The Weeknd vs. Bruno Mars vs. Frank Ocean: Battle of the R&B Boys

[Brian Ryan 1,468]

The Weekend and Bruno Mars are not R&B. Just because they black and can sing does that make them in that category. It's become today to mean Rhythm & Black.

Frank Ocean is R&B though. I choose him. 

The Weekend is Alternative and Pop. Bruno Mars is just pop.

My favorite out of all is Frank Ocean though. 

[Hadrian 600]

I'm going to have to go with Bruno Mars. I don't know his music very well, but I know the other two and I just don't see the appeal.

[n0ne 13,105]

1 hour ago, BrianxRyan said:

The Weekend and Bruno Mars are not R&B. Just because they black and can sing does that make them in that category. It's become today to mean Rhythm & Black.

Frank Ocean is R&B though. I choose him. 

The Weekend is Alternative and Pop. Bruno Mars is just pop.

My favorite out of all is Frank Ocean though. 

So much wrong in this statement

[Brian Ryan 1,468]

7 minutes ago, lilmonster93 said:

So much wrong in this statement

Sorry, I'm a 90s baby Bruno Mars and The Weekend is not R&B. I'll give maybe Pop/R&B definitely not pure R&B artist like Maxwell, Ginuwine, Usher (for most of the Career went a little Pop in the coming years), August Alsina, Jussie Smollett, Monica, and Brandy to name a few...

[Anduin 1,034]

the one and only King of RnB 

 

[n0ne 13,105]

5 hours ago, BrianxRyan said:

Sorry, I'm a 90s baby Bruno Mars and The Weekend is not R&B. I'll give maybe Pop/R&B definitely not pure R&B artist like Maxwell, Ginuwine, Usher (for most of the Career went a little Pop in the coming years), August Alsina, Jussie Smollett, Monica, and Brandy to name a few...

I'm a 90's kid too. They're still considered R&B artists. The pop from the 90s is different than the pop from today, but both are still considered pop. Contemporary R&B has evolved into a plethora of influences and sub genres, it's not as clear cut as it was in the 90s. So just because the R&B of today doesn't have the same sound or mood as 90s or earlier eras of R&B, doesn't mean it's not R&B.

And even if we were talking about Classic R&B, all 3 of these artists have many songs that would fit under that distinction.

[Anderson123 38,180]

I love The Weeknd's music the most and I think Bruno is a great performer but I rarely listen to his music because it feels like he's everywhere all the time. I haven't listened to Frank's music that much but I know it's good and I actually have it on my iTunes but just haven't had the time to really pay attention to it.

[Killa 17,456]

all pail in comparision to Luther Vandross

Miguel is very good

Weeknd is too repetitive

Frank is barely known, like it's an internet and american. Drake is more rnb than hip hop

[Killa 17,456]

bruno mars is hardly an rnb singer. his later effort was a throwback rnb but that's more of a i can do this genre than anything else. I dont put him in soul music

[Brian Ryan 1,468]

19 minutes ago, lilmonster93 said:

I'm a 90's kid too. They're still considered R&B artists. The pop from the 90s is different than the pop from today, but both are still considered pop. Contemporary R&B has evolved into a plethora of influences and sub genres, it's not as clear cut as it was in the 90s. So just because the R&B of today doesn't have the same sound or mood as 90s or earlier eras of R&B, doesn't mean it's not R&B.

And even if we were talking about Classic R&B, all 3 of these artists have many songs that would fit under that distinction.

No, it's not. There are current R&B artists like Miguel, Frank Ocean, and August Alsina. It's not R&B they're considered A cause their black, but when it comes to core it's not R&B. If Bruno Mars and The Weeknd were white they would not be labeled R&B in my opinion. I love them. They are just not R&B. 

[Brian Ryan 1,468]

5 hours ago, Anduin said:

the one and only King of RnB 

 

I would say Prince. R. Kelly is the King.

[n0ne 13,105]

25 minutes ago, BrianxRyan said:

No, it's not. There are current R&B artists like Miguel, Frank Ocean, and August Alsina. It's not R&B they're considered A cause their black, but when it comes to core it's not R&B. If Bruno Mars and The Weeknd were white they would not be labeled R&B in my opinion. I love them. They are just not R&B. 

Umm yes they would. You keep making this race thing when it's not. Not every black artist that comes out today is labeled R&B or does R&B. Plus there are so many white or non-black artists today that are labeled as R&B artists or dabble with R&B. Majid Jordan, Banks, Justin Timberlake, Bridgit Mendler, Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas, etc.

I'll side with the music critics who've been doing their jobs for decades, the majority of the public, and Bruno, The Weeknd, and frank themselves, that have labeled their music as R&B and them, as R&B artists.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_R%26B#2010s

You may be suited to a different era/style of R&B but this is R&B of today.

[Brian Ryan 1,468]

1 hour ago, lilmonster93 said:

Umm yes they would. You keep making this race thing when it's not. Not every black artist that comes out today is labeled R&B or does R&B. Plus there are so many white or non-black artists today that are labeled as R&B artists or dabble with R&B. Majid Jordan, Banks, Justin Timberlake, Bridgit Mendler, Ariana Grande, Nick Jonas, etc.

I'll side with the music critics who've been doing their jobs for decades, the majority of the public, and Bruno, The Weeknd, and frank themselves, that have labeled their music as R&B and them, as R&B artists.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_R%26B#2010s

You may be suited to a different era/style of R&B but this is R&B of today.

There are just some things people just don't get... hmmm didn't Billboard use to refer to that as the Black charts? 

[n0ne 13,105]

4 hours ago, BrianxRyan said:

There are just some things people just don't get... hmmm didn't Billboard use to refer to that as the Black charts? 

I get R&B can be racially construed and has been in the past, (idk billboard's racial history), what I don't get is with the amount of evidence pointing to these 3 being R&B including professionals and the artists themselves declaring/labeling their music as R&B, how someone can think they're not R&B. 

Just because you have old school/nostalgic view of R&B, doesn't mean it hasn't evolved and changed.

I mean you can label them whatever you want, but it really won't make difference when everyone else agrees with the R&B  classification and that they fit into that genre and don't really have a problem with it.