For a lot of people, 90’s R&B reigns supreme. The battle typically goes between the 90’s and 70’s soul with its endless array of classics. Comparing albums, it’s not hard to see why those are the two definitive decades when considering the sheer volume of timeless records. However, 2000s R&B holds a firm claim to the title as well.
Consider how the decade starts. 2000 starts with all-timers like Avant’s “My First Love,” Carl Thomas’ “I Wish,” Sade’s “By Your Side,” Dave Hollister’s “One Woman Man,” and Joe’s “I Wanna Know.” Then, there’s dazzling full length albums from Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott, Lucy Pearl, Erykah Badu, and D’Angelo. That’s just the year 2000 alone!
Eventually, you get two classics out of Usher, two outstanding debuts from Ne-Yo and Chris Brown, two strong outings from Maxwell, a maximalist opus from Pretty Ricky, the phenomenal Lovehate from The-Dream, Beyoncé pumping out hits solo and with Destiny’s Child alike, and more.
Admittedly, R&B today doesn’t hold that same feeling that it used to back in the day. These aren’t just rose-tinted glasses either. The shift in rappers dabbling in singing and R&B artists wanting to be rappers blurred the lines too much. Additionally, different star hitmakers in the genre pivoted where the money was going with EDM pop crossovers. You can place the blame on a myriad of different artists but ultimately, the genre lost its beautiful identity. But 2000s R&B had a firm, sensual identity that was malleable enough to tinker into different colors and textures without feeling like an identity crisis.
4 Underrated 2000s R&B Albums That You Should Revisit
Consequently, we wanted to dig into what albums deserve a reexamination. What albums should be considered in the R&B canon that might not be already? Here’s five records that reflect what makes the 2000s such a rich time for the genre. Before we get started, there were dozens of different options to choose from. So here’s some honorable mentions that didn’t make the final cut. Musiq Soulchild- Juslisen, Anthony Hamilton- Comin’ From Where I’m From, John Legend- Once Again, Mario- Go, Teedra Moses- Complex Simplicity, Omarion- 21, T-Pain- Epiphany, Keyshia Cole- The Way It Is, and Janet Jackson- Damita Jo.
Lloyd- Street Love
Nowadays, R&B can feel a bit too calloused. Posturing and bravado is not new in R&B. That’s how the artists became such strong sex symbols over the years. However, there’s a toxic shift in recent memory, where male artists think they’re too cool to be romantic. This edge makes it seem like they don’t even like women all that much. Isn’t that what R&B is all about at the end of the day? Aren’t we supposed to come to the genre for love and fire and passion? You don’t have to sacrifice your masculine credibility to love on your partner.
Lloyd’s Street Love dazzles in how it balances this tight divide. At the end of the day, he’s still yearning and cooing for the woman he desires most. However, the begging isn’t pathetic and it doesn’t deter from this grizzled street outlook. His upbringing doesn’t explicitly dictate that he’s going to dog this girl out. The street and the love can be shared within the same space. “But just ’cause I’m hood, it don’t mean that I’m out here tryna get with every girl. I’m just looking for that someone who I could give the world,” Lloyd pleads on the title track.
Additionally, Lloyd really raises the stakes of not having love in his life. He’s extremely remorseful on “Player’s Prayer,” where he’s begging God to intervene so as to not lose this girl over his treacherous lying. None of the other girls were THAT serious, turning Jay-Z’s sarcastic shrug on “Girls, Girls, Girls” into a desperate plea to fix things.
Lloyd is absurdly dramatic here but if the love is supposedly real, wouldn’t you be too? Street Love proves there is no shame in begging and it doesn’t make you any less of a man. Love and desire is too precious to let ego get in the way. Leave The Weeknd style toxicity at the door.
Dwele- Some Kinda…
Dwele’s entire career has been defined by the term ‘underrated.’ In the halls of neo-soul, he’s never mentioned in the discussions with Jill Scott or D’Angelo. He mostly stays in the background when jazzier acts like Robert Glasper utilize legendary R&B artists on his albums. Even on an iconic record like “Flashing Lights,” fans skim over him like decorative parsley on a meal.
Frankly, people don’t know what they’re missing out on. A hit like “Find a Way” gets its just due but an album like Some Kinda… should exist in the canon of neo-soul albums and 2000s R&B classics. Mahogany hues and warm spices fill the setting on records like “Weekend Love,” delightfully grown and sexy. Horns usually fill space on songs to maximize grandiosity. However, horns are a recurring piece of Some Kinda… in order to hone intimacy. Warm glows and maroon lipstick stains go hand in hand with Dwele’s swooning for his woman on “Old Lovas.” In giving Dwele his flowers, I just hope it’ll incentivize him to record a new album.
Ray J- Raydiation
Ray J has always been the butt of all jokes. Some of them might fall back on him or he’ll indulge in them. There’s a general goofiness to him that’s extremely endearing, even if people might laugh at him instead of with him. Additionally, he’s always going to be little brother to Brandy, R&B royalty in her own right across 90’s and 2000s R&B alike. As a result, people have always been wary of giving Ray J any credit, never parsing through his jokes to engage with him earnestly.
However, despite his various antics, there’s a serious artist at the core. His 2005 opus Raydiation is proof, quietly influential when you examine the anatomy of R&B and how it has carried over across decades. Take “Anytime,” an auto-tuned tearjerker of eternal devotion, remarkably tender. It may play a little standard within the realm of 2000s R&B. However, taking note of its influence broadens the scope of how Ray J could be understood in modern contexts.
Frank Ocean credits “Anytime” as one of his favorite songs of all time in his Boys Don’t Cry magazine in 2016. The vocal layering and deliberate structure on “Anytime” is extremely reminiscent of Frank, even beyond his early days writing for Brandy and Ciara. Then, Ray J’s autotune howl and vocal effects mirror moments on Blonde. Noting how Frank is a massive touchstone for a litany of artists today, Ray J shouldn’t take a backseat in telling his story.
Additionally, “What I Need, “the Spanish guitars and west coast flair lay the groundworks for how artists like Blxst thrive today. That’s all before coming to the big hit on Raydiation, “One Wish.” Where Ray J might lay the lining for future R&B greats, he magnifies classic 90’s maximalism and craftsmanship. Rainy, begging in the rain crooning over misty chords and a swelling bridge, yearning is R&B 101. “One Wish” is three other members and some gospel lessons away from a Jodeci record. Ray J may be silly but he’s never been a joke. Raydiation proves he’s an artist worth taking seriously.
The Foreign Exchange- Leave It All Behind
The Foreign Exchange approaches R&B through an incredibly refreshing perspective: maturity. Usually, it funnels through yearning or sex or this grandiose eternal love. While there’s space for all of them, oftentimes, artists neglect a bit of realism. They don’t want to be a downer but they never quite depict the beauty in everyday love.
When songs on Leave It All Behind would wrap up, it felt like Phonte had to discuss the mortgage with his ol’ lady. Records like I Wanna Know are soberingly realistic. Glowingly romantic gestures take the occasional backseat to focus on everlasting love and all of the warts that come with it. “Okay, you can blame it all on me tonight. Don’t wanna walk away, tonight, I’ll be the bigger man,” Phonte sighs on Nicolay’s sweet production.
Similarly, Phonte could go the route of grand spectacle. But sometimes, love can be as simple as thinking about your partner’s appetite and helping them not think about that part every once in a while. Bring you some wings on your lunch break, like ‘baby how’s your day?’
Twelve piece, fried hard…it’s all for you,” he grins. R&B for the hopeless romantic and everyman.
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