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

[Standing on business]

Damn why OP do Ari like that @Rhap.So.D

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

You're splitting hairs...
but this is yo' party, so get fly if you want to.

i'm not...all my thoughts are in OP, you pointing out xscape when i explicitly said people tried to look their best...xcsape tried to look good. and the thread says r&b, missy has always been more of a rapper to me and macy gray, was some whole other shyt.

 

[MajesticLion]

It's not so much outright physical attractiveness - though that's always a plus - as being able to exude/portray personal charisma and sex appeal. A lot of these artists have the personality of construction boots...and it comes across in their music.

The content isn't helping either. Mainstream R&B is low on any kind of skilfully-worded seduction or romance. It's lowest-common-denominator lyrics, and that will always only go so far. The truly good stuff isn't getting the contracts much less any marketing push, and that's for a reason.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

R&B hasn't been dominant since the end of Jodeci. It gets shunned by cacs except when british ones do it.

Miguel still isn't as huge as Frank or Weeknd so this isn't about attractiveness

i'm not talking about appealing to cacs...i don't care what they want/like. i'm talking black r&b stars within the black community - the way people like carl thomas, monica, mya, swv, 112, etc were. you keep bringing these crossover pop stardom into it as if we don't (or didn't used to) have our own network of stars

 

[Rhapscallion Démone]

Damn why OP do Ari like that @Rhap.So.D

Why you got Lipo as your avi?

 

[Street Knowledge]

It’s funny because Women buy the records so in theory why would they care if the female singer is attractive

 

[IllmaticDelta]

Xscape, doe.
Missy Elliott, doe.
Macy Gray, doe.
Jill Scott, doe.


I don't wanna keep going, doe.

jill scott ISN'T/WASN'T like those others

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Ari Lennox isn't ugly, but ehhhhhhhhh

jill scott ISN'T/WASN'T like those others

And Missy now looks better than she ever has lmaooo

 

[Renegade47]

this really effects syd.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

It’s funny because Women buy the records so in theory why would they care if the female singer is attractive

this is true now, but men bought r&b/soul well into the 00's...that's for another thread, when did males become too hard to buy/listen to r&b soul...

 

[Sad Bunny]

Syd needs long hair
fukk she doing

Raw

 

[bigillwill06]

put my nikka rashad on here no homo. nikka dropped two classic r & b album and got no love smh.

 

[Buckeye Fever]

Amber Mark's "What If" is a top 5 song of the year to me. I was slightly disappointed when I saw how she looked.

Same with Yuna a few years ago. I heard "Best Love" and was like

Then I saw how she looked and was like

 

[Playaz Eyez]

this is true now, but men bought r&b/soul well into the 00's...that's for another thread, when did males become too hard to buy/listen to r&b soul...

I think men actually became too soft/indifferent. Also (which is probably another convo for another thread), rap and r&b have been overlapping to the point where they barely even distinguish the genres, and it doesn't help that you have rappers that can’t really sing trying to sing, and singers who shouldn't rap at all trying to rap.

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

Amber Mark's "What If" is a top 5 song of the year to me. I was slightly disappointed when I saw how she looked.

Same with Yuna a few years ago. I heard "Best Love" and was like

Then I saw how she looked and was like

Yuna is cute...I think I was more disappointed to find out she was asian/Malaysian