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This Was R&B: 2012-2019 | Beyoncé, SZA, FKA Twigs, The Weeknd and more


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Posted (edited)

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In a decade dominated by European dance, house, pop, and hip-hop music, which are still booming in popularity till this day, R&B more than held its own with a diverse array of projects from a healthy mix of established stars, talented newcomers and indie artists. The first two years of the teens weren’t terrible, they were the last of our traditional days with the genre. From 2012 and on we experienced a generation of young artists experimenting with new sounds, saw a period where “vibes” replaced pitch-perfect vocals, rappers started singing, singers started rapping, veterans made big comebacks, funk music dominated and by 2019 artists revisited the roots of soul, putting a modern spin on past winning formulas. 2012-2019 was a strange, weird time for R&B, but great music emerged, and we are here to rate songs that represent the transition period.

 

Songs put together in this rate were mainly pulled from the Village Voice Pazz & Jop music critics poll (and it’s rip-off on facebook) which includes over 1,000 members—music writers, business execs, and artists themselves that rank the songs or albums of the year. Nonetheless you will get a great mix and representation of contemporary and alternative R&B.

 

Ratings & Rules:

We will be listening to and rating 67 songs in total. For those special songs you should assign one 10.25, one 10.5, one 10.75 & one 11. Everything else should rate on a scale of 1-10. Up to two decimal points are allowed.

 

Some artists have more songs than others so please be mindful not to sabotage or frontload.

 

Deadline:

July 20th, 2022

SONGS

2012

 

Miguel · "Adorn"

Frank Ocean · "Thinkin' 'Bout You"

Usher · "Climax"

Solange · "Losing You"

Frank Ocean · "Pyramids"

Jessie Ware · "Wildest Moments"

Elle Varner · "Refill"

Jai Paul · "Jasmine"

The Weeknd · "Wicked Games"

 

 

2013

 

Robin Thicke (ft. T.I. and Pharrell) · "Blurred Lines"

Ciara · "Body Party"

Janelle Monáe (ft. Erykah Badu) · "Q.U.E.E.N."

James Blake · "Retrograde"

Mariah Carey (ft. Miguel) · "#Beautiful"

Janelle Monáe (ft. Miguel) · "Primetime"

Justin Timberlake · "Suit & Tie"

Kingdom (ft. Kelela) “Bank Head”

 

 

2014

 

FKA Twigs · "Two Weeks"

Pharrell Williams · "Happy"

Beyoncé (ft. Jay-Z) · "Drunk in Love"

Tinashe (ft. Schoolboy Q) · "2 On"

Jeremih (ft. YG) · "Don't Tell 'Em"

Usher · "Good Kisser"

FKA Twigs · "Pendulum"

D’Angelo and The Vanguard “Really Love”

 

 

2015

 

Drake · "Hotline Bling"

The Weeknd · "Can't Feel My Face"

Miguel (ft. Wale) · "Coffee"

Alessia Cara · "Here"

The Weeknd · "The Hills"

Kelela · "Rewind"

Thundercat · "Them Changes"

Janet Jackson · "No Sleeep"

Bryson Tiller “Don’t”

 

 

2016

 

Beyoncé · "Formation"

Solange · "Cranes in the Sky"

Rihanna (ft. Drake) · "Work"

Beyoncé · "Sorry"

Frank Ocean · "Ivy"

Bruno Mars · “24k Magic”

Solange (ft. Sampha) · "Don't Touch My Hair"

Maxwell · "Lake by the Ocean"

H.E.R. · “Focus”

 

 

2017

 

Frank Ocean · “Chanel”

SZA · “Drew Barrymore”

Kelela · “LMK”

Kelela · “Frontline”

SZA (ft. Travis Scott) · “Love Galore”

Sampha · “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano”

SZA · “The Weekend”

Childish Gambino · “Redbone”

Daniel Caesar & H.E.R. "Best Part"

 

 

2018

 

Ella Mai · “Boo’d Up”

The Weeknd · “Call Out My Name”

Ella Mai · “Trip”

Summer Walker · “Girls Need Love”

Ciara · “Level Up”

Teyana Taylor · “Gonna Love Me”

Toni Braxton · “Long As I Live”

Mariah Carey · “Caution”

 

 

 

2019

The Weeknd · “Heartless”

Summer Walker (ft. Bryson Tiller) · “Playing Games”

FKA Twigs · "Cellophane"

Chris Brown (ft. Drake) · “No Guidance”

Lizzo · “Good as Hell”

Ari Lennox (ft. J. Cole) · “Shea Butter Baby”

Lucky Daye · "Roll Some Mo"

Snoh Aalegra · “I Want You Around”

 

 

Playlist: SPOTIFY

 

Participants

Edited by MP2K

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Posted

Reserved. :duca:

  • ATRL Moderator
Posted

Well hello!

Posted

Some songs I LOVE and some songs I HATE which always makes for a fun rate. Hopefully I can knock this out all in one day after the other two rates!

Posted
6 minutes ago, Ewan Chaos said:

Some songs I LOVE and some songs I HATE which always makes for a fun rate. Hopefully I can knock this out all in one day after the other two rates!

There's some polarizing artists/songs here but overall this is a mega lineup. Really curious to see where some of these big songs fall since there's so many of them, especially in a year like 2012. :duca:

  • ATRL Moderator
Posted

I know most of these already.  
 

I might just get it done tomorrow tbh.  Probably going to give my 11 to losing you.  Sad Blue Light was snubbed from THR Kelela picks but I get it.  But I wanted to rate GML instead of caution! 

Posted

where is Best Part?? :confused: and is Alessia Cara really R&B?:deadbanana2:

 

anyway i know most of these already, i'm in hopefully by this weekend

Posted

This could be something! 

Posted (edited)

Two Weeks, Pendulum and cellophane better all make top 10 :swim2:

Edited by greento
Posted

this will be really interesting 

Posted
2 hours ago, Kiss It Better said:

where is Best Part?? :confused: and is Alessia Cara really R&B?:deadbanana2:

 

anyway i know most of these already, i'm in hopefully by this weekend

Close but no cigar, it didn't make any big placements on critics lists in 2017, it was also just SZA's year. If enough people want its inclusion I can slide it in though :keir:

 

No lol. Alessia was 'Def Jam's newest r&b sensation' but it ended right there with "Here." It's def. contemporary r&b and was a top 10 song on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.

 

 

Posted

here we go :cheers:

Posted
On 6/30/2022 at 4:16 AM, MP2K said:

Close but no cigar, it didn't make any big placements on critics lists in 2017, it was also just SZA's year. If enough people want its inclusion I can slide it in though :keir:

 

 

It won a grammy though:rip:

Posted
8 minutes ago, Armani? said:

It won a grammy though:rip:

That wasn't the basis. I love the song, I'm not opposed to including it, so I will add.

 

And are you voting sis? :keir:

Posted
Just now, MP2K said:

That wasn't the basis. I love the song, I'm not opposed to including it, so I will add.

 

And are you voting sis? :keir:

Yeah, just give me a reminder:sistrens:

Posted
5 minutes ago, Armani? said:

Yeah, just give me a reminder:sistrens:

will do! Us R&B fans gotta stick together out here :hug:

  • ATRL Moderator
Posted

Sent! 

Posted

lemme knock this out:duca: 

Posted

sent :heart2:

Posted

sent qwpVI7p.gif

  • ATRL Moderator
Posted
6 hours ago, theblackestday said:

sent qwpVI7p.gif

Do my rate! 

Posted
23 minutes ago, madonnas said:

Do my rate! 

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Posted

This will be fun :heart2: 

Posted

sent :heart2:

 

the hold some of these songs had on me :jonny4:

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