Digression of R&B Music Through Hip Hop Music's Rise To Dominance

There are many dimensions R&B music, well, at least there was. From as far back as the late Marvin Gaye who could sing about everything from the socioeconomic to appetizing sensual love songs that are still captivating to the ears in this present time, to other artists such as the stand out and controversial Ike and Tina Turner, The Temptations, to even more current artists like Mary J Blige, R Kelly, and Monica, all of them have a particular virtue about themselves that make them unique. Even more so, artists such as the previously listed have the qualities that continue to make them R&B music artists uncompromisingly.

Unfortunately, R&B music has taken a nose dive into what can be considered hip hop music's abyss, a place where music is only defined with a hip hop lyric or featured hip hop artist to make it peek. Hip hop music, though it hasn't been around for as long as R&B music has taken over the timeless nature of the song turning it into a fad of some sort. Where R&B music used to be timeless, in the generations of Eveyln Champagne King and Ashford and Simpson, now the the song is halted, or interrupted, by a lyrical speech that is either great, horrible, or tasteless altogether, until the song continues. This is not to say that hip hop music is horrid by any means because lyrical geniuses are no less than beautiful, however, when it moves in on other art forms, hip hop music demands a takeover. A takeover is eventually what hip hop music brings to R&B music, turning it into a creature calling out for life in the artists who still care for its survival without hip hop music as its cane.

Mary J. Blige will release an album titled My Life II: The Journey Continues, and with this album surely there will be some hip hop influence and collaboration. Facing the facts, Mary J Blige became famous through her deep R&B vocals, and thankfully, much of her music is singing. Rap artists have not been given too much space to play around in her albums that it completely overwhelms her sound which is her core of fame. Brandy likewise. Brandy on the other hand has actually become a rapper, along with Chris Brown, both singers that have been influenced so heavily by rap that it has caused a double breed of entertainment for younger generations. Brandy becoming Bran-Nu and Chris Brown, still Chris Brown, yet rapping. Chris Brown's reasoning for rapping is that his mind is more open to possibilities and not just the same genre. The only problem with this is that most of the time, rap layered music dies fast, becoming fadish and for the moment. It is the true R&B song that sticks it out over the long haul. Case in point - Whitney Houston. Her music is fad-less and not plagued by hip hop cuts, thus, super sellers and memorable.

Finally, R&B music isn't about to die off. For in fact, there are artists on the comeback to fill the missing void of music that isn't over-sexualized and requiring a clean version along with bleeps in every stanza such as Johnny Gill, New Edition and even SWV. Whether or not they attack their songs with hip hop music has yet to be heard, however, as long as there are people around who enjoy a nice song without a harsh break in between, then R&B music won't stay on the decline, but rise to the occasion of setting itself apart from the crippling hip hop lyrics of the present time.