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Street Soldiers with Lisa Evers: New R&B
Some of the best songs have been inspired by love. FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers looks at the softer side of hip-hop: R&B.
NEW YORK - Hip-hop may be best known for its raw energy, tough lyrics, and competitive bravado, but a new wave of R&B artists is blending the genre with sweet melodies of love and relationships, infusing the music scene with a fresh yet timeless vibe.
Method Man and Mary J. Blige's hit song "You're All I Need" is just one of many love songs by hip-hop greats. Meanwhile, 50 Cent asked about his love's loyalty in "21 Questions," and Beyonce and Jay-Z went from "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" to "Drunk in Love."
The current landscape sees artists like Lil Tjay and A Boogie wit da Hoodie navigating the complexities of modern love, while the melodic tunes of SZA dominate charts and Grammy nominations.
"I feel like a lot of the newest hip-hop love songs are melodic, right? A lot of the artists using the auto tunes, and you have real R & B artists that are still singing, but for these kids, they like this auto tunes sound, they like this melodic sound, it's connected," said Hot 97's DJ Drewski.
The legacy of love songs in hip-hop isn't new, with LL Cool J, Ja Rule, and Ashanti providing timeless anthems that have captured hearts for decades.
Newcomer Josh X, who studied music at Juilliard, recently hit the Top 5 R&B charts with "Love Takes Me Higher."
"I feel like as long as I'm authentic to myself, when I'm in the booth and the magic comes out of what I'm creating, then I'ma put it out there," Josh X said.
You can hear more on the subject on the next episode of Street Soldiers on Friday, February 9 at 10:30 p.m. on FOX 5 NY.