Minimal R&B
tagStarted 2012Peak 2015-2021Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
Spare, restrained R&B built from only a few elements: a lone keyboard or guitar figure, deep sub-bass, clipped snaps or rimshots and acres of silence. Every sound is deliberate and exposed, letting the lead vocal and negative space carry the song. Cool, controlled and uncluttered, it makes restraint and space the central aesthetic.
History
Emerged in the 2010s as producers stripped the maximalist 2000s R&B template down to bare essentials, influenced by post-dubstep economy and trap's drum-light spaciousness. Jhené Aiko's airy minimalism, Bryson Tiller's sparse beats and Snoh Aalegra's roomy arrangements showed how little a modern R&B record needed to land.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_R%26B
- https://pitchfork.com/
- https://ratedrnb.com/
- https://www.allmusic.com/