1. Introduction: These Images illustrate a
variety of artists within the RnB genre of
music.
The following slides cover areas of this
genre in a greater detail.
R&B

2. R&B
R&B
 The history of the genre:
The "Rhythm & Blues" term was created to replace the designation "race music," which until
then was the standard catch-all phase used in reference to most music made by blacks at the
time. After the "race music" term was deemed offensive, Billboard began using the Rhythm
& Blues name that Wexler created.
The meaning behind the name is this: the "rhythm" part comes from the music's typical
dependence upon four-beat measures or bars and employ a backbeat (beats two and four
accented in each measure). And the "blues" portion came from the lyrics and melodies of
the songs, which were often sad, or 'blue' during the music's emergence in the World War II
era. Over time the name was shortened to R&B as a matter of convenience.

Key artists in the development of the genre / at the moment (who has the biggest
profile?)
Examples of popular contemporary R&B artists include Beyoncé, Jessie ware, Justin
Timberlake and Ciara.
R&B
R&B
Key artists in the development of the genre
 Audience / fans – who are they? Demographic?
 Females
 Males
Target Audience A majority of R&B fans are teenagers/young adults roughly between the ages of 13-25. This could be because of the explicit
lyrics in some of the songs, a majority of this age group are also females. It is usually females that are attracted to R&B music because female
R&B artists stereotypically make songs about being in love or heartbroken – this is something that will appeal greatly to teenage girls and
young adults. The fast paced R&B songs will also involve a lot of fashion and the synergy of music and fashion is something that will also
attract females because if they are into that sort of music they are usually also interested in fashion. The target audience of R&B males is also
majorly made up of females because they are portrayed in a very sexual way, through their nudity and lyrics. Females will find this appealing
because usually they will also be physically attracted to the male artists. However some males will be attracted to the jewellery, naked
women and depiction of wealth in these videos. These teenagers are also usually from a black background because R&B comes from soul
which would be something a majority of the young adults parents would have listened to. The approximate demographics of R&B’s target
audience

3. Sub genres of the genres:
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Record labels / key industry figures?
Detroit (Motown) soul
Deep soul and southern soul
Memphis soul
New Orleans soul
Public perception of the genre, is it a popular genre with mainstream appeal or more niche? (add
any current news articles you can find)
Rap and R&B music videos and lyrics reinforce gender norms and gender stereotypes. Often, women in these
music videos “appear to be placed in positions of sexual submission to their male counterparts” Female
submission elevates the status of the man in these music videos, which is particularly alarming in that these
same men are the men who objectify and degrade women. According to Cynthia M. Frisby, the media
objectifies women’s bodies, which “occurs whenever a person’s body or sexual functions are separated out
from his or her person or reduced to the status of mere instruments”. This is precisely what we see increasingly
prevalent in the mass media, problematic images of women “portrayed as sex objects by use of revealing
clothing. In the below linked video, “What’s Your Fantasy” by rapper Ludacris, we can see that female bodies
are objectified used as sources of pleasure to men.
Competition – what are the other magazines covering the genre? How many do they sell each issue? How often do they come out?
What sort of features do they contain?
 Vibe, soul culture, Blues soul, Uptown , Backbeat and many more…
E.G.:
Vibe: Current Issue: Oct-Nov £5.28
Next Issue: Dec-Jan - Due 25 Feb 14 (27 Days)
Uptown: 12 issues= £16.40, 10=issues£10.85, 13issues=£28.80
£5.28
Cross media – what other media covers that genre? TV stations / shows? Radio stations / shows? Websites?
TV Stations: BET
Radio Stations: Capital FM, Kiss
Websites: 99Covers.com
Predictions for the future? How might the genre develop? What direction does it appear to be heading in?
I predict “the perception” could either improve, remain the same or potentially get worse ; as it hasn’t gone unnoticed from the 90’s
onwards its only become more vulgar just form the video representations.