is michael an r&b artist?

83magic

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lately I've been seeing lists compiling the top r&b artists of all time. nothing official, just random public opinion.. Michael always seems to appear at the top. of course, i'm happy that his music remains on the conscious of the wider population, but is this justified?

there's no doubt that Michael's roots with the Jackson 5 are steeped in r&b. however, even they were labelled 'bubble gum' for songs like 'abc' and 'the love you save', which had more of a sing-song pop appeal.

I could understand if he was being judged solely for 'off the wall', but even that had 'girlfriend', 'she's out of my life', and 'it's the falling in love'.

beyond that, in the 80's specifically, Michael was pop. I don't think he ever lost some of those r&b elements, but it wasn't enough for him to be tied to that genre entirely in my view.

I would argue the same for whitney Houston, who also appears on these lists, but I digress..

what do you think? do you automatically associate Michael with r&b, or was he 'the king of pop' for a reason? would love to know your thoughts :)
 
To me Michael Jackson was just Michael Jackson. He was very versatile and couldn't be put into a box. He's done Pop, Rock. RnB, Soul, Hip Hop, Classical, Funk, New Jack Swing, Disco, and possibly more that I'm blanking on.
 
I would argue that Michael became a genre onto himself at one point, with certain characteristics that were only associated with his music.

pop seems to sample bits of everything and make it 'catchy' in the process. I think that was a worthy title for Michael. he had mass appeal, and wasn't restricted to a niche audience.
 
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I would see him as an R&B artist, as well as an artist in other genres. He did extensive work with Darkchild (recording company) which is responsible for releasing a lot of popular R&B song material during the 90s and early 2000s.
 
To me Michael Jackson was just Michael Jackson. He was very versatile and couldn't be put into a box. He's done Pop, Rock. RnB, Soul, Hip Hop, Classical, Funk, New Jack Swing, Disco, and possibly more that I'm blanking on.

Yup this.
 
Mike is always in the R&B section in the record stores I've been in. That is his main genre. Even with his later music there were R&B producers/songwriters like Teddy Riley, R. Kelly, & Rodney Jerkins. Butterflies was written by the neo-soul group Floetry.

"Pop" is not really a type of music. It's short for "popular music" for the mainstream. If you look at different decades, different genres were pop music. In the 1920s & 1930s big band jazz was pop music. In the 1940s, crooners & show tunes were pop. Late 1950s, it was rock n roll & doo wop. In the 1960s, pop was girl groups, British Invasion, Motown, & psychedelic rock. In the 1970s, it was light rock, arena rock, & disco. In the 1980s, it was new wave, glam metal, adult contemporary. In the 1990s, there was dance music, hip hop, country. Grunge was also pop for a brief period. Right now hip hop is the main pop music and contemporary country to a lesser extent.
 
He stated that he didnt wanna be labeled & nothing on bad,maybe remember the time but etc...is r&b.... invincible had maybe 2 r&b tracks but nah
 
Mike is always in the R&B section in the record stores I've been in. That is his main genre. Even with his later music there were R&B producers/songwriters like Teddy Riley, R. Kelly, & Rodney Jerkins. Butterflies was written by the neo-soul group Floetry.

"Pop" is not really a type of music. It's short for "popular music" for the mainstream. If you look at different decades, different genres were pop music. In the 1920s & 1930s big band jazz was pop music. In the 1940s, crooners & show tunes were pop. Late 1950s, it was rock n roll & doo wop. In the 1960s, pop was girl groups, British Invasion, Motown, & psychedelic rock. In the 1970s, it was light rock, arena rock, & disco. In the 1980s, it was new wave, glam metal, adult contemporary. In the 1990s, there was dance music, hip hop, country. Grunge was also pop for a brief period. Right now hip hop is the main pop music and contemporary country to a lesser extent.

This is actually very right.
 
StageGlitter;4266164 said:
This is actually very right.
In the USA, Top 40 is pop radio. Top 40 plays a lot of different things, moreso in the past than today. On pop radio you might hear Boston, Fleetwood Mac, Mötley Crüe, Gloria Estefan, Michael Jackson, Depeche Mode, Cat Stevens, Billy Ocean, Kenny Rogers, Al Jarreau, Bobby Brown, Phil Collins, Kool & The Gang, Billy Idol, Madonna, Stray Cats, The Cars, etc all on the same station. An R&B station would play Billy Ocean & Michael Jackson but not Mötley Crüe or Boston and vice versa for a rock station. Country radio will play Kenny Rogers but not Gloria Estefan or Kool & The Gang. Pop radio was more musically integrated than a station dedicated to a specific genre. Pop is not a specific genre for a certain audience. The mainstream album chart is called Billboard 200, which is all albums together no matter what style of music it is. But the jazz album chart is just for jazz artists and the gospel chart is for gospel.
 
Michael Jackson is a pop artist, not an R&B artist.

Pop music borrows musical elements from other genres (such as, from R&B, dance, rock), has a very wide appeal, has a catchy melody, has a typical format in terms of the sequence of verses and choruses, and also it has a typical song’s medium duration.

Michael Jackson’s music almost always has the above characteristics of pop music.

Also, Michael Jackson officially called himself the King Of Pop (in the late ‘80s) because he knew that his music was up to that point and would continue to be in the following years pop music.

Besides, if you ask anyone about what genre is Michael Jackson’s music, nine times out of ten you will get the immediate response that his genre is pop music.
 
I would argue that Michael became a genre onto himself at one point, with certain characteristics that were only associated with his music.

pop seems to sample bits of everything and make it 'catchy' in the process. I think that was a worthy title for Michael. he had mass appeal, and wasn't restricted to a niche audience.

I've also thought of MJ as being a genre all on his own, because his songs are difficult to classify into any one type of music. He does have some amazing R & B songs in his catalogue, so I guess that's why he is often on the top of the R & B list. Others can't touch him, even in one genre of music alone.
 
DuranDuran;4266142 said:
"Pop" is not really a type of music. It's short for "popular music" for the mainstream. If you look at different decades, different genres were pop music. In the 1920s & 1930s big band jazz was pop music. In the 1940s, crooners & show tunes were pop. Late 1950s, it was rock n roll & doo wop. In the 1960s, pop was girl groups, British Invasion, Motown, & psychedelic rock. In the 1970s, it was light rock, arena rock, & disco. In the 1980s, it was new wave, glam metal, adult contemporary. In the 1990s, there was dance music, hip hop, country. Grunge was also pop for a brief period. Right now hip hop is the main pop music and contemporary country to a lesser extent.

Pop music and popular music are not two identical terms.

What you described here is popular music which depending on the era can literally be any type of music alone.

On the other hand, pop music is a distinct genre itself which has its own characteristics, and it has been heavily influenced by the ‘50s Rock 'N' Roll music.

A pop song can also include elements from other genres, such as a guitar riff, or a dance intro, or an R&B beat, or a hip-hop feeling, but still the song is a pop song.

Sugababes, Atomic Kitten, Spice Girls, East 17, Backstreet Boys, Take That, Savage Garden, NSYNC, are just some examples of pop music, a music that is distinct with its own characteristics.

Even when former members of those groups followed a solo career in the later years (after the group’s split-up), their music continued to be pop music.

Geri Halliwell’s solo music continued to be pop, Gary Barlow’s solo music continued to be pop, Darren Hayes’ solo music continued to be pop, etc.

Other examples of pop music are Ellie Goulding, Selena Gomez, Charli XCX, Justin Bieber, whose music sounds still pop (like the previous examples), although they belong to a different, newer era.
 
DuranDuran;4266142 said:

"Pop" is not really a type of music. It's short for "popular music" for the mainstream.
Yes well that may have been the truth before but it isin't anymore. Pop has become a genre unto it itself and it is no longer used in that context.


mj_frenzy;4266198 said:
Michael Jackson is a pop artist, not an R&B artist.


Pop music borrows musical elements from other genres (such as, from R&B, dance, rock), has a very wide appeal, has a catchy melody, has a typical format in terms of the sequence of verses and choruses, and also it has a typical song’s medium duration.

Michael Jackson’s music almost always has the above characteristics of pop music.

Also, Michael Jackson officially called himself the King Of Pop (in the late ‘80s) because he knew that his music was up to that point and would continue to be in the following years pop music.

Besides, if you ask anyone about what genre is Michael Jackson’s music, nine times out of ten you will get the immediate response that his genre is pop music.

It is very misleading saying that MJ was a Pop artist and not an R&B artist. MJ has sung and recorded many R&B songs throughout his career, Rock With You, Lady In My Life, Even Though You're Gone, Remember The Time, Joy, You Are Not Alone, Heaven Can't Wait, Butterflies, just to name a few,and I haven't even taken into account the dozens of cover songs he did with Jackson 5 cover the greateast soul and R&B acts of all time.

Yes MJ was pop oriented in his work but he was also very mich R&B oriented as well. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Now if the question was if MJ deserved to be in the top of that R&B list? That is another discussion. I don't agree with that list in that aspect but he definitely deserves to be in such a list.
 
He's an r&b artist at the core of it all. His r&b music redefined what "pop music" is, which is all-encompassing and not an actual musical genre.
 
Throughout his life, Michael wanted to make music for everyone to listen to, and he did just that and then some. On one of his interviews, Michael said he hated labels, wondering why we have to categorize music like that. That's why when he and his brothers finally got full creative freedom, they formed Peacock Productions because the peacock is full of colors, and they see the same way with people, to promote equality. When "Off The Wall" hit, it was around the time when disco suffered severe backlash, remember that from watching "Journey From Motown To Off The Wall?" It was mainly a racist and homophobic act. What really triggered Michael was when "Off The Wall" only got one Grammy nomination, and that's when the motivation happened to make "Thriller."

Overall, there's no category to put Michael's music in. Music's a very universal language, and Michael proved it ever since. I agree with Berry Gordy when he said the title "King of Pop" was not big enough for him, he was, and still is, the greatest entertainer who ever lived.
 
Themidwestcowboy;4266327 said:
It is very misleading saying that MJ was a Pop artist and not an R&B artist. MJ has sung and recorded many R&B songs throughout his career, Rock With You, Lady In My Life, Even Though You're Gone, Remember The Time, Joy, You Are Not Alone, Heaven Can't Wait, Butterflies, just to name a few,and I haven't even taken into account the dozens of cover songs he did with Jackson 5 cover the greateast soul and R&B acts of all time.

Yes MJ was pop oriented in his work but he was also very mich R&B oriented as well. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Now if the question was if MJ deserved to be in the top of that R&B list? That is another discussion. I don't agree with that list in that aspect but he definitely deserves to be in such a list.

Just because he released some R&B songs, this does not make him an R&B artist.

Generally, the feeling you get from Michael Jackson’s music is a pop feeling with a pop sound.

Compare the music of Michael Jackson with the music of R&B artists like, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, Babyface, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Brandy, Toni Braxton and so on.

It would be unwise to include Michael Jackson in the same genre category with these R&B artists.

Also, Michael Jackson’s case is similar to that of Madonna’s case.

Although she released also dance songs in her career, her genre is pop, rather than dance, because the feeling you get from her music is generally a pop feeling.

She is also called Queen Of Pop, for that reason.
 
mj_frenzy;4266357 said:
Just because he released some R&B songs, this does not make him an R&B artist.

Generally, the feeling you get from Michael Jackson’s music is a pop feeling with a pop sound.

Compare the music of Michael Jackson with the music of R&B artists like, Chris Brown, Alicia Keys, Babyface, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Brandy, Toni Braxton and so on.

It would be unwise to include Michael Jackson in the same genre category with these R&B artists.

Also, Michael Jackson’s case is similar to that of Madonna’s case.

Although she released also dance songs in her career, her genre is pop, rather than dance, because the feeling you get from her music is generally a pop feeling.

She is also called Queen Of Pop, for that reason.

Dude, Michael Jackson came out of a Soul and R&B group, and he did not do "some" R&B songs his whole discography is filled with R&B songs. Off The Wall was a Disco/Soul and R&B record. Thriller was a pop record heavily influenced by soul and R&B. Dangerous was also a record where MJ

I don't understand what that list is suppose to prove? Chris brown and usher and alicia keyes has also made many pop songs that sounds nowhere near traditional R&B but people do still classify them as R&B acts.

MJ won favourite Soul/R&B artist, song, and album for Off The Wall and Thriller, won favoruite soul/R&B song for Bad and Remember the time and in 2009 was posthumusly awarded favorite soul/R&B artist.

So clearly everyone else also sees him as an R&B and not just pop artist except for you.
 
To say, Michael was a “pop” artist is almost the equivalent to saying he “transcends race”, which is absolute bullshit, and an insult to who he was, what he stood for, and where he came from. Yes, his goal was to make music everybody could sing along to, but it was never pandering to a certain audience or demographic. His roots are r&b. That’s just what it is.
 
ethnicity

Chris brown and usher and alicia keyes has also made many pop songs that sounds nowhere near traditional R&B but people do still classify them as R&B acts.
That's because black artists are automatically considered R&B or hip hop by many people and the media too. White artists who do it are called "blue eyed soul". Black performers who make rock music are labeled "Black rock" which is ironic since rock n roll originated from black music like gospel, blues, and R&B. Rock became considered white music, because they're the ones who sold the most. More people bought Eric Clapton blues records, than ones by B.B. King or Muddy Waters. The original lineup of Fleetwood Mac was also a blues band. The early Beatles albums had a lot of remakes of R&B songs and they sold a lot more than the originals. Pop radio would play The Police who had reggae based music, but no black reggae artists. Same for early MTV showing few black artists because their music (R&B) was said to not fit the rock format of the network, but played videos by Hall & Oates and ABC, which was basically the same thing, only by white artists. Black artists (and acts of other non-white races like Gloria Estefan) had to crossover to pop radio, which is where they could get more sales and/or media coverage. So it's based on race.

It seems that some people think R&B is one thing or sound. Both Barry White & Mel Waiters are R&B, but their music sounds nothing alike. R&B is "rhythm & blues". It includes blues, funk, soul, soul jazz, funk rock, Latin soul, Philly soul, disco, psychedelic soul, New Jack Swing, neo-soul, southern soul, Latin freestyle, electrofunk, country soul, soul blues, and so on. Rock n roll is an offspring of R&B itself. Technically early rock n roll was just R&B by white artists with a little country mixed in it and some of them had hits on the R&B chart, called Harlem Hit Parade at the time in Billboard. Like Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty, & Jerry Lee Lewis.
 
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