Ever since it was developed by Black Americans in the ‘40s – emerging in tandem with rock ‘n’ roll – rhythm and blues, or R&B, has been continually changing and growing, deftly creating and weaving in new genres as it progresses. Originally derived from jazz, folk, gospel, and traditional blues, R&B has evolved over the last 80s years to create sub-genres of its own: alternative R&B, contemporary R&B, funk, soul, quiet storm.
From early pioneers like Ray Charles and Ruth Brown to today’s post-genre experimentalists like Beyoncé and Frank Ocean, R&B artists have been innovating for decades, now incorporating elements of hip-hop, funk, pop, electronica, and more into their music. Therefore, narrowing the sprawling genre into just 10 albums isn’t an easy feat, but we’ve tried nonetheless.
Here are GQ’s pics of 10 of the best R&B albums in recent history.
10. Janet Jackson – The Velvet Rope (1997)
On her sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope, Janet Jackson invited listeners behind her ‘velvet rope’ – the barrier, much like in nightclubs, that keeps others out. Only this time, it’s keeping them from, as she once said, “knowing [her] feelings”. The concept album, with its vivid melodies and electronic tones, centres on introspection, and was created during a time when Jackson was suffering badly with depression. Alongside candid lyrics tackling everything from self-worth, online relationships, and domestic violence, The Velvet Rope saw Jackson cement her image as a sex symbol and establish herself as a gay icon, via her exploration of themes including BDSM, sexual orientation, and same-sex relationships. Described by the musician as her most personal work, the genre-traversing album – fusing R&B, pop, trip-hop, rock, and jazz – is deemed instrumental in the development of alternative R&B, and inspired artists including Rihanna, Jay-Z, and Jai Paul. “My therapy came in writing these songs,” Jackson told Rolling Stone in 1998. For fans, the therapy came in listening.
9. D’Angelo – Brown Sugar (1995)
Before he even released his debut album, Brown Sugar, there was already an electric buzz around D’Angelo, thanks to “U Will Know”, the track he wrote for the Usher-featuring R&B supergroup Black Men United. And, luckily for him (and fans), his first record didn’t disappoint. Regarded as bringing mainstream visibility to the burgeoning (controversially labelled) neo-soul movement, Brown Sugar is packed full of nostalgic groove, honeyed vocals, and heartfelt lyrics about relationships, infidelity, sex, and spirituality. Hugely influenced by Prince’s ability to turn his hand to all aspects of song making, D’Angelo took control of Brown Sugar, boasting the majority of its writing, production, and instrumentation credits. His output in the years since has been limited, but his sultry, effortlessly-cool debut remains timeless.
8. Sade – Love Deluxe (1992)
After ascending to stardom with three consecutive multi-platinum albums, Sade leapt into the ‘90s with Love Deluxe before vanishing until the ’00s. For nearly a decade, then, fans were stuck playing Love Deluxe on repeat – not exactly a hardship. The band’s fourth record marked a departure from the uptempo sophisti-pop of their previous albums, instead inviting listeners on an atmospheric journey that touch on devotion (“No Ordinary Love”), empathy (“Feel No Pain”), resilience (“Pearls”), and, in classic Sade style, love (“Kiss of Life”). Incorporating elements of smooth jazz, quiet storm, pop, and soul, Love Deluxe is a luxurious, mysterious, and, well, deluxe record.
7. Erykah Badu – Baduizm (1997)
If there’s ever been a case for immersing yourself in spiritual optimism, Erykah Badu makes it on Baduizm. When confronted on “Next Lifetime” with the timeless agony of ‘the one that got away’, the mystical, musical visionary shrugs off sadness, instead sanguinely accepting that: "I guess I’ll see you next lifetime." But with her effortlessly soulful voice, improvisational style, and jazz-informed musical approach, in 1997, it felt like her debut had actually come from the next lifetime. Along with D’Angelo, Badu became a leading figure of neo-soul, melding '70s jazz with soul, hip-hop, and R&B. Baduizm became an instant classic on its release, winning two Grammys the following year. And it’s easy to see why – as well as being packed with hit after hit, including opener “Rim Shot” and singles “On & On” and “Appletree”, the record is a cohesive, hypnotising masterpiece that helped pave the way for the likes of Frank Ocean, Amy Winehouse, and Janelle Monàe.
6. Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
Just before Stevie Wonder made his 18th studio album, Songs in the Key of Life, he was thinking about quitting music altogether. In fact, his farewell tour was already in the works when he suddenly changed his mind, deciding instead to drop his magnum opus. Already one of the most revered figures in popular music, his sprawling, 21-track album established him as one of the greatest musical artists of all time, and, to this day, Songs in the Key of Life is regarded as among the best records ever made. Spanning a range of musical styles and genres, including jazz, funk, pop, and Latin, the ambitious album touches on themes of love, faith, and family. As well as being critically acclaimed by listeners, it’s also Wonder’s favourite of his oeuvre, once describing it as the album he’s “most happy about.”
5. Blood Orange – Negro Swan (2018)
There’s a line in Dev Hynes’ fourth album as Blood Orange, Negro Swan, that perfectly encapsulates the theme of the album. It comes in “Charcoal Baby", when he asks, “Can you break sometimes?”. The fragility underscored by hope of the refrain epitomises Hynes’ aim with the record: to explore Black depression and the anxieties of queer people and people of colour, to reflect on masculinity, and on how, through individual actions and community support, marginalised people learn to heal their traumas in a hostile world. With anxiety as a central theme, it makes sense that Negro Swan is disjointed and has an unfinished air, incorporating conversational interludes (by trans activist Janet Mock) and oscillating between wide-ranging genres, including soul, funk, bedroom pop, progressive R&B and indie hip-hop. Hynes’ focus on the collective can be seen in his approach to production, too, with collaborators including Caroline Polachek, Kelsey Lu, Amandla Stenberg, and more. As intended, the album’s overarching takeaway is one of optimism; reassurance that you can, indeed, break sometimes.
4. Prince – Sign O’ the Times (1987)
Some fans thought Prince couldn’t top his phenomenal and wildly successful 1984 album Purple Rain, but they were soon to be proven wrong. Already a pop superstar by the time he released Sign O’ the Times in 1987, Prince’s ninth album confirmed the magnitude of his ambitious, flawless artistry. The career-defining record is, to many, his most acclaimed, comprising esteemed singles “U Got the Look”, “If I Was Your Girlfriend”, and title track “Sign O’ the Times”. Blurring funk, psych-pop, electro, soul, and R&B, Sign O’ the Times is a musical behemoth, a vibrant cacophony of sounds, and a psychedelic journey into the mind of an undisputed genius.
3. Beyonce – Lemonade (2016)
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of Beyoncé’s sixth studio and second visual album, Lemonade. A concept album, it chronicles the artist's emotional journey after Jay-Z’s infidelity (yes, the lyric, “He better call Becky with the good hair”, is on this record), but casts a wider lens, contextualising her experience within Black history and her own ancestry. Lemonade also centres Black women in a space free of oppression, one in which they can feel and heal from some of the pain they are often expected to carry silently. Amid all of this, Beyoncé does what she does best: makes bold, adventurous, and sonically spectacular music, with skilled precision and wit. Dipping her toes in a plethora of genres, from R&B to rock to soul to art pop to blues, Lemonade is often hailed as Beyoncé’s most ambitious and acclaimed album, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time, and rightly so.
2. Frank Ocean – Blonde (2016)
When Frank Ocean released Blonde in 2016 – his second and, frustratingly for fans, most recent album – it came as a surprise to everyone, including his label. Having fulfilled his contract with Def Jam the day before by dropping the visual album Endless, Ocean self-released his ‘actual’ album – brilliantly playing Def Jam, with whom he’d been in a battle for years. What stung for the label was – quite literally – music to the ears of Ocean’s fans, who’d been hoping for a new album since 2012, and were suddenly indulged with not one but two. And Blonde, in particular, was worth the wait. It’s a beguiling, immersive concept album that meditates on loss, love, and nostalgia. At points, it’s purposefully fragmented, fusing spoken word and conversational interludes with unconventional, abstract sounds and rich arrangements. Ocean’s introspective lyrics touch on his upbringing via a non-linear narrative, which, he explained at the time, reflects how we experience our own memories – “seeing [them] in flashes overlaid”.
1. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
Lauryn Hill’s debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, not only skyrocketed her to global superstardom, but cut through the late ‘90s hip-hop boys club that prized misogyny and materialism. As well as grappling with the turbulence within Hill’s former group the Fugees, the album touches on motherhood, love, heartbreak, liberation, and spirituality, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and brought a young Black woman’s perspective firmly front and centre. A courageous, powerful, and vulnerable record that spans neo-soul, R&B, reggae, and hip-hop soul, Hill’s debut was an instant success, scooping five Grammys in 1999, including for Album of the Year. In fact, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was so good, Hill never needed to make another album.
