Blues with some Rhythm!

Can't Escape the Rhythm & the Blues

R&B is an abbreviation for Rhythm & Blues. It is blues-influenced genre name was originally created for use as a musical marketing term by Billboard magazine. Billboard magazine reporter,  and now influential music producer, Jerry Wexler, created the term to categorize upbeat popular black music that combined Blues and Jazz. It was also created to replace the problematic term “race music”. Once Hip-Hop arose, it became known as “a bunch of love songs”. 

Characteristics

Soul

Funk

Gospel

Swing

Disco

Love

Heavy Beats

Rhythm: Four Beat measures or bars, backbeats with second and fourth beats accented in each measure

Blues: Lyrics and melodies of the songs were sad or “blue”. 

R&B was used for convenience 

Classic R&B: stacking of vocal harmonies

Elements

Urban attire

Love videos

Sex

Breakup songs

Instrumentation

Ensembles

Political

Piano

Saxophone

Drums

Closely interacts with Hip-Hop

Artists

H.E.R.

SZA

USHER

6LACK

INFLUENCE

Freedom of sexuality

Objectification

Love

Rock & Roll

COMMODIFICATION

Records

Music Videos

Live Performances

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