R. Kelly is the first thing that comes to mind when R&B is mentioned. Despite multiple prison sentences stemming from questionable personal decisions, I still love the guy's music. His "In the Closet" videos have served me well through long work shifts. R&B, for me at least, is now moving past R. Kelly. The songs I've had stuck in my head recently have had smooth lyrics with decent size beats behind them. This new R&B has moved past Boyz 2 Men, incorporating genres and ideas over the past two decades that have taken the genre in an entirely new direction. Two of my absolute favorite new artists, regardless of genre are
Frank Ocean and
The Weeknd. They are getting plenty of buzz around the internet, but it is all warranted. These guys are legit. Supposedly Frank Ocean runs around with the guys from Odd Future, and The Weeknd is Drake approved. I don't particularly care about any of that. The music they themselves make is good enough. The Weeknd's grooves about partying make me want to go out and experience something like what they talk about. But instead of going out to clubs and getting bottle service, I'm still going to local dives, at happy hour, because I'm poor. Frank Ocean has something of a distinctly West Coast feel. Way chill songs that throw back to the early days of G-Funk and
Nate Dogg (RIP). Overall I would suggest getting, and listening to both these artists immediately. You can get both albums for free, and trust me, they are both worth the less than 100mb the music will take up on your computer.
The Weeknd- The Party and the After Party
download the whole album for free
here
Frank Ocean- Nature Feels
Download the whole Frank Ocean album
here
