R&B, Rap and Race

Co-Written by @JamSaidThat

Gatekeeping often comes with a negative connotation, but there may be some positive aspects in keeping the gates of historically Black genres. Hip hop, specifically, has adopted an entire culture around gatekeeping. It sometimes feels as though if you cannot name the DJ who was spinning at 1520 Sedgwick Ave the night hip hop was born, you cannot comment or participate in the art. There are obvious draw backs to this, but it does present a culture that is full of historians and critics who are able to push new generations to remember their roots and help define the genre on an internal basis. However, with the rise of hip hop into the mainstream these historians, critics and commentators are taking up more space than DJ Kool Herc could ever have dreamed. As we take up more space due to hip hops dominance, we must remember where we as a genre come from and treat it and its history with the respect it deserves. We must protect R&B.

                R&B is easily our elder and hip hop has since infused the genre into its own DNA whether by sampling, featuring or blending in aspects of this progenitor genre. However, it is important to remember that R&B has its own history and its own gatekeepers who define the genre. It is up to us as hip hop commentators to amplify the voices of knowledgeable R&B historians and critics. To put it bluntly, we need to know generically when to stay out of grown folks business. I often see hip hop commentators doing the exact opposite by downplaying the current state of R&B, not realizing that the genre has passed the torches to a new generation of, mostly, songstresses who are successfully leading the art form. Instead, hip hop continues to place The Weeknd and Frank Ocean at the pinnacle of R&B artistry without knowing the depth, width or history of the genre and without the self-reflexive realization of these artists proximity to hip hop (both rose to fame by utilizing mixtapes and aligning themselves with rap crews) or the artists purposeful bending of the R&B genre into something more resembling the alternative. Sometimes we need to just sit and listen to people more knowledgeable than us discuss the genre, in the same way we listen to our mama talk to her sister-silently.

                However, with Hip hop’s dominance comes a privilege that we as hip hop fans and commentators have and a duty that we owe to R&B. Because our voices are amplified by the popularity of hip hop, it is up to us to help amplify the voices of R&B critics, especially when a wrong has been committed. While R&B has had an amazing recent history musically, the genre has faced its fair share of struggle. While there are a fair amount of topics that could be discussed including the Grammy’s neglect of Summer Walker, I find most interesting the epidemic of pop or multi-genre stars creeping into R&B awards. This could be seen last year with Lizzo sweeping the R&B award season and this year with Doja Cat’s AMA win for best R&B/Soul (to clarify Doja does have a few R&B slappers on Amala which is not her most recent album, but to classify her as an R&B artist is a stretch and soul is just factually wrong). I think behind the generic confusion and possible ineptitude that is happening with these pop stars being classified as R&B, there may also be some problematic racial implications.

                America struggles with Black people extending out of the genres that the mainstream has deemed Black (I think I need not say more than Lil Nas X’s name). It is arguable that the ire that came to country should also come to pop. By placing these pop stars in the R&B genre they have relegated them to the Black genre where it is permissible for them to win. Instead of beating out Americas favorite lily white pop stars, these misplaced artists merely beat out the other Black people who are working within the bounds of a genre with history and legacy. Lizzo and Doja Cat are talented artists who deserve to compete in their correct genre- that they likely will win. Instead award panelists are choosing genre not musically, but rather racially (there are also some gender issues herein which fit into a long history of the erasure of Black women from music. Major shout out to the Godmother of rock and roll- Sister Rosetta Tharpe).

This nonchalant belittling of R&B is made easier by hip hop commentator’s loud an uninformed takes on R&B and the racial politics thereof as well. Hip hop has not only become a preeminent space for discussing music, but as a Black art form, may be seen as the place to come for discussions on all Black music. While problematic, it is often the way that hip hop has treated R&B. Commentators with no real love for the genre often feel an entitlement to it without embarking in the same research that they have done for hip hop. I never want to hear a backpack hip hop head’s take on R&B when they don’t acknowledge Brandy as the vocal bible. This historical and generic perspective is needed for any valid commentary, however onlookers may simply see Black people discussing Black music and give credence to misinformed opinions.

However, someone may retort and say that this is overly harsh as hip hop commentators do not often comment on other Black genres such as jazz and blues. In rebuttal, I would reiterate the interconnectedness of R&B and hip hop. DJ Kool Herc was spinning funk and R&B records at that party at 1520 Sedgwick Ave, because hip hop records had not been recorded yet. And since then R&B and hip hop have continued to be connected in various ways. But this interconnectedness does not lead to inherent expertise- I am sure we all have heard our mom play a popular R&B song that we found out, from her expertise, was the sample for our favorite hip hop song. While I am not saying that a person cannot be both a fan of hip hop and R&B I am stating that to truly comment on R&B one should live and breathe the genre- the same way I hope hip hop commentators do.

                It is important to acknowledge herein that I, a hip hop head, am not writing this commentary on R&B by myself, which would be more than a little contradictory to the main thrust of this article. This article has been co-authored by my wife who is truly a super fan of the R&B genre. I think it is also important to amplify a few voices that I go to for R&B commentary- @theyhavetherange (responsible for a few viral singing challenges), @saucyvocals and @soulelection