Welcome to Listening Habits, a column where I share the music I’ve been fixated on recently.
R&B in the 21st century has been in a constant state of flux, tugged between safe traditionalism and blurry attempts at progression. For the last decade-plus, that "progression" has seen R&B music become more indebted to trap records and the moody atmospherics of alternative bands like Radiohead, Coldplay, or My Bloody Valentine. These attempts at innovation and relevance have made for interesting music, but they have also created a lot of stale stuff that has no real point of view beyond the tastes of a particular artist/ producer. Even worse, much of it has been channeled into what has been termed "Toxic R&B," a sub-genre that mostly involves men crooning delicately about their inability to be good partners. In a time when rap has become the center of pop music, it seems to be the easiest way by which men (usually men) who sing can still affect the machismo of rap, despite not actually rapping.
But the past year has seen the beginnings of what seems like a real shift in R&B. The production has gotten less dark and moody, more bouncy and sunny. Not so much music for the lonely drive to or from the next/last regrettable hookup, but more for the actual club, party, or cookout. Recent examples include all the jams on Amber Mark's latest album, viral hits from Olivia Dean and Tyla, the return of R&Bieber, thanks to the seductive majesty of Dijon and Mk.gee. Maybe the best exemplar of this bubbly shift has come from the patron saint of toxicity himself: Brent Faiyaz.
Faiyaz has always been misunderstood. The velvety crooner writes about desire and connection through a millennial lens, but tends to be dismissed as "fuckboy" music—which, to be fair, it is, but also do fuckboys not have feelings too? At any rate, on Icon, his new album, Brent linked up with Raphael Saadiq, started dressing like a grownup, and made an album that takes his quivering voice and gives it some juice and musicality. It's not exactly New Jack Swing, but if you want a good record for flirting at a hookah lounge, this is a great starting point.
The other artist to release a poppier R&B project is Ty Dolla Sign, with his Girl Music Vol. 1 EP. Ty is another guy who doesn't really get the respect his massive talents would rightfully command, though in his case it's largely of his own doing. His songwriting style isn't always the most effective showcase for his skills as a musician, and often he works better in small doses, where he can elevate a record to another level. Hence the "featuring Ty Dolla $ign" meme. It also can be hard to root for a guy who has tied his star so directly to Kanye in his worst era. Regardless, Girl Music comes the closest to recreating the magic of Ty's early mixtapes, except with a little more romanticism and less of the hedonistic chauvinism with which he first made his name.
What does it say that so many R&B artists are pivoting to pop? When the world is on fire, people tend to flock to the security and fantasy of party music. With all the trouble happening outside, is it not an artist's job to make you forget about all that for an hour and change? R&B isn't the only genre trying to liven things up, but it's a bellwether for larger movements of popular music in general.
One of the biggest songs of last year involved SZA and Kendrick Lamar reanimating a Luther Vandross classic. One of Ty Dolla Sign's signees and protégés, Leon Thomas, had his big breakout last year as well, bringing that sort of scrappy grooviness of a backyard band into the mainstream. Tyler, the Creator might be better at making R&B-sounding records than rap ones at this point. New Florida breakout Sailorr just released a video for "Coconut," with rapper Eem Triplin. And, of course, New York has its sexy drill scene.
I believe that all of this reflects a desire to bring back the aesthetics of romance even without its actuality, and the fact that it's happening as the world collapses around us makes it an even more tempting offering. Does it make it any less of a lie, though? I'm not sure. Let's see if Frank Ocean actually drops this year, and I'll get back to you.
The Best Rap Song Of The Moment
Denzel Curry, 454, Luh Tyler - "You Ain't Gonna Lie"
If you would like to contribute something or ask a question for future installments, email me at israel@defector.com.
