A lot played a part in the decline for me, I wouldn't blame it solely on the album "Trap-soul"
The lack of real "singers". I remember when singing in a Baptist church or church period was part of a singer's background, now you are pulling singers out of strip clubs, bottle service women wanna become Whitney Houston, chicks who really can't sing. Same thing can be said about the male singers, these dudes can't hold their own with Nokio from Dru Hill, the ad-lib, lip singing nigga in the group
It's a lot that has played a demise in R&B: The structure of songs/albums, there are no more background vocals on majority of these songs that are out now, (well the ones I hear), no background singers on lead singles, I could remember when you had background singers/vocals (whether male of female or the singer would do it themselves like Babyface and Chuckii Booker, Gerald Levert, MJ) laid on a song(s) and the singer themselves would ad-lib over those parts and go in on that particular part of the song or chorus. Now it's just the singer singing in a monotone key. Lack of emotions throughout albums and the narrative of albums. I remember when R&B acts would have you in the mirror singing with a brush or the remote controller to their songs, dayum near thought you was the nigga on the record, not the case no more. I see chicks singing to Summer Walker and Ella Mai shit, shit be a slow painful watch, it's almost as if they are dying a slow death in the moment smh.
Most of the new artists are not singing about any strong love connection. Most are singing about pain, fucking over someone, or being in a superior position than their mate. That's not love, when they do sing about loving someone or being in love, it's almost coming from a selfish stance.
Anita Baker, that woman, sings her soul out on her songs "Giving you the best that I got", I feel like she will jump in front of a bullet for her man if it was to came down to it, when I listen to her music at times, I feel that connection, I think her old ass be singing to me, I be lowkey cheating on my lady when I listen to her, she don't know it, Anita got a song called "Talk to Me" and in the song she's pleading for her man to talk to her about his problems, she's asking him what's wrong with him. She told the nigga to open up his heart. Got dayum, if it doesn't get no better for a man to have his woman to be that concern and that invested, this is how R&B use to be, Women actually giving a shit about how a man feel and his feelings. Men use to do the same thing in songs addressing women needs. That dayum woman, Anita, said in the same song, "she likes to listen" man look. She's not the only R&B act that's dedicated her voice to the appreciation of a man, Mary, Anglea Winbush, Whitney got a song called "You Give Good Love".. I dare a nigga's ole lady play that shit to him or catch her listening to that shit, I bet you Pelican tickets you'll get on your knees and marry that bitch in a NY second.
Aint no R&B chick in 2020 singing, humming on that type of stance. These chicks trying to have you eat their farts and shit, FOH with that slime shit.
This love, caring, dedication connection is lost in these songs, and that's not the narrative that is promoted.
The audience is another key factor, The R&B acts that were teens-20s, were singing about love, caring, and dedication, your Immatures, SWV, 702, Mint Condition, Hi-Five, Monica, Brandy, Ginuwine, Dru Hill, Jodeci, Janet Jacksons etc, That narrative from that group in that age range was promoted on the airwaves and in "black households". Their writers wrote songs/albums to push that narrative to their fanbase. The R&B acts that were a bit older, catered towards the 30 and up crowd, their songs were still in rotation, such as LSG, Michael Jackson, Whitney, Gerald Levert, Johnny Gill, Toni Braxton, Angela Winbush, Freddie Jackson, Luther, Stephanie Mills etc, these, R&B acts, even though older, were still singing about love, caring and dedication and their music catered to their older fanbase who still checked for their albums. The narrative said the same thing, which was appreciation for their mate, which is the foundation of R&B.
Those who sing about pain, those R&B acts, such as Mary J, I can't think of the male Mary J but their songs about their pain that they would experience, but they would always come back around to loving and caring and the dedication that they had for wanting and having a relationship with their mate.
Rarely you heard the "fuck a nigga, eat my pussy, bitches aint shit, I don't need a bitch, eat my farts," narrative that's being pushed. After listening to albums in the past, you walked away with a sense of wanting to be in a relationship or find love. Shid these albums make a person stay single and be on some sleep around shit.
The R&B acts that are catering to the teens and folks in their 20s are not on the whole loving, caring, dedication, more so on that I don't need anybody, it's either may way or no way, or I'll have the next person lined up narrative
I be curious to know those who are married or in a relationship listen to when they are in chill mode with their mate. All these R&B acts that are out now aint pushing folks to stay together or appreciate their mate. Shid you fuck around and listen to one of these new R&B acts and by track 8 on their album, you and your ole lady will be dayum near on the brinks of a break-up or fussing about something.
