Genre Case Study: Rhythm and Blues x Rhythm and Bass

1. 
Genre Case-Study: R&B
Viktoriya Pavlova

2. What is R&B?
 ☆ Rhythm and Blues is a popular music genre, which originated
in the 1940s. Its origins are blues, gospel and jazz and it
combines elements from soul, funk, pop, hip hop and dance
music. During its first years, majority of the performers were
African Americans
 ☆ The instruments typically used in R&B songs are drums, bass
guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, vocals and background vocals.
 ☆ Over the past years, R&B has undergone many changes and
developments, splitting itself into two big groups. While the
older R&B songs are classified as Rhythm and Blues, the modern
R&B music has taken the name of Rhythm and Bass

3. 
R&B MusicVideos
Colours: Popular colours in R&B
music videos are Blue, Red,
Golden/Yellow, Brown and
Black. Although there are
videos that include vibrant and
neon colours, like Liam Payne’s
‘Strip that Down’. Most videos
use more faded versions of
those colours, to give more
‘relaxed’ vibe.
Lighting: As this genre is very broad,
the lighting depends on the mood
of the song. If the song is upbeat
and happy, the lighting would be
high-key (as it is in Chris Brown’s
video for ‘Pills and Automobiles’). If
the song is slower and gives a
different mood, the lighting would
be low-key, like in The Weeknd’s
song ‘Reminder’.
Props: The use of props in R&B videos relates to
the lyrics. However, it is very common for videos to
include cars and phones and mundane props,
especially when telling stories, as R&B music
usually tells a story. However, if the song is on a
more specific topic, the video would include the
required props. For example, Camilla Cabello’s
music video for Havana includes Spanish
decorations and posters, as she is talking about a
city in Cuba.
Themes: Love (We
Found Love – Rihanna
ft. Calvin Harris),
Heartbreak (Rolling in
the Deep – Adelle),
Self Love (Starboy –
The Weeknd), Partying
(Chris Brown – Run
it!)
Locations: Big Cities (Chris
Brown – Loyal), Clubs (Flo Rida
– Low), Houses (Nelly ft. Kelly
Rowland - Dilemma),
Workplace (Fifth Harmony –
Work From Home), Holiday
Locations (Pia Mia – Do it
Again), Abstract backgrounds
(Chris Brown – Questions) and
cars (Kat DeLuna – Whine Up)
Costumes: The outfits in R&B music videos are
usually context-appropriate. If the performer is
near the beach/pool they would be in
swimwear (Sisqo – Thong Song), if they are in
the privacy of their home, they would wear
casual or leisure clothes (Mariah Carey – We
Belong Together). The artists’ clothes are
usually relevant to fashion trends at the time
examples for this are Ciara ft Petey Pablo –
Goodies, Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl, Chris
Brown - Party

4. History of R&B
☆ Rhythm and Blues originated in the US during the 40s, where the term was first used by record companies to
describe the Urban sound (‘Black Music’), as it was mainly the music of African American street performers.
↳ LOUIS JORDAN. Let The Good Times Roll. 1940's R&B / Jazz Soundie
☆ The term Rhythm and Blues comes from the music’s common four-beat bars and the lyrics and melody from
the sad songs during World War II. Eventually, the term was shortened down to R&B, and B was changed into
‘Bass’ instead of ‘Blues’, due to the more upbeat songs nowadays.
☆ In the 1950s, R&B contributed the rise of rock and roll, meaning that people started defining R&B as a style
incorporating electric blues, gospel and soul music
↳ Rare Gems of Blues - Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers - Pink Champagne
☆ In the 1960s, British bands like Rolling Stones, The Who and The Animals were referred to as R&B bands, which
was later turned into a new subgenre – British Rhythm and Blues
↳ The Rolling Stones - Get Off of My Cloud (1967)
☆ In the 1970s, R&B was once again a term used to describe funk and soul music.
↳ The Floaters - Float On
☆ In the 1980s, a new term was developed – Contemporary R&B. This is the modern R&B music, which combines
soul, funk, pop, hip hop and dance music.
↳ Rihanna - Pon de Replay

5. Target Audience
Originally, the target audience of R&B music were lower class, African American citizens.
But as the definition of R&B changed, its target audience changed. Nowadays, its Primary
audience is 13 – 30 year old women, predominantly working and middle class. The
secondary audience is men of the same age and social classes. Although more and more
men are listening to R&B now, R&B is still a preferred genre for more women than men.
A big part of R&B’s audience streams music online, which explains why most of Spotify’s
own playlists often contain many R&B songs, and why they are always in the charts. Many
R&B Music Videos are found trending on YouTube, as people use it as a streaming
platform and enjoy their music videos.

6. Influential Artists and Record Labels
!990s:
☆ Whitney Houston – RCA Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Janet Jackson – Island Records
(Universal Music Group)
☆ Mariah Carey – Columbia Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Missy Elliot – East West Records
(Warner Music Group)
☆ Michael Jackson – Epic Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Usher – LaFace Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Toni Braxton - LaFace Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ R Kelly – Jive Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
2000s
☆ Alicia Keys – J Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Beyonce - Columbia Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Ne-Yo – Def Jam Records
(Universal Music Group)
☆ Ciara - LaFace Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Mario - J Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Keri Hilson – Mosley Music Group
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Chris Brown - Jive Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Rihanna - Def Jam Records
(Universal Music Group)
2010s
☆ Bryson Tiller - RCA Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Jeremih - Def Jam Records
(Universal Music Group)
☆ John Legend - Columbia Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ The Weeknd – Republic Records
(Universal Music Group)
☆ Miguel - RCA Records
(Sony Music Entertainment)
☆ Jhene Aiko - Def Jam Records
(Universal Music Group)
☆ Bruno Mars- Atlantic Records
(Warner Music Group)
☆ Ariana Grande - Republic Records
(Universal Music Group)
During the 90s, Sony
Music dominated the
Music Industry
In the 2000s, Universal started
getting more into the Music
Industry, however Sony was still
in first place.
Nowadays, Universal and Sony
Music equally divide the music
industry, with Warner Music
following behind.

7. Influential MusicVideos
☆ Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation
☆ Michael Jackson – Thriller
☆ TLC – Waterfalls
☆ Beyoncé - Single Ladies
☆ Michael Jackson - You Rock My World
☆ Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball