2. HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY R&B
• Vocalists that popularized this genre
are Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder,
Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and
R. Kelly.
• Throughout the years of 2000, R&B is
seen to become more mainstream
as it has become more modernized.
However, it has also been highly
influenced by Hip-Hop.
• Contemporary R&B originated in the
late 1970’s, at the end of the disco
era. Michael Jackson’s hit album ‘Off
the Wall’ (1979) was greatly
significant in the change of black
music of that time.
• However, a lot of contemporary R&B
music nowadays is also very
sexualised, and
What is R&B?
R&B is a genre of music that is
defined as Rhythm and Blues
however, it also combines
elements of dance, pop, hip-
hop, funk and soul.
This genre emerged from the
American blues and soul music
during the 1940s, 1950s, and
1960s in the United States. At a
time when urban, rocking, jazz
based music with a heavy,
insistent beat was becoming
more popular among the Afro-
Americans in particular.
Contemporary R&B still retains
these elements, but it is
completely different from the
Rhythm and Blues of the 50s
and 60s; contemporary R&B
centres entirely around the
vocalist.
3. 1990’S
• Whitney Houston is a very significant artist in the
development of contemporary R&B. The release of her
second album ‘The Body Guard’ received a great amount of
critical acclaim, becoming the best selling album of all time.
• Another influential artist was Janet Jackson, after the release
of her second debut album ‘Janet’ released in 1993, also
become a world wide phenomenon, and has sold over 20
million copies all over the world.
• Not forgetting Mariah Carey, who recorded several Billboard
Hot 100s hits, including “One Sweet Day”, a collaboration
with R&B group Boyz II Men, who were also greatly influential
to this era. This song became the longest running No.1 hit
Hot 100 history. In 1995 Carey released a remix of her song
‘Fantasy’, with Ol’ dirty Basterd, a collaboration format that no
one had heard of before. Carey’s voice is so unique, and I
really admire the way she can collaborate other artists into
her work, to create a more up beat sound, but at the same
time she can produce such
Aaliyah was another greatly influential artist of the
90’s; her album ‘Age Aint Nothin But A Number’
peaked at number 18 on Billboard’s top 200, and
has released over two million copies in the US.
Similarly to Mariah Carey, Aaliyah provides a
unique and original style to her music.
4. 2000’S
• According to Billboard’s magazine the most influential and
recognizable artists of this era were Beyoncé, Usher, Ne-Yo,
Rhianna, Usher, and Alicia Keys.
• Other artists that influenced R&B of this era, also include ‘Destiny’s
Child’- their R&B music encompassed styles of urban contemporary,
and dance-pop. One of their biggest influences was Janet Jackson.
The group explored many different issues through their lyrics,
including their relationships with men, sisterhood, and female
empowerment.
• In 2004 it was released that 80% of songs on Billboard’s Top 100
were by African-American recording artists. The top 40 of both pop
and R&B charts were topped by OutKast’s ‘Hey Ya!’, Snoop Dogg’s
‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’, and Ciara’s ‘Goodies’.
One of my personal favourite R&B vocalists is D'Angelo. His
debut solo album, Brown Sugar, released in July 1995,
received rave reviews and sold over two million copies.
In 2000 D'Angelo released his second album, Voodoo,
which was also a world wide phenomenon, with ‘How Does
It Feel’ as its leading single. However, the music video for
this song caused a lot of controversy amongst the public,
which created a lot of personal issues for D'Angelo himself,
who did not want to be seen as a sex symbol. Some
viewers and music writers have attributed the male
discomfort of the video to fear of male sexual objectification
and homophobia.
Despite these issues, D'Angelo is such a talented artist.
Along artists such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell,
and collaborator Angie Stone, D'Angelo became part of the
neo-soul movement, but still remains elements of R&B.
5. 2010’S
By 2010 R&B music began to incorporate more electronic and machine-made sounds and
instruments; The Weeknd for example, combines elements of electronic, modernistic sounds
with
The music video for ‘The Zone’ was directed by Abel Tesfaye himself. From the very start of
the video, Abel has already created a dark atmosphere; showing a close up shot of dark, red
eyes, which are over lapped by a mid shot of a long; in which you can’t see anything around
it but the road moving slowly forward; re emphasising the mysterious, and darkness Abel is
trying to convey.
It then cuts to a continuous moving mid shot of an attractive woman lounging on a sofa,
surround by a display of balloons; the lighting and the balloons in this scene are all very
vibrant, and colourful- a stark contrast to the lighting of the previous scene, which
immediately challenges the viewers perception of what has happened. There is an extreme
amount of sensuality that is portrayed through this video- which is shown through her lack of
clothing, and the way she is applying make up.
As the video progresses the lighting becomes dimmer,
The is a dramatic sense of emotion which is conveyed through a mid shot of Abel Tesfaye
himself- as he sings the words to the song, a moving projected image of the same women’s
eyes is played above him- suggesting that he is completely engulfed by this woman.
However, the camera switches to a close up shot, in which you can really see the emotion,
and uncertainty of his face ; which could possibly imply that he must leave this woman,
although he doesn’t want too.
Towards the end of the video it cuts to a mid shot of the woman- again sitting upright on a
sofa, surrounded by colourful balloons. However, the atmosphere is completely different to
the previous clip of her. The emotive, and dramatic atmosphere is portrayed through the
extensive use of camera angles, such as Close Up shots of the woman crying, which is also
slowly moving away from her ; this becomes quite unsettling, but also very engaging for the
viewer, as we start to feel empathetic towards this woman. What makes this video even
more effective in conveying emotion is the dark lighting, which is contrasted with the use of
vibrant balloons. I thought this juxtaposition was a very effective way in creating uncertainty
for the viewer, as balloons are usually associated with happiness, which contrasts with the
lighting, and generally what the scene is about in general.
Today’s R&B is far more diverse and incorporates more
sonic elements than before. Artists that have popularized this
genre include Miguel, Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, Pharrell
Williams, and The Weeknd- all who have embraced new
electronic influences but kept R&B’s original feel at the same
time. More of these artists are collaborating with non-R&B
artists. For example, R&B singer Miguel, is gaining more
popularity through his collaborations with rappers such as
Wale and Rick Ross. Continuing from the 1990s and early
2000s, R&B, like many other genres, drew influences from
the technical innovations of the time and began to
incorporate more electronic and machine-made sounds and
instruments, which include Auto tune and computerized
synths, which have given R&B a more futuristic feel. Themes
of love and relationships are most commonly brought up in
artist’s lyrics.
6. WHAT MAKES A GREAT R&B MUSIC VIDEO?
• What makes a great R&B video?
Charisma. Choreography. Sensuality. The kind
of moving image that becomes impossible to
shake every time you hear a song. In the '90s,
R&B videos were in their prime, and just as
compelling as the gangster rap epics that
dominated much of the decade. R&B acts had
to step up with classic clips that might not have
been as up-tempo as everything else on MTV,
but still left people wanting to see them again
the second they ended.
The era yielded endless sets of iconic imagery,
the influence of which still persists to this
day. Some heavyweights
absolutely dominated this golden era of rhythm
and blues visuals, while others made a brief,
but grand, impression and faded away.
An issue which I found quite important to discuss
was the way in which women are portrayed through
advertisement, and music videos of R&B. For
example, R. Kelly’s album ‘Black Panties’ shows him
lying in the centre surrounded by a bunch of women,
all who are wearing nothing but black pants. I found
this quite unsettling, and completely degrading to
women, as it completely objectifies them to nothing
but a male’s fantasy. In relation to this, female artist
‘Nicki Minaj’ is notoriously known for publicising her
body, which is explicitly shown through many of her
videos.
7. MICHAEL JACKSON
Thriller
Thriller is most defiantly one of the greatest music videos ever made. It
was directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screen play with
Michael Jackson.
Michael and his date, Ola Ray, run out of gas in a dark, wooded area. They walk
off into the forest, and Michael asks her if she would like to go steady. She
accepts and he gives her a ring. He warns her, however, that he is not like other
guys, no really, not like the other guys. A full moon appears, and Michael begins
convulsing in agony – transforming into a horrifying werewolf! His date shrieks
and runs away, but the werewolf catches up, knocking her down and begins
lunging at her with its claws. The scene cuts away to a movie theatre where
Michael and his date are actually watching this scene unfold in a movie called
Thriller. Michael smiles but his date is frightened, and tells him she's leaving.
Michael catches up to her, and says that it's only a movie, but she doesn't like
his jokes on her and she starts walking away. Michael and his date then walk
down a foggy street, and he teases her with the opening verses of Thriller. They
pass a graveyard, where corpses suddenly begin to rise from their graves as
Vincent Price performs his rap. Michael and his date then find themselves
surrounded by the zombies, and suddenly, Michael becomes a zombie himself.
Michael and the undead perform an elaborate song and dance number
together, followed by the chorus of Thriller.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOn
qjkJTMaA
The director uses a range of camera
techniques, such as mid-shot, wide-shot,
panning shots, and close-up shots.
8. BEYONCÉ
• Me, myself, and I
The music video for ‘Me, Myself, and I’ another
classic by Beyoncé, entails the journey of her
break-up- showing her from the start (finding out
her partner and cheated) to the end (sadly
soaking in a bath, and eventually cutting all her
hair off). However, after viewing the first cut of
the video, Beyoncé wasn’t happy with it, so she
decided to completely reverse the order of it. I
think this was a smart decision, because it
creates a more abstract perception of time, which
is emphasised by the juxtaposition of the video. I
also find the lyrics especially moving, as she talks
about the issues through her relationship, and
heart brake.
Single Ladies
Beyoncé's world wide phenomenon was of course ‘Single Ladies’-released in 2009,
and directed by Jake Nava; who also worked on many of her other music videos
including, ‘Crazy In Love’, ‘Beautiful Liar’, and ‘If I Were A Boy’. The music video
shows Beyoncé performing as her alter ego ‘Sasha Fierce’ (also the name of her
album), in a asymmetrical leotard wearing high heels, with two female look alike back
up dancers. They are all placed in front of a white wall, which contrasts with her
alternative dancing, and to completely draw our attention only on them.
What makes this video so mesmerizing is the contrast between the simplicity of the
setting, and Beyoncé's skilled dance moves.
My perception of this video
Although Beyoncé is clearly trying to flaunt her body in a tight black leotard and
heels- which is obviously very sexualised, respect her self confidence, and her
ambition to try and also self empower other women to be confident in their own
bodies just like she is.
