OH SNAP!! It's on now-go to work Luxury .

Rhonda, you know you have no one to blame but yourself. It should've been RhondaB. Inner caps are your friend!

I hate taking people to school but if I must, class begins in 1...2...3...

Here's an exerpt from an interview that Kedar gave in 2002, around Grammy time: http://www.pbs.org/newsho..._2-27.html

Here's the man himself, click on "About Us" and you will get the explanation and WHO originated it as well:http://www.kedar.com/

Wait, here's yet ANOTHER site that tells of the origin of the term: http://randb.about.com/od...eoSoul.htm

The media didn't do shit. Again, if cats in Neo Soul we're making money like the Hip-Hoppers, they'd be in love with that damn term and would be promoting the fuck out of it.

The problem is simple: They aren't making money off it. Now, if these same artists were making the same cheese off Neo Soul that the rappers are making off Hip Hop, then they'd EMBRACE the term Neo Soul. Believe that. Their disdain for the term is ONLY about money - Or lack there of. So what they're trying to do is distance themselves from that term because they think it hurts their sales when the term isn't the problem, but the lack of marketing for the genre.

Take for instance, Jaguar Wright - She titled her last album "Divorcing Neo To Marry Soul" and her album STILL flopped.

Neo Soul simply means "The NEW (NEO) generation of soul artists that are keeping & maintaining the OLD Soul Music sound" - Simple as that.

And always remember this - Regardless of what they "label" you, if you're shit is good, it will transcend the label. MOST artist don't understand the "business" side of the industry so they disregard what needs to be done in order to get their shit out to the masses.

The alternative is distribute your own shit and more than likely not sell shit on a grand scale. pretentious? Yes. But if you're gonna get in the record biz you're gonna have to play their game for the most part or end up like Amel Larrieux - releasing albums without any fanfare and flopping.

Rock artists don't complain about being called Rock. Hip Hop artists don't complain about being called Hip Hop. Pop artists dont complain about being called Pop. Why? Because there's big money in those genres. Neo Soul artists wouldn't give a damn about that label if they were making the same amounts as those aforementioned genres.

The problem isn't the term, it's the lack of marketing the genre.

Rhonda, you know you have no one to blame but yourself. It should've been RhondaB. Inner caps are your friend!

actually...on every site..I'm RhondaB. As a matter of fact, I asked if I could change it....and was told I'd have to create a new damn account.

but thanks for pointing the finger back at me. My self esteem has been lifted. Alexde Paris or is it Alexd eParis or maybe A lex deParis...or maybe even Ale xde Paris.


and yes, I hate all of ya'll.

DaBRhon, I'm sure AlexisDeParis was just funning around with you.

Well, the problem is most "neo-soul" sucks. That's the problem. There are NO neo-Al Greens, neo-Chaka Khans, neo-Teena Marie's, neo-Isley Brothers, neo-Marvin Gayes, neo-Stevie Wonders - there are no artists of today that occupy a similar imposing and lasting stature in the whole canon of black/American music such as the ones just mentioned do. And THAT's the problem. I fail to see how anyone can argue otherwise. That's why the idea of "neo-soul" is bullshit. The word/concept came straight out of some record company's marketing department and went straight to the media, who ate it up. But it was never a cultural movement, indigenous to sections of the American people (or any people) as was rock and roll or hip-hop or soul music. Never. There are no "soul" artists doing nowadays the way it used to be done. There are many who wish they could, but that's another matter.

I see a short yellow school bus in your future.

Now that's just wrong bad, bad ccollin88.

The main reason why "neo-soul" is more a superfluous marketing gimmick, rather than a true rebirth of soul is that it is not tied to a national socio-political agenda. Soul was born on the cusp of the Civil Rights Era. The songs might have been sung about love and dancing, but there were also themes of uprising, rebellion and spiritual awareness. This formulated a "hidden code", if you will, calling the righteous, regardless of race, to unite against injustices seen on national TV and in the daily press. Political awareness and activism was either channeled from soul music or formed the backdrop to the struggle. Nowadays, we may debate whether true progress has been achieved, but there is less of a national consensus among black and white whether further reforms are necessary. Neo-soul is incapable of uniting black people on a singe issue.
There are also issues with young black people no longer getting their primary music education through the black church. I could blame that on hip-hop or just plain old bad parenting, but it might also be an end-result of integration.

There is no longer any one single theme that can unite all of Black America.

Also, Neo Soul is for the thinking man/woman for the most part. It's on a higher plane than the R Kelly and Jagged Edge type stuff, and let's face it, most music listeners don't want to be enlightened or educated through music, so the booty-shaking, ho-calling, and money-making songs are gonna hold their attention a lot more than Donnie signing about how proudly he wears his lamb wool (hair).

Like anything, Neo Soul isn't for everyone, just for those that want to be entertained and educated/enlightened at the same time, regardless if the beat is bangin' or the video has big booty hoes and spinners in it.