r and b
what it is
Rhythm and blues, abbreviated as R and B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular. The term has subsequently had a number of shifts in meaning.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 1 · mainstream
the pop everyone knows
level 2 · the door
big names with a sharper edge
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make r and b a playlist
turn these 30 artists into something you can press play on.
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questions
What is r and b?
Rhythm and blues, abbreviated as R and B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular. The term has subsequently had a number of shifts in meaning.
What are good r and b albums to start with?
Try MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 by Ms. Lauryn Hill, Comin' From Where I'm From by Anthony Hamilton, 12 Play by R. Kelly, and Picture This by Do Or Die.
Who are some women making r and b?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/r-and-b/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making r and b, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-19