Discussion of the Week: Why Do You Think Soul/R&B Isn't Mainstream Anymore? Will It Ever Be Again?
Can someone tell me why this lady, or most of the artists from the Neo-Soul era, aren't nearly as popular as they were in the beginning of the millennium? It doesn't make much sense to me....but I guess that's the downside to being in the music industry: no style of music is popular forever. That being said Rhythm and Blues, as a whole, has been a force to be reckoned with for the last 50+ years. I believe that we are witnessing the first time in a very long time that R&B is not the driving force behind American Music. In today's music industry, if you're an R&B or Soul Singer, good luck to you, because it is extremely tough, if not impossible to make it in a Hip-Pop world. I know, it's sad, but unfortunately true. Actual talent doesn't sell anymore...image does......At least that's the trend for now......
Can it, or will it change? I guess, only time will tell. But it says alot when established Soul artists like Musiq Soulchild have now switched over to Hip-Hop, because it's what "in-style".....but more on that in a later article....I believe that there will eventually come a time when the masses are going to get tired of the "over-saturated fluff" and start to demand real songwriting and real talent from the artists whose albums they choose spend their money on. But don't be fooled, that's not going to happen overnight. After all, it didn't take a short amount of time for the quality of mainstream music, as a whole, to diminish the way it has, either. It was certainly a gradual decline.
So let me know what you think: Why Do You Think Soul/R&B Isn't Mainstream Anymore, and Will It Ever Be Again. What Do You Think Killed Its Popularity...
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