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ALT-R&B 101

The Revolution Is in Progress

Throughout the course of 2017, there were unmistakable signs of a musical cycle tilting back toward R&B as pop’s dominating genre, the most notable trend being the expansion of the alternative vein of R&B. It’s a modern offshoot of traditional R&B that fuses sonic elements like EDM, hip-hop, electronic, trap and rock into its flow. The Weeknd is a founding father of this alt movement, and the way he has successfully morphed from the underground alt-R&B vibes of his early mixtapes to his XO/Republic albums Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy and the accompanying huge pop crossover success serves as a viable blueprint for his likeminded contemporaries.

The momentum is being led almost single-handedly by Peter Edge’s RCA team at the moment, with breakthrough acts like Khalid and SZA, along with Bryson Tiller and Miguel, on the roster. And let’s not forget Chris Brown, who continues to release new music at a furious pace, racking up sales and in airplay despite the controversy that surrounds him. Also noteworthy is RCA’s work in partnership with the tastemaker HBO program Insecure, which has spawned two seasons of killer soundtracks and big syncs, serving as a launchpad for lots of new talent, including Goldlink, Guordan Banks and Kari Faux.

Other signifiers of the trend can be found in the components of Post Malone’s gigantic pop-crossover success, which is rooted in his ability to craft a solid R&B groove and credibly inhabit the realm of black music despite his contentious desire not to be defined by the obvious (cue “rockstar”). Meanwhile Camila Cabello, whose embrace of her Cuban heritage on “Havana” exploded her success—came right on the heels of the bilingual song of the summer, “Despacito.”

Sam Smith is the latest incarnation of blue-eyed soul, to a spectacular degree. His sophomore album, The Thrill of It All (Capitol), is anchored in gospel choruses and pure church-mama vocals, with Amy Winehouse-like production values reminiscent of classic Motown. Sam is a testament to the widening influences of R&B overall, since he is at his core, an “R&B sanger,” as T-Pain would put it. On top of that, Sam’s streaming numbers are sustaining just as well as his those of hip-hop counterparts, further indication that this trend is kicking in.

XXXTentacion (the 19-year-old born Jahseh Onfroy) is a harbinger of the R&B’s punk-infused cutting edge. Approaching a billion streams on his debut album, 17, via Empire, XXX was viewed primarily as rap-based on earlier material like “Look at Me!,” but that that short-changes the album as a whole and its viral hits like the acoustic sad-jam “Jocelyn Flores” and the Trippie Redd collab “Fuck Love,” which is a distinctly R&B-leaning ballad. The same could be said for fellow SoundCloud alum Lil Uzi Vert, whose Love Is Rage 2 is embedded with a cool R&B sensibility (he’s straight singing) on songs like “The Way Life Goes,” “Neon Guts” f/Pharrell and the track that launched him, “XO TOUR Llif3.”

But who’s on the sidelines? Columbia’s Syd (from The Internet) released one of the most criminally overlooked R&B albums of the year with Fin, a record just as sophisticated as “Awaken, My Love!” by Childish Gambino, who’s been showered with Grammy nominations, but with a sharper pop tilt on songs like “Know.” Other breaking R&B/hip-hop stars bubbling up and poised to do well in 2018: KYLE, whose collaborations with Miguel (“Sunshine”) and Ty Dolla $ign (“Off on It”) under the direction of emerging A&R star Ian Cripps should secure him as a fixture at Rhythm radio in 2018. Likewise, expect great things from 6lack (LVRN/Interscope), H.E.R. (RCA), Kehlani (TSNMI/Atlantic), Jhené Aiko (Def Jam), and from the U.K.— Jorja Smith, NAO, Giggs and Stefflon Don are all primed to shine. Canadian artists like NAV (Republic) Daniel Caesar (independent), Jessie Reyez (Island) and DVSN (Warner Bros.) will feature prominently in 2018 as well.

Finally, in the hybrid electronica/alt-R&B scene, watch for new music from producers Kaytranada (XL), Mura Masa (Polydor U.K.), Cashmere Cat (Interscope) and Snakehips (RCA)—all of whom regularly feature R&B/hip-hop artists in their electro-centric offerings and possess the skills to push the genre forward with fresh new mashups—to excel in 2018.

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