R&B’s ...
Billboard

The 10 Best R&B Albums of 2023: Staff Picks

The genre is in great hands. To borrow and remix a quote from the late American word smith Mark Twain: reports of R&B’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Sure, R&B doesn’t have a chokehold on the ...
Essence

How Much Money Do R&B Artists *Really* Make?

Welcome to The State of R&B, ESSENCE's look at the past, present and future of rhythm and blues. In this piece, ESSENCE editors Jasmine Browley and Brooklyn White investigate the R&B bags secured—and ...
Billboard

How Adult R&B Became a Young Person’s Game On the Airwaves

As a radio format that prized legacy artists plays more acts in their 20s and 30s, staples of the genre face intense competition. By Elias Leight In March, the singer Maeta hit No. 1 on Billboard’s ...
The Harvard Crimson

So You Want to Listen to R&B: Travel Through Time

Now widely recognized as soulful and chill music brought to life with various musical instruments, the genre of rhythm and blues, also known as R&B, was originally introduced to market African ...
Complex

15 R&B Artists To Watch In 2025

R&B may not always be the trendiest genre, but it has remained remarkably consistent. Over the years, it has grown broader in scope, moving past the days of powerhouse belters and classic R&B groups ...
Complex

R&B Isn't Dead. It's Going Through an Identity Crisis.

R&B, however, fell into limbo as it struggled to find new homes. Singersroom and ThisIsRnB.com were two of the only websites dedicated to R&B at the time. R&B-friendly platforms like Essence, Vibe, ...
xxlmag

Here Are the Best Rap Verses on R&B Songs Over the Last Five Years

Rap and R&B have always been intertwined. As both prominent Black arts, many rappers and singers from both genres were taking off and occupying the same space in the 1990s, which carried on tradition ...
Forbes

25 R&B Artists To Include In Your Collection

Host Erykah Badu attends the 2016 Soul Train Music Awards at the Orleans Arena on November 6, 2016 in Las Vegas. The combination of rhythm and blues spurred the development of the culture and genre ...
Business Insider

9 R&B albums from 2022 you should definitely revisit in 2023

Lady Wray's "Piece of Me" is a soulful masterpiece full of sunshine. Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian called "Piece of Me" "a roll-the-windows-down head-nodder of the highest order," and she was on ...
The Tennessean

Nashville’s R&B scene shines at lively cafe showcase 'R&Babu'

An R&B showcase called "R&Babu" highlighted Nashville's thriving R&B music scene at a local coffee shop. The sold-out event featured performances from several Nashville-based artists, including its co ...