Jaquees set social media on fire when he declared himself the "king of R&B." To his defense, he did clarify that he was the king "of his generation." And honestly, the only cats who sing besides him are 6black, Khalid, Brent Faiyaz and Daniel Caesar. What he should’ve said is, he is the king of R&B for his age group. He’s always given props to Trey Songz and Chris Brown. These are men that he’s collaborated with in the past and they are his elders.

21 Savage was right about one thing, all the elders usually have something negative to say. Brown, surprisingly, was just thankful for all the accolades he’s receiving, which are way overdue. Which brings me to my next point: there’s no unity in the genre of R&B any more. In fact, it was almost taken over by white people. When you look at an Apple Music or Spotify playlists, the main artists you see are Black women or artists from a different ethnicity. Today, most Black men are either rappers or pop stars.

In order to really declare who's popping, we must discuss who laid the ground work for the R&B cats today. I’m to reference what I grew up listening to. Since I’m a product of the '80s, these are the artists, I can say laid the groundwork for my generation: New Edition, Keith Sweat, Gerald Levert, Brian Mcknight, 112, Case, Donell Jones, Blackstreet, Boys II Men, Dru Hill, Johnny Gill, Jodeci, R. Kelly, Avant, Usher, Ginuwine and Lloyd. There are plenty more who were hot back then, but the gentlemen mentioned, while in their prime, couldn’t be escaped on radio or TV.

The debate on social media of who is really the king of R&B was nothing but a pissing contest of who’s better. Instead, I believe it should've been about honoring our legends while they’re alive. Unfortunately, when an artist dies, that's when people pour their love out.

It’s plenty of talent out here, but some people need to eat some humble pie. There are some other singers who weren’t even mentioned during the back and forths, like Miguel, John Legend, Anthony Hamilton, Musiq Soulchild and Ne-Yo.

To be crowned the R&B king, your music would have to transcend generations, with sales being a factor. There are a limited few who could come close to R. Kelly, someone who, scandals aside, has a staggering amount of hits in his catalog. Those individuals are, in my opinion, Bruno Mars, Usher and Chris Brown. Not to mention, R. Kelly wrote each of Whitney Houston’s and Michael Jackson’s biggest hits. Houston’s “I Look To You” and Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” are two songs that provoke emotions in people, not just because of the artists who sing them. Then the penmanship that’s behind the songs … well, that’s royalty. I believe it’s going to be a while before we see an artist reach that type of stardom and talent to be labeled, or label themselves, a "king."

R&B Only

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