R&B / Soul
Music Genre
Date of birth:
Early 20th century
Location:
Key R&B and Soul artists:
Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Beyonce
What is R&B and Soul music?
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Both R&B and Soul music typically feature strong and emotive vocal performances, with an emphasis on rhythm, tone, and expression.
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The use of instruments such as drums, bass guitar, and keyboards is common in both genres.
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R&B and Soul music typically feature a verse-chorus structure, with the chorus serving as the hook or memorable part of the song. The melodies in both genres often use blues scales and incorporate gospel-influenced harmonies.
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These genres often deal with themes of love, romance, heartbreak, and social justice. Lyrics are often emotive and heartfelt, and can be poetic or conversational in style.
History
1940s
1950s - 1960s
1970s - 1990s
R&B (Rhythm and Blues) and Soul music have a rich history that dates back to the early 20th century. The roots of R&B can be traced back to African-American musical styles such as blues, jazz, and gospel. In the 1940s, R&B emerged as a distinct musical genre, characterized by its use of electric instruments, strong rhythms, and soulful vocals.
During the 1950s and 1960s, R&B and Soul music began to gain mainstream popularity, thanks in part to artists like Ray Charles, James Brown, and Sam Cooke. These artists incorporated elements of gospel, blues, and jazz into their music, creating a sound that was both soulful and danceable.
In the 1960s, the Civil Rights movement and the rise of black power helped to fuel the popularity of R&B and Soul music. Artists like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye used their music to address issues of race, social justice, and political change.
During the 1970s, R&B and Soul music continued to evolve, with artists like Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, and the Commodores incorporating funk and disco elements into their music. The 1980s saw the rise of new wave R&B and Soul acts like Prince, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston, who incorporated electronic instruments and production techniques into their music.
In the 1990s, R&B and Soul music experienced a resurgence in popularity, with artists like Mary J. Blige, Boyz II Men, and TLC bringing a fresh sound to the genre. The 2000s saw the rise of neo-soul artists like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, who blended traditional R&B and Soul with elements of hip-hop and jazz.
R&B and Soul Music Video Research
Rose Pink Cadillac by DOPE LEMON
The Music video 'Rose Pink Cadillac' has heavy dream like, psychedelic imagery. The use of the words ¨Pink Cadillac¨ is a form of sexual metaphor, which he refers to as the woman that he is addressing in the song's lyric. The music video is seemed to be focused on the empowerment of women's sexuality and is also focused in romance which juxtaposes usual music videos of male artists referencing women as they are normally objectified and reduced by the male gaze.
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Mise-en-scene in the music video concentrates on a utopian reality comprared to the beginning of the music video. There is a transition between neutral/natural colours on the start of the video to bright colours, more specifically blue, pink and red. The colour blue is often used to convey a sense of peacefulness, serenity, and relaxation, which fits the genre of the music video as the melody and tune are very calm and stable. During the start of the music video three women are presented to the viewer with red lighting, the addition of red is used to convey a sense of power, authority, and dominance, which is the message sent by the artist on the image of women he is trying to present in the video. However the colour pink in the video not only takes a leading role in the title of the song suggesting that it is the most important colour presented to the audience, but has various meanings such as; conveying a sense of femininity, romance, and tenderness, a sense of sensuality and seduction and finally a sense of whimsy, fantasy, and escapism (which are all linked to the music video).
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​Intertextuality can be observed when the lead singer is seen to be portraying a stereotypical 70s singer with the open chested shirt with a pointed collar, a white blazer and a typical 70s microphone usually seen in TV programs. Another factor suggesting the reference to the 70s would be the dance moves the artist uses which are seen as typical in that decade, they are seen as groovy and subtle.
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The women's dance moves are enigmatic and hypnotising which suggests the powerful nature of women portrayed in the video. We can also observe how the female characters are represented with vampire fangs, this use of the supernatural portrays women as lethal and of a higher power in the video, again referencing the idea of the power of women
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The camera movement used in the music video consists on various close up, mid, worms eye point of view shots. By using a range of close up and mid shot we are capable of seeing the emotions represented in the video which include pleasure and passion. As a big amount of the music video is set in a theatre using the worms eye view shot helps the artist set the audience as actual spectators in the theatre, this connects back with the idea that the artists is portraying the role of a 70s lead singer.
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The use of simple editing techniques is implemented so viewers focus on the performance of the artist, rather than elaborate visual effects or storytelling. It is also an aim to create a relaxed or intimate atmosphere to convey a sense of simplicity and authenticity.
I like that by Janelle Monáe
The music video 'I like that' performed by the artist Janelle Monáe is a celebration of the idiosyncrasies that separate the artist from constructed social ideologies and the joys of nonconformity. It is a representation of the sexual fluidity the artist identifies with (pansexual).
The video is also a call out to the misogynistic culture, the artist uses artistic expression to challenge the sexualization of women.
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The artist's message is brought to life in the music video through out all the features used to create it. We can see an unstructured video that doesn't follow any specific rules of music conventions. The diversity implemented in the music video is a direct reference to the message sent from the artist to the audience.
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There are no specific colours used in the video to convey certain ideas, colour matching is also deliberately avoided in every shot.
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The first shot in the music video displays doves plying across the shot, as doves are known symbols of freedom the use of them in the first shot is a direct reference to the artists recent public announcement of her sexuality.
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The first shot also shows the artist in a triangular gaze concealing gown, with the incorporations of the colours black and white, this could link back to my previous point as a juxtaposition, referencing the current reality in society, where one is either gay or straight. As the artist is pansexual, meaning she is attracted to any person regardless of the gender or sexuality, she is evidently breaking this norm.
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There is no connection or message in regards to the different set displays used in the different scenes, it is purposely done to, once again, highlight the disobedience enforced in the construction of the video, it also does not consist of a narrative higlighting the grand message behind the video.
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Through editing the artist has been able to add various images of herself in one shot, this is one of the grand techniques used by the artist physically portray her lyrics;
¨A little crazy, little sexy, little cool
Little rough around the edges, but I keep it smooth
I'm always left of center and that's right where I belong
I'm the random minor note you hear in major songs¨
the mixed signals used by the artist in both the mise-en-scene and the lyrics highlights the idea that there can be various versions of ourselves and we, as people, don't have to confine ourselves by just choosing one to live the rest of our lives with.
Weakness by Poppy Ajudha
Artist Poppy Ajudha's Music video focuses on the message of love. It represent the idea that loving someone too much can lead to dependance on your romantic partner, which is something the artist seems to be insecure about in her music video.
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Through mise-enscene analysis we are able to see that in the start of the music video the audience is present with illustrations of tropical fauna, we then move to an illustration of the artist. The use of illustrations throughout the video shows a blurred line between reality and fiction, directly connecting to the theme of toxic love portrayed by the artist as both pure love and toxic love can be hard to distinct for both people involved in the relationship
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The main colour used in the video is red, which as explained in previous analysis represents passion, there is an inclusion of the colour pink too which in this video represents femininity.
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In two different shot the same transition is used, where there is a extreme close up of the mouth through a push in that makes the effect that we are entering the artist's mouth. This transition is a consumption/devouring metaphor used to unconsciously portray the idea of being emotionally consumed in a relationship.
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Towards the middle-end of the music video the artist is seen dancing with a man, the latin American style of dancing used is called 'cha, cha, cha' . This dance was implemented as its movements can be very complimentary to the song's lyrics, both dancers are very dependent on each other for every movement and depending on the effect wanted to be presented it can be more or less intense, which Ajudha makes more intense.
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The artist's wardrobe is very flashy and stereotypically used for men's visual satisfaction, directly contradicting the music video 'Rose Pink Cadillac'. She wears revealing clothes hyper sexualising her, most of the attire she wears was initially designed for the satisfaction of male partners.
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In the last scene Ajudha is wearing a pink outfit while her partner wears the same red carnelian colour as the background, almost giving the sense of camouflage, this makes the audience focus only on the artist, providing her with individuality which directly juxtaposes the original message of the video.
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The video consists on mainly various push in and push our movements in terms of the camera, when using push in the intention is to create tension and when pushing out the opposite happens and the tension is released. However, there are also abrupt zoom ins which provides an altenative and increase in tension compared to a push in, this complements the style of the video as the theme of passion involves intensity.