Is being "unattractive" holding a crop of r&b singers back from success?

[SnowflakesByTheOZ]

this is why i say she's a weird one, sometimes she looks bad AF other times she's ...i don't know where she truly falls, that said, i'm a chick and don't care, her music is absolutely flames and i'm ready for her to drop a full album

Man she's fire. She got that little gap between her teeth but I don't mind it.

 

[NoStressB]

The whole point is that they’re alternative no? They arent really attempting to be mainstream like Mariah and Co

You’re comparing two different types of music in two different decades. It’s like saying is Westside Gunn being held back because he doesnt look like Will Smith.

BINGO

 

[MoneyTron]

Most of the artists mentioned in this thread aren't aiming to go big if we're being real...

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Most of the artists mentioned in this thread aren't aiming to go big if we're being real...

yall keep saying this, but this is the new crop of r&b singers, if this cohort of singers isn't aiming to be big, then who is? and i'm not talking beyonce/rihanna/early chris brown crossover pop success, i'm talking about mary j blige, monica, donnell jones types - people who are big r&b stars in the black community

 

[get these nets]

was just thinking of r&b from the past where either being attractive (Mariah, Toni, Beyonce, Usher, R Kelly - forget all the shyt now, in the 90's women wanted to jump his bones) or at least making yourself up be as attractive as possible (Faith, Mary J B, a lot of the r&b groups - 112, SWV, etc) seemed to help with success.

look, idgaf what folks look like, but there's a lot of really good r&b out, but some of the artists are either unattractive or don't do much to boost their attractiveness. i'm wondering if this is part of what's holding back their ascent into the mainstream?


daniel ceasar (i know twitter canceled him, but he makes good music)

ari lennox (not unattractive, but she's not really attractive either)

syd (she and the internet should've been bigger IMO)

I can keep going, SiR, Gallant, Bj the Chicago kid...Rayana Jay (Lizzo took the one fat girl spot), Amber Mark (she's a weird one, sometimes she's attractive, sometimes not so much)

That said, there are also attractive folks making good music who aint popped: Lion Babe

And people who make themselves look like shyt who have popped Ella Mai, SZA

I think what is considered attractive has changed over the decades. At least for other genre of music. I don't think that Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa would have been considered traditionally good looking in past era. They look like heroin junkies, but I think they seem to be in line with what is considered attractive today.

Perhaps singing and being an R&B artist still calls for people who are considered attractive by more traditional and universal criteria.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

I think what is considered attractive has changed over the decades. At least for other genre of music. I don't think that Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa would have been considered traditionally good looking in past era. They look like heroin junkies, but I think they seem to be in line with what is considered attractive today.

Perhaps singing and being an R&B artist still calls for people who are considered attractive by more traditional and universal criteria.

rappers have never had to conform to any look so....

but even with the more bohemian/natural/hipster whatever looks that are popular today, there are ways you look good

 

[Yinny]

Syd needs long hair
fukk she doing

She’s a whole lesbian out here

and def looks matter, I was thinking too bad ANDERSON.Paak and Sir are ugly as hell or else they could’ve been r and b sex symbols a la Maxwell.

 

[CrimsonTider]

The whole point is that they’re alternative no? They arent really attempting to be mainstream like Mariah and Co

You’re comparing two different types of music in two different decades. It’s like saying is Westside Gunn being held back because he doesnt look like Will Smith.

BINGO

Most of the artists mentioned in this thread aren't aiming to go big if we're being real...

If this is the case they wouldn’t sign deals

everyone is trying to take it as far as it can go

 

[Goon for hire]

Daniel caeser has a gold album and has several platinum/multi platinum singles under his belt.

He is a mainstream artist with success

He did that shyt to himself with his album flopping earlier this year. Music wasn’t the same quality and he said that dumb shyt too.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

She’s a whole lesbian out here

and def looks matter, I was thinking too bad ANDERSON.Paak and Sir are ugly as hell or else they could’ve been r and b sex symbols a la Maxwell.

lol, paak isn't ugly so much as just funny looking, but i don't think his looks hold him back given his style of of music. but SiR...definitely, this the song that made me love his music but if he looked better women would really love HIM

 

[colicolicoli]

If anything I think its the exact opposite..SZA, Ella, Summer, HER are all attractive but they all seem more "regular" than the "Beyonce's" of the past..

If anything the Jorja and Tinashe's who have the "mainstream" look are the ones that aren't blowing up now

ETA: I don't think Ari is unattractive, just not as polished as the others. She fits right in that same range of attractiveness.

 

[BigMan]

attractiveness absolutely is a factor

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

If anything I think its the exact opposite..SZA, Ella, Summer, HER are all attractive but they all seem more "regular" than the "Beyonce's" of the past..

If anything the Jorja and Tinashe's who have the "mainstream" look are the ones that aren't blowing up now

ETA: I don't think Ari is unattractive, just not as polished as the others. She fits right in that same range of attractiveness.

this is about artists that make good music, IMO, jorja's music falls flat and tinashe's music is wack, thus it's not a look thing with them, it's a music issue. the people i named in this thread all make better music than those two

SZA, Ella, Summer and HER all make themselves look like shyt...but i had that in my OP, there are people who blew all while not doing their best to make themselves attractive.

 

[BeBorn]

I agree somewhat...in this era you can become a superstar off a fluke song that works...plus the machine determines a hit....if you hear a song alot you either love it or get get tired or never liked.....ugly people make me sick in real life and extremely angry...i dont like them...but dope music is dope music...i dont even know what these chicks look like...but when i do and they bad its a plus...if syd...covered her self like sia....it would work...but i digress

 

[greenvale]

Great thread OP.

I co-sign a lot of what's been said, I also think part of it is just today's consumers of "mainstream" don't necessarily want to hear the typical R&B subject matter other than the thot wave that's popping.