Soul still exists but many young people do not know it as soul, they know it as R’n’B. Today R’n’B stands for Rhythm and Blues. Rhythm and Blues is a combination of blues and jazz.
Soul began in cities in America such as Memphis and Detroit, but later began to work itself up to other parts of America then to different parts of the world.
As the years went by soul was heard worldwide. Over the years R’n’B has become more popular and this has attracted more females to get involved in the entertainment agencies. Artists such as Beyoncé, Mary J Blige and Janet Jackson have made R’n’B more popular.
Female R’n’B artists these days often sing about relationships and some just express the freedom and independence of an unattached woman.
I think that women’s R’n’B is interesting because they describe their issues to you through song and dance. They often base it on stories that have happened to them or someone they know. This would include the recent hit song ‘Irreplaceable’ by Beyoncé.
The story is basically about a guy that she went out with who cheated on her. The lyric "I can have another you by tomorrow, so don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable" basically means that she can get over him and he is not irreplaceable. This message tells women that they don’t need to rely on someone, it gives them strength.
R’n’B is a good type of music because the issues that they talk about in it have been experienced by nearly everyone, whether it be love or breaking up.
R’n’B can be branched into different sorts of music such as ‘Crunk’. Crunk is another name for southern American music. Artists such as Lil Jon are involved in Crunk and Ciara was dubbed the ‘First Lady of Crunk’.
I think in the future there will be even more female artists making Soul what it is, because male artists aren’t into music but into sports and other things.
About the team
This piece was written by Odaka Olugu, 13, and edited by Ella Parry-Davies, 17. It was published on the Reach for the Sky website.
