Photo of SZA by Astrida Valigorsky/WireImage, Marvin Gaye by Paul Natkin/Getty Images, Aretha Franklin by Ross Marino/Getty Images. Photo illustration by Srikar Poruri for Okayplayer.
Black Music Month: Celebrating Icons of R&B and Soul
We’re highlighting a handful of R&B/Soul’s brightest shining stars.
Black music’s reach is vast, but few genres encapsulate so many different age groups, like R&B & Soul have. R&B, a musical style that consists of a consistent sound that may be upbeat or slower paced with personal lyrics, birthed its smoother, more haunting counterpart, soul. The Black experience is packed with stories to tell, and R&B and soul became that outlet for countless artists and fans. It all started back in the 1940s, and the music is still going strong and producing icons of their time, and beyond.
SZA
There aren’t too many singers who are bigger than SZA, and her run is nowhere near over. Rising to prominence in the early 2010s via her 3 EP run of See.SZA.Run (2012), S (2013) and Z (2014), SZA’s feathery tones and quickly improving vocal power sent her career into overdrive. Signing to the then-rap-dominated label Top Dawg Entertainment in 2013, she dropped her debut album, Ctrl, in 2017. A career-changer in every sense of the word, SZA was now a solo star and followed it up with SOS in 2022, and a sold-out arena tour. When it comes to 2010s R&B stars, SZA is in rare air.
Mary J Blige
Nowadays, the relationship between rap and R&B is a hand-in-glove fit, a match that feels like it has always existed. R&B songs with the flavor of a rap song was normalized by Mary J Blige, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, who sang about her experiences in love with the charm of an around-the-way girl. Mary has some of the most moving songs ever, in Not Gon’ Cry and Everything, along with some of the most fun R&B songs, like “Real Love” and “I Can Love You.” Her debut album, What’s the 411?, revolutionized R&B, showing that tales of inner-city love, perfectly mixed with hip-hop could not only be done but produce timeless classics. MJB still has it today and is one of R&B’s most beloved figures.
Luther Vandross
Possessing one of the greatest voices of all time and truly being the definition of R&B, Luther Vandross is a treasure. Becoming a star through his angelic voice and pure, passionate love ballads, Luther Vandross was a one-of-one. After he dropped his debut solo song, “Never Too Much” in 1981, his road to becoming a legend was well on its way. The song was a No. 1 R&B hit, while his debut album of the same name was certified double platinum, and took the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. An over two-decade career full of hits, platinum albums and incredible vocal performances followed. To this day, Luther is recognized as one of the greats.
Aretha Franklin
Soul music has artists who are pillars of the genre and people who are synonymous with the world of music. Aretha Franklin is all that and then some, a once-in-a-lifetime soul-singer who has inspired generations of people through her work. Aretha’s vocal strength and range made her special, as did her tendency to play by her own rules. Truly an icon, Aretha has some of the most recognizable songs ever, like “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” 20 No. 1 R&B hits, and is also the first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Aretha changed R&B and soul, and her influence is still felt today.
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston’s voice was like a breath of fresh air. Soaring and pristine, Whitney’s flawless tone and distinct voice still have no peers. She came out on fire, with her first two albums (Whitney Houston and Whitney both landing at the top of the Billboard Album Charts. Whitney was incredible at both R&B and pop, due to the versatility of her voice, and has the hits to show for it. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “I'm Your Baby Tonight,” “I Will Always Love You” and many more, are all huge, career-defining songs, all products of Whitney’s artistry. Whitney mixed pop, R&B, soul, and dance, and sounded great when she entered each world. There is simply, no one like Whitney Houston.
Beyoncé
The current generation’s R&B and pop superstar, Beyonce is a legend who has grown to incredible heights in her three-decade spanning career. Originally the lead singer of the highly successful girl group Destiny’s Child, Beyonce became a solo act in the early 2000s and never looked back. Beyonce’s skills as a top-notch vocalist and entertainer are why she is truly the prototype for R&B stardom and the benchmark that everyone after her is compared to. She is seven albums deep, with all of them being No. 1s, with a litany of hit singles “Crazy In Love,” “Baby Boy,” “Me Myself and I,” “Irreplaceable,” etc.) that span from 2003 to this very moment. Beyonce is a game-changer and is still doing it with a sort of longevity that comes along once in a blue moon.
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye is the heart and soul of R&B, pouring himself into his music like few ever had. A singer who started in the church and grew into an incredible vocal range, Marvin Gaye’s voice was gripping. The same man who made the flirtatious come-on that was “Sexual Healing,” looked at the state of the world with clear eyes with “What’s Going On,” and was loved for both. He is one of if not the king of the concept album, with What’s Going On being rife with social commentary, Let's Get It On and I Want You centering on the exploration of sex and Here, My Dear taking the world through his divorce, Marvin truly knew how to weave songs together, cohesively. Marvin had the hearts and ears of people all over the world, and that hasn’t changed, even in his death.
