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- Michael Jackson. Motown Sound, Rock music, Electronic music. 1,450 votes. The undisputed King of Pop, he began his career as a member of the iconic group The Jackson 5 before skyrocketing to solo superstardom.
- Stevie Wonder. Motown Sound, Psychedelic soul, Pop music. 1,060 votes. Blind since birth, this multi-instrumentalist prodigy defied all odds by becoming one of the most successful and beloved musicians in history.
- Marvin Gaye. Doo-wop, Motown Sound, Rock music. 1,033 votes. A soulful crooner who revolutionized R&B with his distinctive voice and emotive lyrics, he also played a crucial role in the evolution of Motown Records.
- Aretha Franklin. Pop music, Rock music, Rhythm and blues. 804 votes. Dubbed the Queen of Soul, her powerful voice and emotive delivery made her an unstoppable force in the world of R&B and beyond.
- Michael Jackson. A dynamic force as the pre-teen frontman of chart-topping family group The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson moonwalked his way into solo superstardom.
- Stevie Wonder. Over the course of his five-decade career, Steveland Morris has often been dubbed the eighth wonder of the world. Blind since birth but blessed with natural gifts as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Stevie Wonder is one of the few artists able to successfully transition from teen to adult stardom.
- Smokey Robinson. With his piercing green eyes, sweet falsetto and prolific pen, William “Smokey” Robinson has kept females swooning since the ‘60s when he and his group The Miracles helped put Motown on the map with such love-charged hits as “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” and “Ooo Baby Baby.”
- Ray Charles. Nicknamed “The Genius” for his skills as a singer, songwriter, musician and composer, Ray Charles set off a firestorm in 1955. That’s when he scored his first No. 1 single, “I’ve Got a Woman” — and simultaneously pioneered the soul genre with his game-changing combination of R&B, gospel and blues.
- Top R&B Artists of All Time
- Beyoncé
- Mary J. Blige
- Chris Brown
- The Weeknd
- Sza
- Usher
- Whitney Houston
- Mariah Carey
- Alicia Keys
BeyoncéMary J. BligeChris BrownThe WeekndBeyoncé Knowles-Carter is highly regarded as one of the biggest stars of the last two decades, and will likely continue on the same trajectory for the rest of her career. She is affectionately nicknamed “Queen Bey”, she rose to fame with Destiny’s Child. The girl group is the best-selling girl group in musical history and certainly got Beyoncé off ...
The ‘Queen of R&B’, i.e. Mary J. Blige, broke onto the hip-hop-soul scene in the early nineties with her debut studio album What’s the 411? and has since released fifteen other best-selling albums. With nine Grammy Awards among her eighty-eight wins and over two hundred nominations, she has certainly earned her nickname. She was even stated by Bill...
Chris Brown, who has earned the title of the “King of R&B”, is a singer whose music is a mash-up between pop and hip-hop, to form an intriguing sub-genre of R&B. His live performances have been likened to that of Michael Jackson! His self-titled debut studio album shot to number one in the United States upon its release in 2005, and has since been ...
The Weeknd, born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye in Canada, is an extremely popular singer who is best known for his R&B tunes and falsetto register. He has been awarded with one hundred and sixty-six accolades, including four Grammy Awards. His studio albums Beauty Behind the Madness andStarboy, released in 2015 and 2016 respectively, were both awarded 7x P...
New Jersey singer Solána Imani Rowe, better known by her stage name SZA, began her career as an R&B artist when she teamed up with Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé to cowrite “Feeling Myself” in 2014. Her most popular studio album is her 2022 release SOS, which topped the charts in eight different countries and sold over two million copies in the United S...
Usher rose to prominence in the R&B world in 1997, upon the release of his second studio album My Way. It reached the top of the US Billboard R&B/Hip Hop chart and sold over six million copies in the United States! Usher has won an incredible three hundred and thirty-nine awards, including eight Grammy Awards; Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “U...
Whitney Houston, who has been affectionately nicknamed “the Voice”, was named “the second-greatest singer of all time” by Rolling Stone and is one of the best-selling music artistsin history. She is an R&B legend, known for her powerful vocal range. Her 1987 studio album Whitney has sold over twenty million copies worldwide and has been awarded Dia...
Mariah Carey is an extremely popular female R&B singerfrom New York, who has been affectionately titled “Songbird Supreme” by Guinness World Records. Her signature note is the whistle register, and she is credited for combining pop and hip-hop. She is ranked as the best-selling female artistsince 1991 and has received over fifty-five and half milli...
Alicia Augello Cook, who is better known as Alicia Keys, started composing her own songs at the age of twelve. She has since won two hundred and seventy-two awards, including fifteen Grammy Awards, and is one of the bestselling female artists ever. Her debut studio album Songs in A Minor, released in 2001, was awarded 7x Platinum certification by t...
Nov 4, 2021 · Once again, I’ve gathered a panel of R&B enthusiasts from around the world – from ages ranging from 16 years old to Knees Crack When We Stand Up – to help determine the biggest, most influential and most important R&B artists of our generation. Here’s the thing – R&B is a much bigger beast than hip-hop.
May 2, 2024 · Beyoncé. 420 votes. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, known universally as Beyoncé, is a multi-talented artist who has made significant contributions to the music and entertainment industry. Born in Houston, Texas on September 4th, 1981, she first made herself known to the world as part of Destiny's Child in the late 1990s.
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May 15, 2024 · Update: Follow Ranker's official New R&B 2020 playlist on Spotify! When it comes to the pop charts, R&B artists tend to be among the most popular. The best R&B singers have been topping the pop charts for years as rhythm and blues has remained a bedrock of music. Emerging as a genre in the 1940s, R&B also incorporates soul and funk.
Oct 24, 2023 · 10. Usher. Top Song: "Yeah!" (2004) Usher, a multi-talented performer, has continued to captivate audiences since the early '90s, skillfully blending his R&B roots with pop, soul, and hip-hop. "Yeah!", featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, stands as a testament to his ability to create infectious club anthems with a true R&B spirit - ones that never ...
