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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Since the two singers announced The R&B Tour, it’s drawn criticism, mostly surrounding Brown and his lengthy history of legal troubles. Separating the art from the artist is an ongoing debate for ...

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 ...

Victorville R&B artist Genia has signed with the historic record label Def Jam Records. The 24-year-old artist left nursing school and her hometown to pursue music full-time in Los Angeles. Genia was ...

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 ...

When the BRIT Awards announced the all-male nominees for 2023’s Artist of the Year on 12 January, there was a lot of backlash. For some artists it felt like double discrimination, seeing as the BRITs ...

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 ...

R&B and soul singer D’Angelo died Tuesday, leaving behind a "legacy of extraordinarily moving music" after a "prolonged and courageous battle with cancer," his family said. The influential music star, ...

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 ...

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 ...