🎵 From Marvin Gaye to SZA, R&B never stopped evolving.We brought in a Gen Z R&B obsessive to argue about where the genre came from, where it’s going, and whether Drake actually beat Kendrick.On this episode of The Art of the Playlist, Rob, Christian, and Patty are joined by special guest James LaFrance, college basketball player, social media influencer, and lifelong R&B fan.We start with the roots of R&B in gospel, blues, jazz and jump blues, then follow its evolution through Motown, Memphis soul, Philadelphia soul and funk, all the way to the modern sounds of Frank Ocean, SZA, Drake, Brent Faiyaz, Bryson Tiller, PARTYNEXTDOOR, The Weeknd, Olivia Dean, Sienna Spiro, Summer Walker and more.James brings a Gen Z perspective with his massive “Read Receipts Off” playlist. Christian digs into classic soul and Motown. Patty explores everything from ’80s R&B to international artists. And Rob builds a modern R&B playlist inspired in large part by the music James has introduced him to over the years.Along the way, we get into:🎧 Shuffle vs. sequencing. Is a playlist still supposed to tell a story?🔥 Drake vs. Kendrick. Yes, we went there.😬 Can you separate the art from the artist?🎤 What actually counts as R&B anymore?🌍 Why some of the most interesting R&B may be happening outside the U.S.❤️ And what happens when the kid you introduced to music starts introducing music to you.Different generations. Different definitions of R&B. Four very different playlists.Trust us, not the algorithm.🎧 Listen to the playlistsJames, “Read Receipts Off”https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/read-receipts-off/pl.u-MDAWeMjC127xokRob, Modern R&Bhttps://music.apple.com/us/playlist/aop-modern-r-b/pl.u-76oNod6F8bRLNChristian, Classic R&B / Funk and Soulhttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/1RvIwHBe7MhEwbuT09BUTy?si=20zIn8SnTZOLFYRZ1LZ3fAPatty, “Soulfully Groovy”https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5cH7nT1gsUcTjbkqSDutn4?si=BuHEIIywRcui2aRipwoE6g🎶 Featured artistsMarvin Gaye • Aretha Franklin • Stevie Wonder • Al Green • Otis Redding • James Brown • Earth, Wind & Fire • Al Jarreau • SZA • Frank Ocean • Drake • The Weeknd • Bryson Tiller • Brent Faiyaz • PARTYNEXTDOOR • Tory Lanez • Summer Walker • H.E.R. • Olivia Dean • Sienna Spiro • Kelela • Sabrina Claudio • Meshell Ndegeocello and more.#TheArtOfThePlaylist #AOP #RnB #RnBMusic #RhythmAndBlues #ModernRnB #ClassicRnB #SoulMusic #MusicPodcast #MusicDiscovery #MusicHistory #Motown #FrankOcean #SZA #Drake #TheWeeknd #BrysonTiller #BrentFaiyaz #PARTYNEXTDOOR #OliviaDean #SiennaSpiro #MarvinGaye #StevieWonder #ArethaFranklin #GenX #GenZ #TrustUsNotTheAlgorithm
