Contemporary Gospel R&B
tagStarted 1993Peak 1997-2008Last big hit 2012
Located in 1 route
Gospel rebuilt on 1990s urban production: programmed drums, slap bass, hip-hop swing and R&B harmony under choir vamps and praise lyrics. Sleek, radio-ready and danceable, it keeps the church's call-and-response and shout sections while borrowing new-jack and neo-soul textures, designed to chart beside secular R&B without losing the gospel message.
History
Kirk Franklin pioneered the crossover with Kirk Franklin & the Family (1993), then exploded with God's Property and the Salt-N-Pepa-assisted remix of 'Stomp' (1997), hitting No. 1 on R&B airplay. Mary Mary followed with 'Shackles (Praise You)' (2000), while Fred Hammond and Yolanda Adams brought funk and Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis polish to the format.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://vibe.com/2019/01/music-sermon-kirk-franklin-remixed-gospel
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_Franklin
- https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/marvin-sapp-if-i-were-an-rb-singer-new-ep-1235903322/