Welcome To aBlackWeb

Did Bryson Tiller's "Trap Soul" start the decline of real RnB?

AP2.5

I was really really tryna keep it PG
Site Administrator
I couldn't think of a better title to express my thoughts. Maybe "what happened to the RnB love ballad"

I got on the Tiller train probably right after it started to pull into the station. I had heard "Sorry no sorry" but wasnt trying to check for the whole project, then i heard "Don't", and was like ok..let me check dude out.

I guess my overall question or rather observation is, it seems like every "rnb" album after that from people in his generation has spawned nothing but clones trying to do trap soul.

I know rapping on rnb type of tracks isnt uncommon and had been done before, but certainly not to the degree it has happened since his album dropped.

Maybe Tiller is being my scapegoat b/c i know artists like Chris Brown and Trey have done similar music, but even those dudes appeared to have a sound before Tiller, then switched it up after Tiller.

Then you got artists like Sza, Doja Cat, August Alsina, Jacquees, I'm currently listening to Tink's latest project...but the list goes on of both males and females, those are just the first ones that popped in my head of artists who have these trap type beats, they are rapping/singing their lyrics, the lyrics are super raunchy and in many times, just feels like they just wanna talk about fucking every single track.

What happened to the RnB love ballad?

also, im too lazy to look at who came before who...im just trying to have something to talk about so if August came out before Tiller, cool...that aint the point of the thread
 
That Trap Soul album ain’t shit but a non-rapping Drake

So you gotta go back at least that far

hmmm... i didnt really consider drake b/c at least, Drake was still harmonizing with what i would call traditional RnB melodies and song structure

Drakes singing songs also had a soft rnb base at its core as well

Tiller's album was like taking some throw away lex luger beats and singing/rapping over them
 
IMO, more R&B artist wanted to be and sound like rap artist. I know a lot of R&B (especially in the 90's) had a hip hop feel to it. But nowadays you can't tell if someone is a singer or rapper.
i mean this has always happened as well, but there was still balance.

Montell Jordan could drop a track like "It's on tonight" then drop "Let's ride feat Master P" and was still very much RnB
 
you named one example to support your position

im not saying its not out there, but by and large, what we knew as RnB growing up has been on the decline
Ro James album has ballads
H.E.R album has ballads
Leon Bridges album had ballads.
They just aren't singles or radio friendly in the turn up era

Music evolves. And the R&B you grew up with ain't the Temptations.
 
It started way before that. Chris Brown and Trey Songz was blurring the lines. So was R Kelly at times.
interesting you mentioned Kelz b/c he definitely started the whole Rnb Thug shit which both artists as you mentioned straddled the lines you said

but im still thinking for all his RnB Thug shit, kelz by and large was an Rnb artist at his core and he had other songs that reflected it
 
Ro James album has ballads
H.E.R album has ballads
Leon Bridges album had ballads.
They just aren't singles or radio friendly in the turn up era

Music evolves. And the R&B you grew up with ain't the Temptations.
I've listened to all of those artists

i know music evolves, but who is trying to sound like those artists...thats my problem

I know Ro has an album about to drop and Leon has dropped a couple of projects over the past 4 years, but there needs to be more variety instead of waiting on these artists to always drop projects
 
interesting you mentioned Kelz b/c he definitely started the whole Rnb Thug shit which both artists as you mentioned straddled the lines you said

but im still thinking for all his RnB Thug shit, kelz by and large was an Rnb artist at his core and he had other songs that reflected it
Beyonce too. It was a gradual change though not one person is responsible.
 
I've listened to all of those artists

i know music evolves, but who is trying to sound like those artists...thats my problem

I know Ro has an album about to drop and Leon has dropped a couple of projects over the past 4 years, but there needs to be more variety instead of waiting on these artists to always drop projects
It's not the popular sound for sure. It's not radio friendly. So labels aren't pushing it. It's a monkey see monkey do industry.

I would say Trea Songs is the godfather of that style
 
i mean this has always happened as well, but there was still balance.

Montell Jordan could drop a track like "It's on tonight" then drop "Let's ride feat Master P" and was still very much RnB

Absolutely.

When I say R&B artist wanna be rappers, I'm talking bout the subtleness that use to be there. Before they could make a smooth song bout eating a woman out. Now they'd just flat out say it.
 
Absolutely.

When I say R&B artist wanna be rappers, I'm talking bout the subtleness that use to be there. Before they could make a smooth song bout eating a woman out. Now they'd just flat out say it.

This is what I feel is the problem with R&B. Seems like too many men and women feel like they're being fools and suckas to sing about being really in love with a person. So instead they just flat out sing about sucking and fucking without any love in it or masking that they are actually singing about sucking and fucking.

Shit is mostly trash IMO with some goods song here and there.
 
This is what I feel is the problem with R&B. Seems like too many men and women feel like they're being fools and suckas to sing about being really in love with a person. So instead they just flat out sing about sucking and fucking without any love in it or masking that they are actually singing about sucking and fucking.

Shit is mostly trash IMO with some goods song here and there.
i was listening to "tink's" hopeless romantic project she just dropped and i lost count of how many songs where she flat out saying she want a nigga to eat her pussy

i mean, i think we all aint scared to go down on a chick, but where are the Deborah Cox's Where do we go from here type songs?
 
i was listening to "tink's" hopeless romantic project she just dropped and i lost count of how many songs where she flat out saying she want a nigga to eat her pussy

i mean, i think we all aint scared to go down on a chick, but where are the Deborah Cox's Where do we go from here type songs?

Messed up but I just keep listening to the oldies. Would love to hear some old school lyric style love songs but from new R&B singers with some up to date beats.

Shit don't seem that difficult to do. I just think artists don't care cause everything else is so blunt and in your face now a days they just say fuck it.
 
Back
Top