Who Hurt R&B?

There was a moment, somewhere between the 1980s and 1990s, when Black music turned gangsta. This moment shaped two of the world’s most influential genres: American Rap and Jamaican Dancehall. The story behind the music is one of oppressed Africans unlocking the ancient powers of ...  Show more

As a soon-to-be-married man, George reflects on all the things that made him propose to his partner, Sandra. He thinks about teamwork and the value of culture, sharing what he has learned about both through the transition from friendship to relationship to marriage.Credits:Writte ...  Show more

It's pretty common to hear rap and R&B influences on the same track, but that wasn’t always the case. Hip-hop was not received with open arms by many in the R&B establishment. Still, rappers found creative ways of being heard on the radio, while others pushed beyond stereotypes o ...  Show more

The sound of R&B is difficult to pin down. Since the 1950s, the label has been used both as a genre and as a catch-all for the entirety of black popular music. Soul, funk, disco and even hip-hop have at times been covered by this "R&B" umbrella. On Chance The Rapper's new album, ...  Show more

As the music industry reckons with racial inequality, one of the first old structures to fall has been a term that dates back to the 1970s. Guest: Nelson George. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite pod ...  Show more

From LL Cool J to Jay-Z to Nicki Minaj, the rap genre has evolved quite a bit over the years. Sharon helps us take a trip down memory lane to look at all the different phases of rap we’ve seen — can you guess who her favorites are?? Then, we’re joined by our guest: a Gen Z rapper ...  Show more