SoulAlive said:

There needs to be a revolution.People need to stop buying this crap and DEMAND that R&B goes back to its roots.Bring back funk bands! Bring back real songwriting and musicianship! Hand all of these "artists" a copy of Songs In The Key Of Life and demand that they STUDY it!

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For me, you touched on the very culprit of the problem. We all know the basis of economics is supply and demand. The labels won't demand change from their roster until there's a substantial change in demand. Hence, why I'm quite glum when it comes to this topic (especially for commercial radio). The youth are our biggest consumers at least in the States anyway. Until they stop buying it or creating the demand for more like products, the label machines will only keep supplying it. So if there's going to be a revolution, it has to start with them...the youth.

I hope Daft Punk collaborating with Nile Rodgers helps turn the tide towards at least a live soul/disco vibe at least for a few years. Nice to hear a real guitar on "Get Lucky"

Terrib3Towel said:

Gunsnhalen said:

Lyrically anyways...

I sometimes switch from different genres of stations and when i put on an r&b station it's love song, love song, love song, make love or fuck, love song, make love or fuck, don't leave me or love song, make love or fuck.

I am not even saying that they have to write about social and political issues... just write about something other than love, breakups and fucking!!!!

the r&b artists of the 70's wrote everything from love to politics to personal problems to issues with race to partying and paying the price.

Hell or just even something like ''Don't Take It Personal'' by Monica a song that says no offense i had a bad day fuck off! or Miracle by Whitney Houston... Waterfalls by TLC etc.

This is one reason i dig Frank Ocean & Miguel they are diverse in the topics on there album and it keeps me listening to each track.

it also seems to stick to a structure... why can't there be more guitars? i mean is that just banned?

Think of Beat it, Running With The Night by Lionel, U Got It Bad by Usher, Ex-Factor by Lauryn Hill etc. Still strong r&b but with a killer guitar rift or solo.

What are you saying - that the R&B artists of the 1980's - 2000's ruined R&B?!? Are you kidding?!? There's TONS of great R&B out there that meets your criteria. It's not on the radio - you just have to know where to look!

Don't tell me you're going on me!

Sound familiar?

phunkdaddy said:

SoulAlive said:

There needs to be a revolution.People need to stop buying this crap and DEMAND that R&B goes back to its roots.Bring back funk bands! Bring back real songwriting and musicianship! Hand all of these "artists" a copy of Songs In The Key Of Life and demand that they STUDY it!

The recipe sounds good but it ain't happening. Mint Condition and the Roots are the only

R&B bands on the market currently doing that. I would include Robert Randolph and the

Family Band because they could pull it off but they are more bluesy.

SA, I agree.


But the only demands the industry meets are are those of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton and Andrew Jackson.

Until the audiences send them to support such acts, the industry won't change.

We will be auto-tuned. guest-versed. and singsong-rhymed into the next generation.


A little bit of that has to do with supply. With few musician-based acts in R&B, the headliners seem to drag their feet, afraid of the expectations. [Insert names here]

But there is micro-demand for numerous newer artists and established artists [Insert your names here] who get support from their niche audiences. We may need to accept that until a musical artist or act makes a mega-seller.

Or the kids pick up instruments again to create their own sound.

[Edited 5/10/13 14:25pm]

[Edited 5/10/13 14:25pm]

R&B since the early 80's till now =

RodeoSchro said:

Gunsnhalen said:

Lyrically anyways...

I sometimes switch from different genres of stations and when i put on an r&b station it's love song, love song, love song, make love or fuck, love song, make love or fuck, don't leave me or love song, make love or fuck.

I am not even saying that they have to write about social and political issues... just write about something other than love, breakups and fucking!!!!

the r&b artists of the 70's wrote everything from love to politics to personal problems to issues with race to partying and paying the price.

Hell or just even something like ''Don't Take It Personal'' by Monica a song that says no offense i had a bad day fuck off! or Miracle by Whitney Houston... Waterfalls by TLC etc.

This is one reason i dig Frank Ocean & Miguel they are diverse in the topics on there album and it keeps me listening to each track.

it also seems to stick to a structure... why can't there be more guitars? i mean is that just banned?

Think of Beat it, Running With The Night by Lionel, U Got It Bad by Usher, Ex-Factor by Lauryn Hill etc. Still strong r&b but with a killer guitar rift or solo.

What are you saying - that the R&B artists of the 1980's - 2000's ruined R&B?!? Are you kidding?!? There's TONS of great R&B out there that meets your criteria. It's not on the radio - you just have to know where to look!

Don't tell me you're going on me!

Sound familiar?

Chile i listen to dozens of underground r&B artists and not a lot of them have too much to say either boo boo it's all Kurt Cobains fault.

Gunsnhalen said:

RodeoSchro said:

What are you saying - that the R&B artists of the 1980's - 2000's ruined R&B?!? Are you kidding?!? There's TONS of great R&B out there that meets your criteria. It's not on the radio - you just have to know where to look!

Don't tell me you're going on me!

Sound familiar?

Chile i listen to dozens of underground r&B artists and not a lot of them have too much to say either boo boo it's all Kurt Cobains fault.

Translation: "Touche, Rodeo. Touche!"

Cotontige said:

You mean mainstream R&B don't you ? Because its pretty versatile in subjects and sound when you listen to all of the spectrum

They don't. I used to say the same thing on here all of the time. I used to even post examples. Now, I don't bother. People who want to claim that it doesn't exist usually are only looking at R&B from a very narrow vantage point. Thousands of new R&B records come out every year and most of them just sit around waiting for Clear Channel to tell them what to listen to. R&B is plenty versatile. The R&B THEY ARE LISTENING TO might not be.