Neo-soul is an oft-overlooked musical genre that began in the 1980s as a fusion of classic soul, funk, jazz and R&B.
Artists like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill all had a major part in cultivating and spreading the popularity of Neo-Soul contributing to its unique identity and impact on the music industry.
Time-standing hits like “Ex-factor” by Lauryn Hill, “Killing Me Softly With His Song” by The Fugees and “Epiphany” by Chrisette Michele, showcase the genre’s expressive power and artistic depth. Despite the genre’s many contributions and enduring appeal as seen with the ever-growing popularity of the aforementioned songs, neo-soul has been overlooked or underrated.
Although Neo-Soul is no longer scattered across the Billboard 100 charts like in the past, it has not gone away. Similar to its genre of origins, Jazz, Soul, and R&B, it has simply taken a new form.
Artists like Childish Gambino with “Redbone” and Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin’ Bout You” all have key elements of the smooth soulful genre. Their unique blend of various musical styles and techniques, distinct elements of soul and hip-hop with rich harmonies and soulful vocals all a Neo-soul song makes, yet many songs with these exact characteristics aren’t labeled as such.
Music is an ever-evolving medium and often, through the transformation from one genre to another, labels get left behind. It can be hard to pinpoint the move from jazz to blues to soul to rock to hip-hop. Which exact song was the catalyst for the birth of a new genre or the death of an old one?
More often than not, these labels simply evolve, growing into one another and often taking on new labels while still holding onto much of the characteristics that make it what it is.
Perhaps Neo-soul isn’t on its last leg, confined to college dorms with tapestries and the living room of a Gen-Xer. Maybe it has taken new roots in artists like SZA, Steve Lacy and Jungle.
Soulful vocals, emotive delivery, genre-blending, and lyricism have not fallen off the face of the earth. Many of the songs we would have once called neo-soul or a similar off-shot have now been labeled under other things like “indie” or “alternative” but, a music genre by any other name can sound just as good.
