Rnb Music - Is fighting back from the Centre of the ring, and not on the ropes!
Well, it seems that someone has finally come to their senses. One of the big hitters within the World of Rnb music has decided to go back to the sound that made him an International singer star in the first place.
That person is Neyo. During a recent Interview (The date being - 23rd February 2014),
Neyo made clear that he was going back to the SOULFUL sound/vibe of Rnb music.
This he needed as it allowed him to continue his path to develop further as a songwriter.
So could it be that we could be hearing from Neyo about a full Rnb album which will be his sixth studio album released in total?
Here is what he has to say about the matter.
"I've actually been wanting to go back to my R&B roots for two albums now but [I didn't], just from the standpoint of being a pioneer, leading people into whatever the next thing was gonna be," Ne-Yo admits.
"There wasn't a lot of R&B cats doing songs at 120 beats per minute before 'Closer,' which I take full credit and responsibility for.
That's all good, but it was an experiment. You experiment with something if it goes good, cool, but you never forget where you come from and R&B is where I come from."
Billboard Article - dated 20th February 2014
Of late many so-called Modern days, Rnb music stars have decided to go along with this musical fusion that is now popular with music lovers across the world. This fusion I am talking about is the mixing of EDM (Electric dance music) fused together with traditional Rnb music.
Rnb artist/s that have International billing such as Chris Brown, Drake, Beyonce, and Rihanna to name but just a few have tried this sound and to be honest, are having great chart success with it
However, many within the Music business are alarmed that the traditional Rnb sound is finding it very difficult to chart these days. Please click on the Youtube Link below to her own views.
Jill Scott has voiced her own views on the same very subject.
Please click on the Youtube video link below to hear - Rnb singer and actress Jill Scott talking to the Wall Street Journal's Lee Hawkins in 2015 about her concerns for RNB MUSIC SALES.
I wrote an article about this very same subject in late 2011 which can be revisited by going here - Rnb is Dead - 2011
There I explained my and others' concerns that traditional Rnb music was in serious danger of losing its fan base as people were bewildered by this new Rnb/Fusion which has become commonplace.
Soulful, and yet funky Rnb is one of the most under-appreciated music in Modern Day, Contemporary Black Music.
But it is taken by everyone that it will still be here no matter what.
However, the Music Industry has changed dramatically over the years via the Internet.
Ways of maximizing sales are becoming harder and harder to achieve. And other ways of making revenue have to be found musically.
The huge successes of the music known as Edm took everyone by surprise.
And some Rnb artists may be decided if you can't beat them join them.
I also mentioned what happened within the music of Hip Hop was now happening within the music of the traditional Rnb music scene.
Nas then mentioned in 2006 just 3 words to describe what he thought had happened to the music of hip-hop. Those 3 x words were these - Hip-hop is Dead.
This became a huge topic of debate across the music world. Was HipHop dead as Nas has claimed? Where was his proof I thought?
As it seemed to me that HipHop was selling loads of music as gender across the world. However, I asked the same question about Soul/Rnb music within this article - Rnb is Dead - 2011
One of the Queens of Rnb music which is Mariah Carey has come out and stated that she is not going to follow the bandwagon in regards to Edm and Rnb fusion when putting out an album.
She is staying loyal to the sound that has served her well. So we will be expecting a nicely balanced Rnb album from her as well.
Neyo is taking a stance by announcing to the world that he is to return to the sound that made him famous, cheered me and many others across the world up to people immensely.
Neyo is not the be-all and end-all of Modern-day Rnb music it must be said.
But by him taking a stand and stating that he will be returning to the sound that made him famous in the first place.
It sends out a clear message to his fans that he has not forgotten them and their wishes.
Neyo states that he still loves the traditional vibes of Rnb music.
Moving with that thought of NEYO's love of the "TRADITIONAL VIBES OF RNB".
We clearly hear NEYO's thoughts about the Rnb music losing its "Romantic VIBE OR EDGE" within its makeup of late via a recent interview he did on 14th January 2022, via PAGE SIX
Maybe "VIBE" is something that may or may not EVER come back to the music.
We are talking about the "Innocence of Romantic gestures and concepts" within Rnb music itself.
However, if you look hard enough and underground enough you will find that still exists within the music of Rnb Music from different parts of the world.
Artists from countries such as Germany, Span, Italy, Australia, Canada, and England have taken up the mantle left by these so-called Superstars in regards to Rnb music - and put their spin on the music.
The two countries that can truly state that keeping the "Torch" flamming for Rnb music are Canada and England.
Various artists from these two countries have made sure that the musical ingredients have NOT been left out which is the Soulful vibe or the Romantic gestures vibe.
The highly-rated music platform called "Colors" has proved vital for Rnb and Neo-Soul artists from the above-mentioned countries to come up with their "Music" to be then heard over the Internet.
These artists are asked to perform a song or even two within the Colors studio; which are then recorded. And then these recordings are put out to the world from Color's own YouTube platform.
Roughly twice a week, these same recorded artists' videos are put out on Color's own YouTube platform.
There are no gimmicks or special effects. Artists are just asked to sing with emotion. They are recorded. And then this recording is then put out.
Colors began as a 2 personal startup created by Philipp Starcke and Felix Glasmeyer in 2016.
The idea that Colors could become a vital force amid all of these factors was a wild pipe dream.
Co-creator Philipp Starcke was feeling unfulfilled after having recently quit his job in advertising in Hamburg.
He had a vision of combining his love of music with a clean visual sensibility that would cut through the noise of social media.
“We’re all very easily distracted. We wanted to make it simple for people to watch,” Starcke said. “We wanted to connect people, countries, and cultures on a creative and emotional level.”
He pitched the idea to his friend Felix Glasmeyer, a fashion photographer in New York, who immediately moved to Berlin to help him shoot the videos. Starcke used his own savings to rent out a dirt-cheap, tiny studio in the center of Berlin.
The room was crummy, with cracks and spiders, and the pair could have hardly been less equipped for their endeavor.
“I had no idea what an XLR cable was,” Starcke said, referring to the most commonly used microphone cable. “We had no connections to the music industry whatsoever".
Here below is just one of the songs that elevated Colors that made it a must-watch platform if you loved Rnb and Neo-Soul music.
CLEO SOL - WHY DON'T YOU - 2017
READ THE REST OF THE STORY ABOUT COLORS HERE
The West Coast of America's young music artists (USA Rnb and NeoSoul artists) are not taking this lying down and have been spearheading this revival even further.
This new blood of Rnb artists ranges from Tinashe, Jhene Aiko, Sevyn Streeter, and Kelela (Who is born and Bred regionally in Washington D.C but now resides in Los Angeles, USA).
All of those above have a credible following already. The rest of us around the world are already aware of them. But they themselves were originators in their own right.
Well, decide for yourself.
Have a look at these video/s below to find out more about these 4 x young, Rnb music artists below. All of these artists are residing on the West Coast of America at this moment in time.
1.JHene Aiko
2.Khelea
3. Tinashe
4.Sevyn Streeter
So good news is filtering its way through onto us. Rnb was hanging on the ropes of late, but it's now fighting from the center of the ring now.
Do you think that Rnb is still in Danger? Or are these recent developments that have been reported here making you think that the music is in good hands with the new crop of artists coming through?
Please let me know your thoughts about this article as a whole and the state of Rnb music in general. Ok?
