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Jan 3, 2024 · The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 21st Century. Beyonce, Frank Ocean, Mariah Carey, and more. By Rolling Stone. January 3, 2024. Photo illustration by Maria-Juliana Rojas. Photographs in ...
- 4 min
- Rolling Stone
Listen to the best contemporary R&B songs in 2024 on Spotify and YouTube above. Songs from Sza, Summer Walker, Snoh Aalegra, Ari Lennox, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Frank Ocean and more. Check out more of our playlists of the best contemporary R&B, Soul, Neo-Jazz and Hip Hop Soul here.
- ‘U Remind Me’ – Usher
- ‘7 Days’ – Craig David
- ‘Them Changes’ – Thundercat
- ‘Blue Lights’ – Jorja Smith
- ‘Dumb’ – The 411
- ‘Don’t Think I’m Not’ – Kandi
- ‘Passionfruit’ – Drake
- ‘If You Love Me’ – Brownstone
- ‘Case of The Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do)’ – Mya
- ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel)’ – D’Angelo
There are so many Usher songs that could have made this list but ‘U Remind Me’ is the one for its melancholic soap opera-style tale and for the way it accentuates Usher’s syrupy vocals. Best R&B lyric: “You won’t believe all of the things she put me through/this is why I just can’t get with you“
The garage undertones and recognisable guitar line coupled with Craig David’s smooth-talking account of wooing a lady make ‘7 Days’ a bonafine UK R&B classic. Best R&B lyric: “Monday, took her for a drink on Tuesday/we were making love by Wednesday, and on Thursday and Friday and Saturday/we chilled on Sunday“
Using a sampled beat from the Isley Brothers’ ‘Footsteps in the Dark’ with Thundercat’s bubbly bass riff and woozy vocal lines, ‘Them Changes’ is a sterling R&B groove. Best R&B lyric: “Nobody move, there’s blood on the floor/and I can’t find my heart“
‘Blue Lights’ was our first introduction to the talent that is Jorja Smith, when she posted the track on her SoundCloud back in 2016. Since then, she’s collaborated with Drake, toured with Bruno Mars, won plenty of awards and so much more. Best R&B lyric: “I wanna turn those blue lights into strobe lights/not blue flashing lights, maybe fairy light...
British girl group The 411 might not have been around for too long but ‘Dumb’, released in 2004, was the pinnacle of their time together. Best R&B lyric: “Dumb diggi-diggi-di dumb di-dumb/and ‘though I know it would be fun to get some“
Kandi Burruss might be more recognisable as one of the main cast members of ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ but her debut solo single remains her finest work to date. Best R&B lyric: “When you’re feeling good in somebody’s spot, getting hot, don’t stop/just don’t think I’m not ’cause I’m out getting mine“
Drake’s foray into tropical house was a success with ‘Passionfruit’, with the track giving off carefree, mellow vibes from start to finish, Best R&B lyric:“Passionate from miles away, passive with the things you say/passin’ up on my old ways, I can’t blame you, no, no“
If you’re after an emotional, harmony-filled R&B ballad, you can’t go wrong with Brownstone’s 1995 second single ‘If You Love Me’. Best R&B lyric: “But if you want my heart, then it’s time that you start/to act like you’re mine in the light and the dark“
The pairing of ‘Case Of The Ex’’s dramatic, percussive keyboard and Mya’s sweetly seething vocals give the track just the right amount of rage. Best R&B lyric: “Tell me what is it that she needs?/Did she hear about the brand new Benz, that you just bought for me?“
Originally composed as a tribute to Prince, you can definitely hear the latter’s influence in the soulful style and funky electric guitar of ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel)’. Best R&B lyric: “I wanna stop, silly little games you and me play/and I am feeling right on, if you feel the same way, baby“
- Rihanna, "Lift Me Up" After a five-year absence from the charts, Rihanna reappeared by way of this beautiful ballad from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
- Tems, "Free Mind" The Tems bandwagon hit capacity in 2022, courtesy of her scorching features (Future’s “Wait 4 U” and Beyonce’s “Move”). Beyond her impressive assists, however, it was her not-so-hidden solo gem, “Free Mind,” that launched her into stardom.
- Chris Brown, "Under The Influence" Chris Brown turns the tempo down several notches for his courtship of a love interest, but his desires turn hazy after sipping on some syrup.
- SZA, "Shirt" Also front and center among 2022’s long-anticipated returns was R&B cult favorite SZA, who soulfully details the desperation surrounding a toxic love on “Shirt.”
- "Hate Our Love" - Queen Naija And Big Sean. Queen Naija’s “Hate Our Love” featuring Big Sean is a vulnerable song for the hopeless romantics. Evoking feelings of resilience in an overly-criticized relationship, Queen and Sean wear their hearts on their sleeves in real-life and on wax— making the raw lyrics of “Hate Our Love” even more relatable to fans.
- “I’m Baby” - Ambré Feat. Jvck James. On “I’m Baby,” Ambré and Jvck James explore a new sense of sensuality and vulnerability in a steamy romance. Featured on her 2022 offering, 3000 is one of the EP’s eight songs the New Orleans musician released in June.
- “Surprise” - Chlöe. Incessant policing of the Black female form has attempted to derail Chloe Bailey for nearly two years. Still, she continues to defy the limitations of that prejudice—gloriously wielding her body-ody-ody and its desires.
- "ALL MINE" - Brent Faiyaz. Brent Faiyaz is known for his nostalgic tone that reminds us of the ’90s R&B soul from Jon B or Donell Jones. Although his vocal ability is less of a spectacle than most of today’s crooners, it was practically made for a slow jam.
Jul 28, 2023 · Time Out picks the best R&B songs of all time, from classic old school R&B love songs to songs from 2023.
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Apr 10, 2024 · Spotify’s 100 ‘greatest’ modern R&B tracks have been streamed 43.2bn times. by Stuart Dredge April 10, 2024. Spotify’s recently-launched ‘Classics’ initiative has compiled a list of “ the 100 greatest R&B songs of the streaming era “. Although be warned, it’s quite a specific definition of that era: songs released since 2015 only.
