R&B

R&B music was truly at its height in the 2000s. R&B stands for rhythm and blues, which focuses on music with soulful factors and slow melodies. This genre started to become infused with rap and pop in the ’90s and continued to do so in the 2000s. A lot of rappers and pop stars include R&B elements in their music, but there is a collection of artists who focus on solely R&B music.

Amy Winehouse

One of the greatest artists of all time, Amy Winehouse, was a gem during this era. Winehouse was an English singer who became successful throughout the entire world. First, she released her debut album entitled Frank in 2003. This album contained many jazz elements and became a highly acclaimed record. However, her most successful work came out in 2006. Her album Back to Black was even more acclaimed and considered a work of art. Some of the iconic songs from this album included “Rehab“, “Love is a Losing Game” and the title track. This album ended up being United Kingdom’s best selling album in the 21st century. Unfortunately, Winehouse was not around for much longer to make more beautiful music. She had an ongoing drinking problem and was often seen performing intoxicated on stage. In 2011, Winehouse tragically passed away due to alcohol poisoning. However, her legacy will live on forever.

Other Notable Artists

Another big artist was Alicia Keys. Her album Songs in A Minor was a breakthrough for her career. This album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Some of her hit singles off this album include: “Fallin’”, “A Woman’s Worth”, “Rock wit U” and “Girlfriend”. Keys also after that released two other albums: The Diary of Alicia Keys and Unplugged. She had a different sound than other R&B artists of the time period. She was very diverse by having some songs with fast driven beats and others with a slower rhythm and tune. Keys had changed the sound of R&B and added many pop elements into it.

Ne-Yo also added something new to the table with his music. His music is primarily R&B, but he infused electronic/EDM styles into his music. He had hits like “So Sick”, “Closer”, “Because of You”, and “Let Me Love You”. His first single “Stay”, released in 2005 was what brought his name into the lights and after the release of his debut album, In My Own Words (2006), he rose the charts. His double platinum-selling album, Because of You, released in 2007 debuted on the Billboard Hot 200. It remains on the top of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Notable Songs

Some other popular R&B songs of the time are: “All for You” by Janet Jackson, “Low” by Flo-Rida, “Ms. Jackson” by OutKast, and “Try Again” by Aaliyah featuring Timbaland. R&B music also went through a big change in this time period as it became infused with more pop elements and EDM elements as well. R&B would continue to dominate the industry and rise even more because it’s so popular up to the present day.