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African American music that uses the progressive approach to music; expands upon a music genre boundary that defines it; making it different

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making old things new; redefining

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Neo-Soul developed by Black African Americans as a soul revival movement; spin-off of soul music

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discourse of music; creating unique sounds

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Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul)[1] is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contemporary R&B. Heavily based in soul music, neo soul is distinguished by a less conventional sound than its contemporary R&B counterpart, with incorporated elements ranging from funk, jazz fusion, hip hop, and African music to pop, rock, and electronic music. It has been noted by music writers for its traditional R&B influences, conscious-driven lyrics, and strong female presence.

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Experience an unforgettable night of soulful melodies, enchanting rhythms, and raw talent at “Neo Soul Tuesdays,” the ultimate showcase of Neo-Soul and R&B music. Get ready to be serenaded by a live band, captivated by the creative expression of the…

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The history of neo-soul told through eight iconic artists

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However, that’s perfect in describing the music from this hybrid genre: it’s a mix of old-school R&B, modern-day beats and timeless soul hooks, that came from jazz, funk, hip hop, and pop and African musical influences. It’s a label that some artists love and others shun, but neo-soul, with its socially-conscious lyrics and powerful female […]

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Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is the debut album by American R&B singer-songwriter Maxwell. It was recorded in 1994 and 1995, then released on April 2, 1996, by Columbia Records.

Maxwell largely wrote and produced the album himself, recording in sessions at Electric Lady Studios, RPM, Sorcerer, and Chung King Studios in New York City, and CRC recording studios in Chicago. The resulting music features a mellow, groove-based sound with elements of funk, jazz, smooth soul, and quiet storm. A concept album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was composed as a song cycle that focuses on an adult romance, based in part on Maxwell's personal experiences.

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was not an immediate commercial success, but it was helped by the release of its second single " Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" in July 1996, and the album eventually became a million-seller. It was also a success with critics, who praised it as a departure from the mainstream, hip hop-oriented R&B of the time, while earning Maxwell several accolades and comparisons to soul singers of the past, particularly Marvin Gaye and Prince.

The success of Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite elevated Maxwell's reputation to that of a sex symbol and a notable performer in the music industry. He was credited with shaping the " neo soul" movement of musicians that rose to prominence during the late 1990s. Along with D'Angelo's Brown Sugar (1995) and Erykah Badu's (1997), the album provided commercial exposure to neo soul and has since been cited by several critics as Maxwell's greatest work.

After receiving a low-cost Casio keyboard from a friend, Brooklyn, New York-native Maxwell began composing material at age 17. Raised in the borough's East New York-section, Maxwell's previous musical experience included his beginnings as a singer in the congregation of his Baptist church, which had become an integral part of his life after the death of his father in a plane crash. Already a fan of what he described as " jheri curl soul", which was the trademark of early 1980s R&B acts such as Patrice Rushen, S.O.S. Band and Rose Royce, Maxwell began to teach himself to play a variety of instruments. According to him, the R&B of the early 1980s contained "the perfect combination of computerized instrumentation with a live feel", and that the genre's dynamics later became lost due to the influence of hip hop on R&B. Despite facing ridicule from classmates for being shy and awkward, he progressed and continued to develop his musical abilities.

At 19, Maxwell began performing throughout the New York club circuit while supporting himself by waiting tables during the day. He was able to gain access to a 24 track recording studio and started to record songs for a demo tape, which he circulated among his friends. The demo engendered interest, and his official debut concert performance at Manhattan nightclub Nell's drew a crowd. During the next two years, Maxwell wrote and recorded over three hundred songs and played frequently at small venues throughout New York City. Maxwell's performances continued to draw interest and increase the buzz about him, and he was called "the next Prince" by a writer from Vibe magazine who attended one of his shows. After earning a considerable reputation, Maxwell signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1994. He adopted his middle name as a moniker out of respect for his family's privacy.

Electric Lady Studios (entrance pictured) in New York City, where part of the album was recorded

Maxwell recorded his debut album between 1994 and 1995 at Electric Lady Studios, RPM Studios, Sorcerer Studios and Chung King Studios in New York City, and at CRC Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was produced primarily by Peter Mokran, who was credited as P.M., and Maxwell, who was credited as "MUSZE", a play on the word muse. Columbia executives reluctantly gave Maxwell creative freedom in his contract and were hesitant to allow him produce the album alone. They assigned Chicago-based, English producer and multi-instrumentalist Stuart Matthewman to the project, but he only produced the first few tracks. Matthewman had previously worked with English R&B and jazz group Sade. During the recording sessions, Maxwell worked extensively with collaborators, including Matthewman, soul singer-songwriter Leon Ware, and funk guitarist Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin. Prior to working with Maxwell, Ware and Ragin were collaborators of soul musician Marvin Gaye; Ware had produced and composed most of Gaye's tenth album (1976).

Production assistance and instrumentation from such veteran session musicians contributed significantly to Urban Hang Suite's vintage overtones and classic R&B influences. Matthewman and Maxwell played several instruments during recording for the album, including guitar, drums, saxophone, bass, and keyboards. They also composed three of the album's eleven tracks together. After the recording sessions ended in March 1995, Urban Hang Suite was mixed by P.M. (Peter Mokran) and audio engineer Mike Pela, after which it was mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York City.

Although one of his earliest influences was early 1980s urban R&B, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was inspired by the sounds and themes of classic soul artists such as Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Barry White, Stevie Wonder and Prince . According to Prince biographer Alex Hahn, Maxwell adopts the singer's sound and style, particularly from songs such as " Do Me, Baby" (1982) and " Pink Cashmere" (1993), while The New York Times's Amy Linden said that he "melds a soft-spoken singing style with the fluid, spacious grooves often associated with the cocktail funk of Sade". Critics have also noted Maxwell's falsetto singing voice, and the music's atmospheric, funky instrumentation, featuring mellow horns, wah wah guitar, Rhodes piano and deep, articulate bass lines. The tempo of the songs slowly diminishes through the course of the album's songs. One critic attributes the tempo decrease to Stuart Matthewman's production. The album contains elements of funk, jazz, contemporary R&B and quiet storm, and it is mostly composed of sexual balladry and slow jams.

A concept album, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is a song cycle that focuses on an adult romance from first encounter to its dramatic conclusion. Over the course of the album, Maxwell details a single passionate encounter. Throughout, it examines the concept with lyrical themes of love, sex and spirituality, as well as issues such as commitment, marriage and monogamy. Maxwell has described the themes and his thoughts on romance as "idealistic" on Urban Hang Suite. Rolling Stone editor David Fricke compared the album's concept to that of Marvin Gaye's 1978 record Here, My Dear, which dealt with his divorce, saying that Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite had been reworked as a treatise on monogamy. The album has been noted for the sincerity of Maxwell's lyrics, which depict a man's weakness and vulnerability to a woman's love. In an interview with music journalist Mark Coleman, Maxwell cited his respect for African-American women as the inspiration for the respectful nature of his lyrics towards women. Maxwell told 's Dimitri Erhlich that his main muse for Urban Hang Suite was women, and further elaborated on his inspiration, stating:

I think creativity is innately feminine. Obviously women at 12 or 13 get either cursed or blessed with the fact that they're vessels for human life to come through. And that's what music--what creativity--is to me. I guess being a man is a truly physical state and mentally it's a little bit limiting. But what I'm talking about is not a person's 'female side' or 'male side'. The only way I can pay homage to that feminine thing--not necessarily women but to what they represent as creative forces--is by getting artistic and making music.

Maxwell also cited his grandmother and other West Indian women he knows as the inspiration behind his romantic notions. Music journalists inferred that the album was inspired by or based on an unsuccessful affair in Maxwell's life. Maxwell said in an interview, "I'm so innately romantic and always have been, and I went through this particular romantic experience and based my album on that". The album's liner notes have a dedication from Maxwell to his "musze", stating "I could never have done this without you".

The album opens with an instrumental track, "The Urban Theme", which begins with the sound of a stylus dropping on a vinyl record. The track's prominent funk sound is reminiscent of the music of the Brand New Heavies. "Welcome" features the album's prominent sexual vibe, and contains a quiet storm sound and saxophone. The two opening tracks both contain prominent funk influence. Roni Sarig wrote that their "early '80s full-band R&B and jazz pop grooves are reminiscent of Maze's brightest days and Steely Dan's coolest nights." The funk-influenced "Sumthin' Sumthin'", which was co-written by Leon Ware, contains a strong, rhythmically tight groove created by the implementation of the "pocket" bass technique. Co-written by songwriter Itaal Shur, "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" opens with a funky groove and bass line, and features a forceful rhythm and rough funk sound. The song contains strong gospel overtones with references to God in the lyrics. The song has been covered by gospel artists such as Londa Larmond and LaShun Pace.

Cited by Blender magazine as one of the "Greatest Make-Out Songs of All Time", "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'" contains sexually explicit lyrics and a slower tempo than its preceding tracks. It also contains the sound of distant sirens and "grinding porn-movie" guitar licks. The songs "Whenever Wherever Whatever" and "Lonely's the Only Company (I & II)" are ballads that contain themes of vulnerability to love. "Suitelady (The Proposal Jam)" completes the album's concept of monogamy with lyrics depicting a marriage proposal from Maxwell. Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite closes with the instrumental track "The Suite Theme". While the length of the track is listed as 13:47 minutes, the song ends after 6:00 minutes, followed by a period of silence, before resuming with a hidden track, which consists of 1:41 minutes of an instrumental version of "...Til the Cops Come Knockin'".

After Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was completed, the finished recordings were presented to Columbia Records in mid 1995. It was shelved for nearly a year, because of issues with Columbia's management, the label's extensive reorganization, and record executives' doubts regarding the album's commercial potential. The marketplace dominance of hip hop soul in 1995 was in contrast with Maxwell's monogamous themes and older soul influences, which Columbia worried would be interpreted as old-fashioned. The label's executives also feared that his romantic concept and image would not appeal to listeners. Maxwell made matters worse by refusing to allow his picture to be placed on the album's front cover; instead he preferred to have the track listing and other information he felt was more important about the album in place of his photo. Regarding the cover, Maxwell later said "I wanted people to have the facts: the title, the selections and the fact that you had to basically buy it. I wanted people to come to the music and not base any opinion on the image". Columbia reached a compromise with Maxwell and used a promotional shot of him as the back cover. The album's front cover art also features a picture of a pair of golden women's shoes on the floor of a hotel room, with the bar coding prominently displayed.

In the period before its release, Maxwell wrote and demoed songs for a subsequent studio album, and embarked on an African American college tour with Groove Theory and the Fugees. The album was eventually released on April 2, 1996, and was a slow performer commercially. On April 20, it made its chart debut at number 38 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. The gold-certified single "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)", which had shipped 500,000 copies in the US by October, was considered by music journalists to be a significant factor in consumers' increased interest in the album. On September 17, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By 1997, the album had shipped one million copies, earning platinum status from the RIAA. It spent seventy-eight weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart, while becoming a Top 30 chart hit in the United Kingdom. In 2002, it was certified double platinum, and by 2008, it stood as Maxwell's best-selling album, having sold 1,790,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite received positive reviews from critics. It was called a "masterpiece" by several reviewers who viewed it as a departure from the mainstream, hip hop-oriented R&B of the time. Maxwell was also compared to soul singers of the 1960s and 1970s.

Writing for , OJ Lima said the record was a "refreshing detour from hump-bouncin' '90s R&B", while Dimitri Ehrlich from Entertainment Weekly wrote that Maxwell "smooths hip-hop's and soul's edges, proving that black dance music doesn't automatically mean ghetto culture." Jim Farber of the New York Daily News called it "one of the few modern sex albums to offer a sense of succor", and Urban Latino hailed it as "one of the most soulful releases of the year", writing that Maxwell exhibited "the soul of Curtis Mayfield, the poetics of Beni More and the stage presence of Michael Jackson, pre-". In American Visions, Michael George wrote, "In an age where young, black artists are criticized (often rightly so) for misogynistic lyrics, Maxwell's focus on commitment is refreshing. But more important, he can flat-out sing." In The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Arion Berger later said, "[Maxwell's] laid-back romanticism has heat at its core and a powerful groove that grounds the music: By varying the push of the beat but retaining the central mellow vibe, Maxwell creates a sound as felicitous on headphones as it is in the bedroom." Peter Shapiro was more critical, panning Maxwell's lyrics and calling the album an "overly mannered pastiche of early 70s soul ... all style and no substance". In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau jokingly accused Maxwell of "expiring of Afrocentric texturitis", while rating the album a "dud", which indicated "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought".

At the end of 1996, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite named one of the year's 10 best albums in lists published by Rolling Stone, , and . It was named the 20th best album of 1996 in the Pazz and Jop, an annual poll of American critics nationwide, published by The Village Voice. For the record, Maxwell was nominated for the 1997 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, received three NAACP Image Award nominations, and wins in the categories of Best Male R&B/Soul Album and Best Male R&B/Soul Single (for "Ascension"), as well as Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist, for the 1997 Soul Train Awards. That year, Rolling Stone voted him Best R&B Artist. The album's success also earned Maxwell his own MTV Unplugged special, which was a popular measure of mainstream success for recording artists in the 1990s. Nick Coleman from The Independent later cited Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite as the "sexiest record of 1996", while magazine called it "one of the very best R&B records of the '90s." Stylus Magazine ranked it at number six on their list of the Top Ten Albums from 1996. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite heralded the arrival of a top-of-the-class graduate of the old school of soul, one who could sing about romantic aspiration and tribulation with heart-wrenching emotion. It was as if the aesthetic that [Marvin] Gaye ascribed to -- 'music that has feeling, hope and meaning -- all the things people are looking for' -- had been rediscovered after a long, hedonistic interlude.

Along with musicians D'Angelo and Erykah Badu, Maxwell was credited with helping to shape the " neo soul" movement that rose to prominence during the late 1990s. Along with D'Angelo's Brown Sugar (1995) and Badu's (1997), Urban Hang Suite has been recognized by writers for beginning neo soul's popularity and helping the genre obtain commercial visibility. However, in contrast to D'Angelo, Maxwell was more conventional in his approach on his debut album. The term "neo soul" was penned in the late 1990s by record executive Kedar Massenburg, who managed both D'Angelo and Erykah Badu. According to Shapiro, the term itself refers to a musical style that obtains its influence from more classical styles, and bohemian musicians seeking a soul revival, while setting themselves apart from the more contemporary sounds of their mainstream R&B counterparts. In commenting on the "new soul revival" in music, Maxwell told Entertainment Weekly in 1997 that "everything out there musically was inspired or influenced by something from the past. It's not about creating some super-fresh new thing. If it doesn't lend itself to your history, how is it going to extend to your future?" According to Kerika Fields, Maxwell received an overwhelmingly positive reaction to his debut album from music listeners due to their weariness of contemporary black music's predictability.

Maxwell's role in writing and producing the album exhibited a level of artistic control by an R&B artist that was uncommon in the recording industry at the time. On Maxwell's emergence with Urban Hang Suite, writer Carol Brennan cited him, along with the Fugees, D'Angelo and Tony Rich, as neo soul musicians that "exhibited the identifying characteristics of this new breed of R&B artists: lyrics that give voice to intense personal expression, creative control over the music, and a unexpectedly successful debut." In his book A Change Is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America (2006), Craig Hansen Werner lists Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite as important in neo soul, including it along with R. Kelly's (1998), D'Angelo's (2000), the Young Disciples' Road to Freedom (1991), Aaliyah's self-titled final release (2001), Faith Evans' Keep the Faith (1998) and "anything by Seal" as among "the starter kit" for the genre. In Songs in the Key of Black Life: A Rhythm and Blues Nation (2003), writer Mark Anthony Neal cited the album as one of the most popular of neo soul recordings, along with Musiq Soulchild's Aijuswanaseing (2000) and India.Arie's Acoustic Soul (2001), that helped to redefine the boundaries and contours of black pop and R&B.

Maxwell in 1998

The unexpected commercial and critical success of Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite helped establish Maxwell as a serious performer in the music industry. He was described by critics as "part of a new generation of smooth soul crooners", and he obtained a reputation among fans as a sex symbol, which according to one journalist, was due to his "wild" afro and "extravagant cheekbones". His concert performances in promotion of the album attracted many female fans. One sold-out concert at New York City's Radio City Music Hall was praised by Rolling Stone, who compared him to R&B singers such as Gaye, Prince, Frankie Beverly, and Luther Vandross. The magazine highlighted Maxwell's showmanship, "down-to-earth" attitude and body movements including dropping down to his knees, swiveling his hips in a "slow grind", and crawling across the stage while singing. writer Jeannine Amber compared his stage presence to Teddy Pendergrass. According to some journalists, Maxwell's appeal to female fans was due to the respectful and sincere nature of his lyrics regarding women. In Contemporary Musician (1998), Mary Alice Adams examined the personal impact of his debut album on listeners:

To his fans, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite lures them into the heart of a romantic encounter that ends with a marriage proposal. The honest, sincere sexuality has struck a collective nerve with many in his audience who have built, renewed, or refined relationships based on the many messages found in the songs from Urban Hang Suite ... Maxwell's emotive power seduced not only significant numbers of both the urban and pop audiences but critics as well.

Maxwell's following studio albums were received less enthusiastically by critics, who were more critical of his songwriting on his next two studio albums, (1998) and (2001). Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite has since been cited by several critics as his best album, including Stephen Cook from AllMusic, who said it was "destined to become a classic contemporary R&B disc".

Credits for Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite adapted from liner notes.

Guitars: Wah Wah Watson, Stuart Matthewman, H, Maxwell
Keyboards: Amp Fiddler, Federico Pena, Itaal Shur, David Gamson, Stuart Matthewman, Maxwell
Bass: Mike Neal, Gary Foote, Jonathan Maron, Stuart Matthewman
Drums/Beatmachine: Gene Lake, Stuart Matthewman, Itaal Shur, Peter Mokran, David Gamson, Maxwell
Percussion: Bashiri Johnson, Karl Vanden Bossche, Gregory Marsh
Horns: The Beverly Soul Sextion
Saxophone: Stuart Matthewman
Trombone: Clark Gayton
Trumpet: Kevin Batchelor
French horn: Vincent Chauncey
Cello: Erik Friedlander, Rufus Cappadocia
Voices: Maxwell

Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite

Produced or co-produced by Maxwell with Stuart Matthewman or Peter Mokran
Additional production assistance: H (Mike Humphries), Wah Wah Watson (Melvin Ragin) and Itaal Shur
Written by Maxwell or co-written with Hod David, Stuart Matthewman, Leon Ware, Itaal Shur or Melvin Ragin
Recorded at Electric Lady (NYC), RPM (NYC), CRC (Chicago), Chung King (NYC), Sorcercer (NYC)
Engineers: Mike Pela, Peter Mokran and Ed Tuton
Assistant engineers: Michael Nuceder, Jamie Campbell, Brian "Mr. Bones" Kinkead, Phil Castellano, John Seymour and Ron Lowe
Mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound (NYC)
Art direction: Stacey Drummond and Julian Peploe
Photography: Eric Johnson
Photo assistance: Michael Stryder and Jamel
A&R direction: Mitchell Cohen

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Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite is the debut album by American R&B singer-songwriter Maxwell. It was recorded in 1994 and 1995, then released on April 2, 1996, by Columbia Records. Maxwell largely wrote and produced the album himself, recording in sessions at Electric Lady Studios, RPM, Sorcerer, and Chung King Studios in New York City, and CRC recording studios in Chicago.

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25 Years Ago, Tony! Toni! Toné! Released the Blueprint Album for the Neo-Soul Movement

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Tony! Toni! TonÃ©!’s third and most successful album, Sons of Soul, was hailed by critics for its use of live instrumentation, but it also still incorporated elements of hip-hop and commercial R&B -- the exact blueprint for what would eventually be called neo-soul.

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Progressive Underground: A tribute to the Soulquarian sessions - WDET 101.9 FM

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How a series of recording sessions helped refocus popular music on the importance of live instrumentation and collaboration.

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Erykah Badu

Patrik Hamberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Themes

Social Consciousness

Love/Relationships

Economics/Poverty

Cultural Influences

Racism/Discrimination

Musical Features

Vocal Sounds

Groove

Tempo

Sampling

Instruments

Drums

Electric Piano/Synthesizer

Organ

Other Electronic Instruments

Other Percussion

Piano

Saxophone

Trombone

Trumpet

"There is a great expansion in neo soul [in the 2000s], which can have all kinds of influences, jazz, hip-hop, even electronic music. Of course, it was huge in the '90s with D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell, but you can see even a bigger expansion of it in mainstream today with John Legend."

When singer-songwriter Erykah Badu's debut album, Baduizm, hit the airways in 1997, she introduced a new musical style that captivated audiences. Motown Records's Kedar Massenburg marketed it as neo soul, describing its uniquely blended elements of soul, R&B, jazz and funk. A few years earlier, the sound of Tony! Toni! Toné!'s Sons of Soul (1993) and D'Angelo's Brown Sugar (1995), reverberated the 1970 soul sensibility that some critics identify as the first recordings of neo soul. The prototype for neo soul as a distinctive genre, however, appears to be Me'Shell NdegéOcello's Plantation Lullabies (1993), in which the spoken word tradition is delivered over soul, funk, hip-hop and jazz-derived tracks in a variety of tempos.

Context and History

Although soul music had begun fading in popularity with the rise of funk, disco and hip-hop in the 1970s, the soul aesthetic remained a viable resource for these and other artists in subsequent decades. In the 1990s, a new generation of singer-songwriters emerged on the scene creatively combining the '70s soul aesthetic with elements from other traditions to create a contemporary soul sound. Although continuing and expanding on rather than reviving a past tradition, several artists viewed the neo soul label as restrictive, especially given the stylistic range of their creative endeavors. By the 2000s artists began recording their opposition, as did Jaguar Wright, on an LP titled Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul (2005). Marsha Ambrosus took the opposition a step further in her mixtape Neo Soul is Dead (2007) featuring DJ Drama. In addition to the mostly spoken and rapped lyrics declaring the death of neo soul, she buries the genre in the juxtaposing of hip-hop and P-funk tracks.

Neo soul artists entered the 1990s music scene when hardcore hip-hop and R&B were the two most popular and crossover forms of contemporary Black expression. Many of neo soul's innovators were born in the 1970s to parents who grew up in the era of Black Power and soul music. Exposure to these Black Nationalist leanings and a broad range of musical styles inspired the worldviews and creativity of these young artists. CD and song titles such as Black Diamond (Angie Stone), "Ghetto Girl" (Eric Benét), and "Dred Loc" (Me'Shell NdegéOcello) reflect the ideology of '60s and '70s Black social and cultural consciousness. Ethnic and cultural references abound in the song lyrics. In "Sumthin' Sumthin" for example, Maxwell described his love interest as a "honeydosugachocolate dumpling," or his preference for a lady with brown legs in "Suitelady (The Proposal Jam)." Jill Scott describes her man as being of a deep brown complexion in "Love Rain" and makes reference to soul food (Black-eyed peas, collard greens, and sweet potatoes) in "It's Love."

The vocal aesthetic of soul singers such as Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, and Al Green infuses the smooth, mellow, and sultry vocals of D'Angelo, whose Brown Sugar (1995) juxtaposes the spoken word over a soul-jazz instrumental track. In contrast to D'Angelo's speech-song delivery style, Maxwell's vocal approach is similar to that of Smokey Robinson, illustrated by Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996) which layers melodies on top of a funk-oriented groove. Groove Theory, on their self-titled CD (1995), similarly preserves the sensibility of 1970s soul reminiscent of the Emotions. Eric Benét (A Day in the Life, 1999) on the other hand, presents an eclectic mix of songs that combines the soul-oriented vocals of Maxwell and the jazz-spoken word approach of Erykah Badu ( Baduizm, 1997).

Some neo soul artists, like D'Angelo, tapped directly into the gospel tradition ("Higher") or covered original soul recordings ("Cruisin'," originally recorded by Smokey Robinson). Other artists sampled significant excerpts of 1970s soul recordings such as Angie Stone's "No More Rain [In This Cloud]" and "Neither One of Us," recorded by Gladys Knight and the Pips. Erykah Badu's Baduizm (1997) and Mama's Gun (1997) crystallized a distinctive neo soul style that exploits a range of Black aesthetic qualities. Her hybrid of spoken word and jazz includes improvisatory devices unique to jazz, including scat singing.

"My truth is relevant, and my songs are relevant, but I have to recalibrate myself and speed up my vibrations so that I can communicate with the voice of this generation."

In the new millennium, artists continue to identify with and celebrate the 1960s/1970s soul legacy. Retaining the soulful vibe ("Couldn't Hear Me," 2003) in the competitive music industry, Eric Roberson refers to himself as a "soul survivor." Newcomer Leela James describes her singing as "back porch soul," which is evident in her covers of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" (2005), Al Green's "Simply Beautiful" (2009) and James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" (2009). Although John Legend keeps alive the acoustic sound in "All of Me" (2013) and other songs, by the second decade of the 2000s, the 1990s contemporary soul aesthetic had begun to transform, moving in a different direction as artists crossed many new genres and experimented with advanced technologies.

Musical Features/Performance Style

The core features of neo soul combine the spoken word with aspects of jazz and soul. The signature singing style is characterized by a cross between speech and song. Its subdued delivery favors slow and moderate tempos, and the rhythmic flow "lags behind the beat," an approach unique to Billie Holiday and emulated by Dinah Washington and many jazz singers. This speech-derived aesthetic juxtaposes percussive and melodic qualities. It gives preference to a narrow pitch range that uses one note per syllable (syllabic text setting), unlike soul which favors melismatic melodies with several notes per syllable. Recordings such as "Higher" (D'Angelo), "Booty" (Erykah Badu), and "It's Love" (Jill Scott) retain the organic flavor of soul through the use of live musicians (rather than, or in conjunction with, synthesizers, computers, and samplers) playing instruments of the soul era: drums, percussion, acoustic piano and guitar, Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer pianos, Hammond B-3 organ, trumpet, trombone, and saxophone.

In the new millennium, the neo soul aesthetic morphed into new and different sounds with the incorporation and even the domination of synthesized instruments. Marsha Ambrosius's "Late Nights & Early Mornings" (2011), for example, blends synthesized strings, an acoustic piano, and electronic drums with the sound effects produced by the Auto-Tune, a digital device used to manipulate vocal and instrumental timbres. Erykah Badu fully exploits the Auto-Tune technology in P-funk-influenced "Love" (2010). Furthermore, artists began producing entire projects on laptops using music software as did Erykah Badu on New Amerykah (2008). Despite these changes, the vocal stylings and sparse and sometimes live instrumentation of 1990s neo soul pioneers lingers in the creations of several R&B artists of the new millennium, such as John Legend.

Lyrics

The most common theme in neo soul is personal relationships. Men acknowledge their vulnerabilities and fears in pursuit of rewarding and committed relationships (D'Angelo's "Lady" and "Alright" and Maxwell's "Lonely's the Only Company") and women address relationships with empowered and liberated voices that carry over into songs of social and political commentary. Me'Shell NedgéOcello's Plantation Lullabies references the 1960s struggle for racial equality in "I'm Diggin' You (Like an Old Soul Record)" and the negative effects of a capitalistic system on urban Black America in "Shoot'n Up and Gett'n High." Erykah Badu details how drugs destroy lives and families in "The Cell" and the impact of systemic racism in "Twinkle."

Portia K. Maultsby, Ph.D.

serves as the lead scholar for the project. Dr. Maultsby is the Professor Emerita of Ethnomusicology in the Dept. of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University. She has made significant contributions to the field in the areas of African American religious and popular musics, the music industry, and public ethnomusicology. She is co-editor of African American Music: An Introduction. 2nd Ed. (Routledge Press, 2015) and Issues in African American Music (Routledge Press, 2017). Other publications have appeared in numerous American and European journals, edited volumes, and as essays in music trade publications including Billboard and Rolling Stone.

Dr. Maultsby has served as a researcher, curator, music supervisor and consulting scholar for numerous museum exhibitions, documentary films, and radio productions. She was Senior Scholar for the inaugural exhibition for the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, TN.

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Bibliography

Maultsby, Portia K. "Soul" in Mellonee V. Burnim and Portia K. Maultsby, eds. African American Music: An Introduction. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge Press, 2015, p. 277-298.

The Timeline of African American Music by Portia K. Maultsby, Ph.D. presents the remarkable diversity of African American music, revealing the unique characteristics of each genre and style, from the earliest folk traditions to present-day popular music.

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Carnegie Hall's interactive Timeline of African American Music is dedicated to the loving memory of the late soprano and recitalistJessye Norman.

© 2008 Richard Termine

Special thanks to Dr. Portia K. Maultsby and to the Advisory Scholars for their commitment and thought-provoking contributions to this resource.

The Timeline of African American Music has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. The project is also supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

© 2023 Carnegie Hall

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Back to timeline Erykah Badu Patrik Hamberg, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Select to filter timeline Social Consciousness Love/Relationships Economics/Poverty Cultural Influences Racism/Discrimination Vocal Sounds Groove Tempo Sampling Drums Electric Piano/Synthesizer Organ Other Electronic Instruments Other Percussion Piano Saxophone Trombone Trumpet "There is a great expansion in neo soul [in the 2000s], which can have all kinds of influences, jazz, hip-hop, even electronic music.

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Candlelight: Neo-Soul Favorites ft. Songs by Prince, Childish Gambino, & More | Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

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⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Memphis. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Neo-Soul Favorites ft. Songs by Prince, Childish Gambino, & More at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art under the gentle glow of candlelight.

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Personal Neo-Soul playlist

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Lauryn Hill's hit debut album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" erupted not only the music scene but the zeitgeist of 1998. This past August, the historic album celebrated its 25th anniversary. Growing up as a Black girl with a deep appreciation for music, specifically hip-hop, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" has served as a religious text. Her masterful synthesis of the topics of womanhood, specifically Black womanhood, love and Black selfhood remains extremely culturally resonant even 25 years after the album was released.

"Miseducation" is momentous for so many reasons. Hill's combination of neo-soul, hip-hop and reggae was revolutionary and aided the vulnerability of the stories she told throughout the album. More personally, it is Ms. Hill's love letter to Black women, reminding us of our strength and the power that we hold though the world constantly tells us otherwise.

In the track, "Everything is Everything," Hill speaks to Black youth, eloquently explaining the experience of Black children learning for the first time that racism exists in society. She takes us through this realization that many Black youth come to in early childhood. Hill specifically speaks to the intersection of socioeconomic status and race from the perspective of a child asking, "Who made these rules?" after realizing that we "seem to lose the game before we even start to play." However, she beautifully gives us hope that "after winter must come spring. / Change, it comes eventually." A beautiful blend of soul, R&B and hip-hop, the sentiment expressed in "Everything is Everything" is one that Black youth still grapple with 25 years later. Incredibly, this song can so accurately speak to the Black youth of this generation, who desperately require the reminder that despite economic and racial barriers, it is very much possible to find success and happiness. Lauryn herself is living proof of this full-circle sentiment 25 years later.

On the third track of the album, "Ex-Factor," Hill speaks to the heartbreak and the feeling that many women, especially Black women, share: never being enough to be loved. Hill sings "Tell me who I have to be to get some reciprocity." This cuts particularly deep for Black women, who often feel rejected in so many ways in broader society, from not seeing themselves in positions of power, as "beautiful" women on the covers of magazines, to not seeing dolls that look like them as children, as well as feeling rejected in romantic relationships.

This was true 25 years ago and remains true to this day. Women today can almost all relate to a battle with self-worth and how that, in turn, can affect romantic relationships. This song, which combines neo-soul and hip-hop soul, is so beautifully heartbreaking and is such a raw and real expression of the strife for the feeling of acceptance and love. The fusion of rap and soul music-essentially emotional vulnerability-pushed the envelope in unprecedented ways, allowing Hill to convey raw emotions through rap. Her lyricism conveys this feeling of utter desperation: "Care for me care for me, you said you care for me there for me, there for me."

This album is both deeply personal and unifying; her lyricism, rhythmic knowledge and blending of genres on this album were masterful and widely recognized. "Miseducation" was the first hip-hop album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. Hill won a total of five Grammys, inspiring many hip-hop and R&B artists of this generation such as Nicki Minaj, SZA and Beyonce with her genius. Her work has even influenced artists in other genres like Adele and Amy Winehouse.

"The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" is one of the most important works of art of its time and its resounding cultural resonance has touched the hearts and continues to touch the hearts of so many. Songs on this album have gone on to be sampled by artists such as Drake and Kanye West. The only solo album of her career, she has managed to produce a work that makes people so deeply. After 25 years, this album continues to hold such power and inspire such hope, in the eponymous track of the album, she sings, "And deep in my heart, the answer, it was in me. And I made up my mind to define my own destiny".

To anyone who hasn't listened, I would recommend Doo-Wop (That Thing) as a first listen. It is an upbeat catchy song, but also integrates beautiful lyricism to speak on sexism and femininity.

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Twenty-Five Years Later, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" Is As Culturally Relevant As Ever

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Lauryn Hill's hit debut album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" erupted not only the music scene but the zeitgeist of 1998. This past August, the historic album celebrated its 25th anniversary. Growing up as a Black girl with a deep appreciation for music, specifically hip-hop, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" has served as a religious text....

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Ghost-Writer, Songwriting

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POP REVIEW; D’Angelo Puts His Own Stamp on Songs, Raps and Riffs (Published 1995)

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Live music and celebrity guess performances such as Musiq Soulchild and Jasmine Sullivan 

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FlyPoet All-Star Spoken Word & Music Showcase

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FlyPoet All-Star Spoken Word & Music Showcase

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Open Mic sessions, spoken word/ poetry, live band, and music

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Live, multi-sensory experience where covers of music such as Frank Ocean "Biking" is performed.

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Candlelight: Neo-Soul & Hip-Hop Favorites- NYC

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Candlelight: Neo-Soul & Hip-Hop Favorites- NYC

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"A night of soul, jazz, and live music by Matthew Grant"

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Motown Records, Kedar Massenburg kicked off Neo-Soul

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1. What is Neo-Soul?

2. What is the term Neo?

3. Why is there more of a female presence in Neo-Soul than male?

4. What is the difference between Neo-Soul and Soul?

5. How does Neo-Soul voice the stories in Black communities?

6. What instruments are used to define Neo-Soul?

7. Is there a certain ethnic group associated with who can be a successful Neo-Soul artist?

8. How do instruments define a music genre?

9. What is an aesthetic?

10. Who is the female face of Neo-Soul?

11. Who is the male face of Neo-Soul?

12. What distinguishes Neo-Soul from other genres?

13. What is soul?

14. How does music bring communities together?

15. What determines a music genre?

16. Was there any controversy in the development of Neo-Soul?

17. Who was the first considered Neo-Soul artist?

18. How is music used for expression?

19. How has Neo-Soul become an influence for women in the industry?

20. How does Neo-Soul use other music genres to formulate new sound?

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Design album covers

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Erykah Badu: The first lady of Neo-Soul

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The Essential Neo-Soul (2010)

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The following is another in an ongoing series of blog posts from the remarkable students in my Public Intellectuals class. We would welcome any comments or suggestions you might have. Revisiting Neo-Soul
by Marcus Shepard
Popular music blog Singersroom recently asked an interesting question "Will Alternative R&B fade away...like Neo-Soul & Hip-Hop Soul?" What's interesting about this question for me is that neo-soul and some would argue hip-hop soul, never truly found a definition or a sonic boundary to differentiate them from other genres of music during their rise in the 1990s. Different posts could and should be written on hip-hop-soul and even the validity of the term alternative R&B as it appears to be a term used to describe white R&B artists who make music similar to the likes of the Black R&B artists such as the late Aaliyah, Brandy and Monica. I want to focus though on exploring the genre neo-soul for a moment. It's important to engage with neo-soul because a lot of people believe that this musical discourse has either faded away or was a flash pan marketing nomer that lost steam as we rolled into the new millennium, which is not the case.

While fans of the music labeled neo-soul can often identify those songs, albums and/or artists that falls under the genre label, due to the lack of a potential concrete definition, the once burgeoning genre has become harder to define. As different sonic discourses continue to mix and create unique sounds, defining and creating boundaries for what is "neo-soul" and what is not might become increasingly more difficult. Though the label neo-soul has come under scrutiny from artists, musicians, fans, critics, and academics about its validity as a term/genre, others have gravitated towards the usage of the term. The confusion of what neo-soul is adds to the debate surrounding this genre. Defining neo-soul is not to exclude artists who are on the periphery or crossover into the genre, but to give space to those singers and musicians who are entrenched within the discourse of the music.

With the introductory track "Let It Be," Jill Scott also expresses her frustrations with being labeled and defined as a neo-soul artist. Though Scott does not openly state her anguish with her categorization in the genre, she states an all too familiar cry of artists who simply want to make music devoid of classification.

What do I do If its Hip Hop if its bebop reggaeton of the metronome In your car in your dorm nice and warm whatever form If Classical Country Mood Rhythm & Blues Gospel Whatever it is, Let It Be Let It Be Whatever it is Whatever it is Let It If it's deeper soul If It's Rock & Roll Spiritual Factual Beautiful Political Somethin to Roll To Let It Be, Whatever it is, Whatever it is Let It Be Let It Be Whatever it is Let It Be Let It Be, Let It Why do do do I,I,I,I Feel trapped inside a box when just don't fit into it

Through her sorrow of being defined and "trapped inside a box," Scott has also excavated what neo-soul is. Though she and other artists often have fraught relationships with the term, understanding it as a convergence of sonic discourses within the soul and rap musical traditions opens up a variety of sonic avenues that Scott, her peers, and predecessors have pursued. Scott, who often transcends the boundaries of different genres, is able to rise above these very boundaries due to the essence of neo-soul. This genre allows her to waft into the vocal atmosphere with operatic vibrato during the closing number ("He Loves Me (Lyzel In E Flat)") of her concert, just as it allows for her and Doug E. Fresh to beatbox during their collaborative "All Cried Out Redux".

Being situated on the periphery of two musical legacies, soul and hip-hop, allows for artists within this convergence to coif a variety of sonic discourses that draw on the technical, sonic, and lyrical innovations of both genres. The jazz, gospel, and blues influences of soul, which in their own right offer rich musical and lyrical histories, further add to the wide-range of sonic possibilities that artists within neo-soul can tap. Include the plentiful sonic and lyrical options that hip-hop has to offer and the neo-soul genre seems to have boundless opportunity to grow and coalesce.

So what does neo-soul sound like? Neo-soul is a genre that is an amalgamation of rap and soul music, which relies on the technological advances made during the genesis of rap, but at the same time readily uses live instrumentation of the soul era. Neo-soul builds upon sampling through its own reinterpretations of soul records such as D'Angelo's take on Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'," or Lauryn Hill's Frankie Valli cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". Though these two are traditional covers, Hill and D'Angelo infect a hip-hop backbeat that is heavily pronounced throughout most neo-soul records. Hill's cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" in particular opens up with beatboxing, which then leads into the sonic composition of the song and melds into a traditional rap backbeat. Though covers are not unique to this genre, when they occur within the confines of neo-soul, the musical composition of the song is often tweaked/reworked to reflect the sonic collaborations that define the genre.

Though possibilities seem endless for neo-soul, there is a distinct sonic quality that exists within the genre. Neo-soul is deeply rooted in live instrumentation and referencing the liner notes of the majority of neo-soul releases showcases the inclusion of studio musicians. Though synthesizing and sampling is present within neo-soul, it is building a legacy that is rooted in both the live instrumentation of soul music and the technological manufactured sounds of hip-hop.

Striking this sonic balance is one of the challenges the genre faces and artists who opt for a more live sound or a more synthesized sound find themselves closer to the periphery of the genres that represent this sound. As Erykah Badu famously proclaims, she "is an analog girl in a digital world" and striking the balance between these two worlds is what artists who are steeped in the musical traditions of neo-soul are all about.

In addition to the sonic quality and components of neo-soul, the genre is also one that is carried by the lyrical compositions of its artists. While hip-hop soul is a famous fusion of music that is sometimes conflated with neo-soul, artists within the confines of this music often set themselves apart from neo-soul artists due to the paucity of songwriting credits on their résumé as well as the abundance of synthesized beats. This is not to say that one genre is "better" than the other, but that they each exist in different spheres and planes of similar musical discourse.

Neo-soul artists, as Jill Scott so eloquently pointed out, speak to the realities of life within their self- or co-written compositions including, but not limited to, issues that touch upon the very essence of human experience. While rap music still speaks to lived experiences, the overarching narrative seems to have shifted to a paradigm that speaks largely to male street credibility and the highly commercialized and commoditized male hustler protagonist.

Neo-soul can be seen, lyrically, as a remix of hip-hop - still speaking to the lived experiences of its listeners as hip-hop and soul did and still do - with a slanted female perspective, as the majority of releases within the confines of neo-soul reflect the female voice.

While men and women release music within the confines of the neo-soul and rap genres respectively, it appears that each genre has the disproportionate voice of one sex. Whereas rap music has always been rooted in the male perspective, with relatively few female centered perspectives, neo-soul operates as the contrasting version with the female perspective taking center stage, while the male perspective is given voice with relatively few releases.

Responding to the obvious exclusion of female voices within hip-hop, neo-soul artists find themselves oftentimes engaging with messages perpetuated within hip-hop and mass media in an attempt to recreate and reclaim those representations of Black womanhood.

Another interesting observation of the discography released within neo-soul finds that Black artists have released the majority, if not all, of the releases considered neo-soul. Though white British soul artists such as Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Adele, and Duffy have all released albums and/or songs that would aptly be described as neo-soul, due to their sonic and lyrical arrangements, these women are placed under the banner of pop or British soul instead of neo-soul. Jaguar Wrigh t for one has pointed out in her observation of the musical genre the racialized space that has been built around this marketing genre.

Through the racialization of neo-soul, these artists are able to engage in visual and musical critiques of issues impacting Black communities, such as Jill Scott's powerful analysis of the state of Black communities in her song "My Petition," which is lifted from her 2004 album Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2.

Ultimately, neo-soul is a genre that is still alive and well though the glare of mainstream press and platinum selling singles and album sales has wavered. Before one engages with the theorizing of "alternative R&B," it is important to revisit and reengage with the visual and musical discourse that is the genre neo-soul.

Marcus C. Shepard is a Ph.D. student at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. His work explores Black musical performance and its intersections and transformative capabilities of race, class, gender and sexuality. Specifically, he focuses on the musical genre neo-soul and its sonic, visual and political implications in the United States within communities of color. Shepard has also worked at the world famous Apollo Theater in Harlem as an archivist and maintains his ties to this artistic community.

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The following is another in an ongoing series of blog posts from the remarkable students in my Public Intellectuals class. We would welcome any comments or suggestions you might have. Revisiting Neo-Soul by Marcus Shepard Popular music blog Singersroom recently asked an interesting questi

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Retro Neo: Jenevieve On Looking To Neo Soul's Past To Build A Future

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In the latest installment of 'Retro Neo,' Jenevieve delves into the underrated influence of Zhané and gives an update on her debut album.

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Brown Sugar by D ´ Angelo is Neo-Soul ´ s crowned jewel. Is said to be the beginning of Neo-Soul

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Maxwell´s Urban Hang Suite provided commercial exposure to Neo-Soul, ushering the music genre.

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Baduizm introduced a new musical style that caught attention: marketed as Neo-Soul

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 Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, James Poyser, Erykah Badu, Questlove, D’Angelo, Q-Tip, J Dilla, Bilal.

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Soulquarians were a group of Black experimental artists who collaborated, crafting popular individual albums that had a mix of live instrumentation, progressive and Neo-Soul, Jazz Fusion, and Conscious Hip-Hop.

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Electric Circus, Mama´s Gun, Voodoo, 1st Born Second, Like Water for Chocolate, Things Fall Apart (band)

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Some albums produced by the Soulquarians 

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Some albums produced by the Soulquarians 

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The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill pioneered neo-soul's mainstream success under Neo-Soul and was the most influential.

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Acoustic Soul changed the way Neo-Soul was viewed. Her album added social awareness to Neo-Soul and made an impact on Black communities considering their same struggles.

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One of the major influences of the Neo-Soul movement. An American artist and multi-instrumentalist; mixed multiple genres of music such as Rhythm & Blues, funk, hip-hop, and progressive soul

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Another major influence on the Neo-Soul movement, American artist, Erykah Badu. Badu's music is unique as she uses uncommon instruments, scat singing, rap, hip-hop as well as soul, to formulate some of the best music and sounds.

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Record producer and label executive for Motown Records. "Birthed" the term Neo Soul

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An American artist who used a blend of Neo-soul, hip-hop, R&B, and reggae to express topics such as Black womanhood, Black selfhood, and Black youth, etc.

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An American artist whose music blended jazz, Neo-soul, and funk. He was very influential and vital in mixing jazz with American Neo-Soul.

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An American R&B Neo-Soul artist who redefined Neo-Soul through spreading awareness through topics such as self-love, social beauty standards, relationships, etc.

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Influential American artist who uses spoken word/ poetry in her music, touching on love, relationships, etc. Her music sound is also infused with Jazz, R&B, and hip-hop: Neo-Soul.

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One of the most influential American artists in Hip-Hop Neo-soul. His music is a blend of jazz, R&B, funk, a little gospel influence, and hip-hop.

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A British singer known for blending Neo-Soul, jazz, funk, and Afro-Cuban Rhythms.

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Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing) (Official HD Video): resistance to the negative portray of women, warning both men and women to avoid materialistic exploitation

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The idea of Black women forming a community within each other. Building off of stereotypes and norms, turning that into something positive through forms of expression.

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Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing) (Official HD Video)

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African American culture; music style intertwining gospel and rhythm & blues

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A way of showcasing one's thoughts, emotions, opinions, and interests.

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Vocal Jazz; using voice as an instrument; using different tones/pitch to create a melody or rhythm.

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Erykah Badu - 'Green Eyes' [HD] | North Sea Jazz (2001)

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Shaping of one's identity through their culture and ethnic group; how environment and culture shapes identity

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personal ¨look¨; a form of expression; how someone showcases themselves based on interests

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A blend of R&B and soul singing but is produced with hip-hop instrumentation; subgenre

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A combination of Jazz elements and harmonization with a musical blend of rock, funk, and rhythm & blues.

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Ryan Smith: Sacking Mental Illness Podcast

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Ms. Lauryn Hill Featuring Carlos Santana "To Zion" 41st Grammy Awards

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New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)

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My love for Neo-Soul started in my freshman year in geometry class. Our substitute teacher was playing Erykah Badu, who at the time, I did not know who she was. I was hesitant to ask but I soon asked what song and artist was playing, and he replied, "Window Seat" by Erykah Badu. Since then, I listened to that song every day, unintentionally memorized all the lyrics, and discovered more of her discography. This led me to discover similar labeled Neo-Soul artists such as Cleo Sol, Lauryn Hill, Kirby, The Internet, and more along the way.

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The Internet is an American band that blends modern day alternative R&B and hip-hop with Neo-Soul