Conventions of Genre: Contemporary R&B

Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines Rhythm and Blues, Soul and Funk along with Pop and Hip Hop. Stemming from Northern America, this is very much a Westernised musical genre. Dance inspired beats are witnessed accompanying this musical genre which has origins of the late 1970's, towards the end of the Disco era - coined by Michael Jackson. Some current well known contemporary R&B artists include: Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Rihanna and Jason Derulo.

In Contemporary R&B, there are many conventions witnessed in music videos of this genre, which may vary but tend to include the same things.


Men's Fashion:

• Minimal/Lack of clothing - Male R&B artists are often topless in order to flaunt their physique, but also because their target audience is often young women and teenage girls. They want their audience to associate their music with their body which enables them to sell vast quantities of music. This is mainly seen in R&B artists who feature heavy elements of dance within their songs and/or music videos: such as Jason Derulo and Chris Brown. Male contemporary R&B artists will also include various amounts of women who tend to be dressed in promiscuous clothing as this appeals to the less dominant part of their target audience, young males. 

• Expensive Jewellery - Seen wearing an array of expensive jewellery has connotations of wealth, which is important for male R&B artists to display, as this shows that they are capable of making money and this appeals to their younger hedonistic target audience. 

Women's Fashion:

• Minimal/Lack of clothing - Similar to male R&B artists, women tend to wear minimal clothing during their music videos. Seen as a way of selling their sexuality in order to sell records, a well known topic of discussion and stimulus behind many media theories, women are seen as objects of desire; which targets their male based audience. Many women in this industry have fought against this objectification and shown that they don't need to shed their clothing to sell records. However, some R&B artists like Beyoncé have proven that it possible to do both and that there should be neither a 'right' or 'wrong' way to appeal to an audience.

• Expensive Jewellery - As a way to challenge traditional conventions of the R&B genre, female artists are now seen wearing their own extensive jewellery; as often it was the male artists who were able to flaunt their wealth, not the women. If seen in any at all, women in R&B music videos would always be reduced to wearing the jewellery of men, suggesting that they are objects and are owned. As a way to challenge this, female R&B artists are now proving that they are successful on their own right, without men, and this is proven in the array of jewellery they are seen in. 

Types of songs:

• Slow songs - Often showcasing feelings of deep emotion such as heartbreak or disloyalty, these music videos often follow a narrative. Shot in sepia tones or grayscale, this helps convey the sad emotion the artist wishes to get across. Sometimes symbolic imagery is used to suggest deep thinking, seen in Drakes' Take Care. In these videos, if sung by a male artist, he might have a featuring female artist of the same genre to help soften the tone and overall feel of the song as they sing the hook or chorus. Natural lighting is used to create a sense of realism, as the main focus of these music videos is to show a realistic scenario that the consumer can believe, relate and buy into. 

• Fast songs - The complete contrast, fast paced songs usually depict the R&B artist having a good time at a party and often include lyrics that reference alcohol, drugs, cars, sex and money. This is a prime example of hedonism and this is something that both male and female R&B artists feature in order to entice their younger audience. Full of bright, artificial lighting, these music videos will depict the artist and their entourage having a good time which in turn makes the consumer want to feel something similar, this is seen in Rihanna's Work music video.