We almost had it all-What happened to R&B?

In the 40s and 50s, we had jazz. In the 60s and 70s, we added soul and funk. Then soul and funk blended with the then emerging genre Hip-Hop in the 80s and introduced us to the "modern R&B" we came to love. Sorting through my email this morning, I found a press release for a Mint Condition concert in Houston this weekend. Known for hits like Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes), and What Kind of Man Would I Be, lead singer Stokley Williams' unique voice quickly pushed their albums to Gold in the early 90s. But what happened? They had nearly a 7 year gap between albums, and their music of the new millennium has yet to leave a lasting impact.

Unfortunately, there are several groups and musicians from the 90s that are no longer relevant to the music industry. The 90s were a time for Black renaissance, we had billion dollar urban clothing companies, several leading black sitcoms, hip hop had re-invented itself with the introduction of gangsta rap by the group NWA, R&B artists were touring the world, topping the charts, and sweeping award ceremonies. We had several girl groups that belted out ballad after ballad; including Brownstone, En Vogue, 702, Total and Xscape. Young R&B Songstresses like Monica and Brandy had every girl pairing up to do their rendition of The Boy is Mine. Jodeci and Dru Hill made hits for the heartbroken, the in love and the "in lust" crowds. R. Kelly was on the top of the game, releasing multi-platinum album after album. Mary J. Blige was labeled the "Queen of Hip Hop Soul" and had women everywhere-both married and single singing the lyrics to I'm Going Down. In the mid 90s, the birth of Neo-Soul brought us artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill's solo career. Remember in 1998, when Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, a perfect blend of hip hop and R&B and widely renowned as one of the best albums ever crafted won 5 grammys in one night? What happened?

If you follow music, it seems that the turn of the new century left R&B on its death bed. In the early 2000s, very few of these artists and groups were still thriving, if they were even still making music. However, it seemed we had a new line-up of R&B artists waiting to take the torch and run with it. Houston group Destiny's Child with lead Beyonce released The Writings on the Wall and Survivor between 1999 and 2001 and the albums collectively sold 22 million. Rolling Stone regarded Survivor as one of the best albums released in the past decade. Usher, a young star coming into manhood at the beginning of 2000, released two critically acclaimed albums- 8701, which sold close to 5 million copies and the praised Confessions in 2004, which is certified diamond, and is the second highest selling album of the 2000s to date. Beyonce even released her own solo R&B album in 2003, Dangerously In Love, her best selling album to date, which sold 317,000 copies in its first week. R&B seemed to be in a good place. Even black boy bands did well in the early 2000s, with groups B2K and B5 creating a fan base of extremely loyal girls (I was one of those screaming tweens in the crowd) and even creating a culture around boy bands, which including movies such as You Got Served.

But over time, groups broke up, personal demons came before the music, limewire and napster severely damaged urban sales, the demand for beautiful ballads about love died, new genres emerged to be top sellers, such as the "crunk" music of the mid 2000s, or the club bangers that sell now. Also, artists  "evolved" away from the genre; mostly for preserving their spot and relevance in music. Usher makes hits for techno clubs in Miami now simply because they sell. Beyonce isn't even R&B anymore. She's just...Beyonce. Her music is its own, but a far cry from the strong R&B feel of Dangerously in Love. R&B fans are seemingly left with a nostalgic dream of what used to be. They have to turn on their Pandora to re-live the "glory days" of R&B.

Of course, every once in a while there is a glimmer for R&B. Ne-yo released three albums in the past decade that were reminiscent of 90s R&B before taking the Usher route to techno club hits. Maxwell released Black Summer's Night Dream in 2009 to an audience missing his sound and did very well. We even have newcomers to be thankful for. Miguel, Frank Ocean, and Luke James, just to name a few are the new school of this genre. But even their music crosses those blurred lines of what it means to be an "R&B artist".  Are they enough to uphold R&B?

The solution to our problem is obvious but hidden. Just like shows like the Game, Tyler Perry's House of Pain, and Let's Stay Together won't bring back Girlfriends or hold a candle to Martin or Fresh Prince, it's highly unlikely that R&B will make such a large comeback. Black TV has resulted to web series, which have great writing, great actors, and a huge following. The secret to the next "goldmine" of R&B music, like Black TV, and hip hop, lies in the underground. Check out your local or indie R&B artists. It's our job as music enthusiasts and consumers to find what's missing in this disappearing genre.