Portal:R&B and Soul Music

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Template:/box-header Showcasing the finer articles and information on Wikipedia's R&B, soul, and funk singers, musicians, bands, songs, and record labels. Rhythm and blues (also known as R&B or RnB) is a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences, first performed by African American artists. Writer/producer Robert Palmer defines "rhythm & blues as a catchall term referring to any music that was made by and for black Americans." He has used the term R&B as a synonym for jump blues. Lawrence Cohn, author of Nothing but the Blues, writes that rhythm and blues was an umbrella term invented for industry convenience. According to him, the term embraced all black music except classical music and religious music, unless a gospel song sold enough to break into the charts. Soul music is a music genre that combines rhythm and blues and gospel music, originating in the United States. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying." Funk is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony, and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground. Unlike R&B and soul songs, which had many chord changes, funk songs are often based on an extended vamp on a single chord. Like much of African inspired music, funk typically consists of a complex groove with rhythm instruments such as electric guitar, electric bass, Hammond organ, and drums playing interlocking rhythms. Funk bands also usually have a horn section of several saxophones, trumpets, and in some cases, a trombone, which plays rhythmic "hits". "Déjà Vu" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles featuring rapper Jay-Z. The 70s-inspired funk song was produced in 2005 for Beyoncé's second solo album, B'Day, and was the album's opening track. "Déjà Vu"'s live instrumentation is varied; including bass guitar, conga, hi-hat, horn and 808. It was part of Beyoncé's vision of making records out of live instruments, parallel to Rodney Jerkins, who co-produced the song, and John Webb's aspiration during the pre-production of "Déjà Vu". The song's title and lyrics refer to a woman constantly being reminded of a past lover. The track was released as the album's lead single in July 2006 to mostly mixed to positive reviews from music critics. While it failed to match the success of Beyonce's 2003 single, "Crazy in Love", "Déjà Vu" entered the top ten on most charts, topping many of Billboard's component charts and also reaching number one in the United Kingdom. Although the single received several award nominations, the quality of its accompanying music video displeased fans, thousands of whom petitioned for it to be re-shot. Beyoncé had previously collaborated with producer-songwriter Rodney Jerkins on her former group Destiny's Child's 2004 single "Lose My Breath". In 2005, Jerkins and composer John Webb began working on "Déjà Vu" for Beyoncé's album B'Day. Webb said, "Rodney and I came up with the concept of doing an old-school track, a throwback with real bass and horns; that's part of why the title is 'Déjà Vu'." Beyoncé also enlisted Delisha Thomas, Keli Nicole Price and Makeba Riddick, who made her way onto the B'Day production team after co-writing the song. Jerkins recorded a demo version of the song with Makeba on vocals, and presented it to Beyoncé, who later approved. Jay-Z, who is featured in the song with an extended rap, originally never planned to work with her; but when Beyoncé saw his lips moving when he first heard the track, she asked him to go to the studio and record what he had done. Author: SvG Picture Notes: Funk and blues musician Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958) is an American musician, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995). In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller—credited for transforming the music video into an art form and a promotional tool—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" kept Jackson as a staple on MTV into the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists. Jackson has donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his Dangerous World Tour, charity singles and support of 39 charities. However, other aspects of his personal life—including his changing appearance and eccentric behavior—generated significant controversy which damaged his public image. He was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, the criminal investigation was closed due to lack of evidence and Jackson was not charged. He then married twice and fathered three children, all of which caused further controversy. The singer has experienced health concerns since the early 1990s and conflicting reports regarding the state of his finances since the late 1990s. In 2005, Jackson was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges. One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for Thriller as the world's best-selling album—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career—more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era—and the sale of over 750 million units worldwide. Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, has made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades. In recent years he has been cited as one of the world's most famous men. Template:/box-header Portal:R&B and Soul Music/Feature Template:/box-footer Template:/box-header {{Wikipedia:WikiProject R&B and Soul Music/To-do list}} Template:/box-footer WikiProject R&B and Soul Music Parentage WikiProject Music WikiProject Music genres Similar Projects WikiProject Classical music WikiProject Computer music WikiProject Electronic music WikiProject Metal WikiProject Hip hop WikiProject Punk rock WikiProject Jazz 90px Music Classical guitar The Supremes Michael Jackson Beyoncé Rihanna Mariah Carey Hip hop The Jackson Family Justin Bieber Brandy Rock and Roll More music portals...

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