Part 2, Male R&B Mount Rushmore Luther Vandross, Babyface, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder...Do y’all agree?

gotta have Kellz up there
You must be a younger brother. (nothing wrong with that)
Gen X knows that Guy came first. R. Kelly got popular because people thought it was Aaron Hall with new material. Kelly came out sounding just like Guy.
Aaron Hall sites Charlie Wilson of The GAP band as an influence and its obvious.

In the 90s, R&B was on the downswing because of the popularity of hip-hop/rap.
R&B's heyday was the 60s/70s/80s. Kelly and Face came in later.


I would have to agree that Ron Isley and Smokey would be in competition for that last spot. There might have to be a top 5 instead of Mount Rushmore of R&B.
Ron has had hits through every phase of R&B.
 
You must be a younger brother. (nothing wrong with that)
Gen X knows that Guy came first. R. Kelly got popular because people thought it was Aaron Hall with new material. Kelly came out sounding just like Guy.
Aaron Hall sites Charlie Wilson of The GAP band as an influence and its obvious.

In the 90s, R&B was on the downswing because of the popularity of hip-hop/rap.
R&B's heyday was the 60s/70s/80s. Kelly and Face came in later.


I would have to agree that Ron Isley and Smokey would be in competition for that last spot. There might have to be a top 5 instead of Mount Rushmore of R&B.
Ron has had hits through every phase of R&B.
ok if you consider 48 young I guess so. what does sounding like someone or who came out 1st has to do with anything?
 
It's Luther,Marvin,Al Green & Smokey Robinson for me.
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Babyface? Seriously? The only way he gets in is if he buys a ticket.

This actually might need at least 2 divisions because Sam Cooke and Ray Charles basically invented R&B. To them you can add Jackie Wilson and David Ruffin -who could be replaced by a couple of other vocalists from his era.

People, Stevie is a genius equaled only by Duke, but he ain't no singer. Not for Rushmore.

So second division would include Marvin, Luther, Donny, and probably Mike - could be replaced by other singers in his era - I'm trying to fit Emanuel "EJ" Johnson in there. With that hair-raising tenor. Man.


**EDIT - I say 2 divisions because there is basically R&B before Sly and R&B after Sly.
 
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This is more like it if we're talking straight up R&B. There are definitely more people who are also deserving to be up there. I'd have no problem with James Brown (though he was also a pioneer of Funk). MJ and Prince could be up there, but they were also rock and pop. Teddy P has an argument. Sam Cooke has a great argument since he's the reason those four were who they were.

For those questioning Babyface, it's hard to deny him being on that list when you look at what he's contributed with his pen alone. The 80s and 90s was basically his!

Toni Braxton's whole early career.
Damn near the entire Don't Be Cruel album.
Perhaps the two dopest soundtracks of all time in Boomerang and Waiting to Exhale.
Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" was the longest running #1 song in Billboard history, obliterating Elvis.
Then spun the block and broke his own recrod with Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love To You"

This list of written songs is CRAZY. It's basically the soundtrack to our R&B lives in the 80s/90s. He could've just sponsored the Quiet Storm every night.
 
This is more like it if we're talking straight up R&B. There are definitely more people who are also deserving to be up there. I'd have no problem with James Brown (though he was also a pioneer of Funk). MJ and Prince could be up there, but they were also rock and pop. Teddy P has an argument. Sam Cooke has a great argument since he's the reason those four were who they were.

For those questioning Babyface, it's hard to deny him being on that list when you look at what he's contributed with his pen alone. The 80s and 90s was basically his!

Toni Braxton's whole early career.
Damn near the entire Don't Be Cruel album.
Perhaps the two dopest soundtracks of all time in Boomerang and Waiting to Exhale.
Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" was the longest running #1 song in Billboard history, obliterating Elvis.
Then spun the block and broke his own recrod with Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love To You"

This list of written songs is CRAZY. It's basically the soundtrack to our R&B lives in the 80s/90s. He could've just sponsored the Quiet Storm every night.
I don't think it's questioning Babyface's accomplishments, it's more so along with those other three. And there's nothing wrong with being a bit behind those guys.




STPAoE.jpg
 
This is more like it if we're talking straight up R&B. There are definitely more people who are also deserving to be up there. I'd have no problem with James Brown (though he was also a pioneer of Funk). MJ and Prince could be up there, but they were also rock and pop. Teddy P has an argument. Sam Cooke has a great argument since he's the reason those four were who they were.

For those questioning Babyface, it's hard to deny him being on that list when you look at what he's contributed with his pen alone. The 80s and 90s was basically his!

Toni Braxton's whole early career.
Damn near the entire Don't Be Cruel album.
Perhaps the two dopest soundtracks of all time in Boomerang and Waiting to Exhale.
Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" was the longest running #1 song in Billboard history, obliterating Elvis.
Then spun the block and broke his own recrod with Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love To You"

This list of written songs is CRAZY. It's basically the soundtrack to our R&B lives in the 80s/90s. He could've just sponsored the Quiet Storm every night.
I don't think it's questioning Babyface's accomplishments, it's more so along with those other three. And there's nothing wrong with being a bit behind those guys.




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Somebody said on this thread that singers should be rated from their eras.
 
Babyface? Seriously? The only way he gets in is if he buys a ticket
I said babyface the same way someone would say stevie,donny,sam,marvin because they just weren't singers they wrote,arranged and you can always tell them apart from everyone else.I can hear a song and tell Babyface wrote it and if not he inspired it.

I don't based my picks off of vocals because there's a million and one singers but what makes them different besides dancing that could be added to.What did they do to change things?did they inspire singers and a sound after .....

I totally forgot about James Brown he has to be added even before MJ

Al green?Bobby womack?
 
I said babyface the same way someone would say stevie,donny,sam,marvin because they just weren't singers they wrote,arranged and you can always tell them apart from everyone else.I can hear a song and tell Babyface wrote it and if not he inspired it.

I don't based my picks off of vocals because there's a million and one singers but what makes them different besides dancing that could be added to.What did they do to change things?did they inspire singers and a sound after .....

I totally forgot about James Brown he has to be added even before MJ

Al green?Bobby womack?

I'd say you'd have to be more specific in your parameters. The people I mentioned are the best singers, but also writers and musicians. However their pipes puts them over the top.

If you were to say just R&B artist then Stevie, Curtis, Ray, and Sam.

Babyface is derivative of Sam and Smokie. Not a criticism just not unique. JB is more funk than R&B.
 
My wife and I were having this exact same discussion earlier today, and the OP's lineup is 75% of what I would have chosen.. Trade out Babyface for Uncle Charlie, and we have a winner..
 
My wife and I were having this exact same discussion earlier today, and the OP's lineup is 75% of what I would have chosen.. Trade out Babyface for Uncle Charlie, and we have a winner..
yeah, I had no issues with the lineup regardless of people wanting to change it to their liking of who should be on their list.

It's a fun and interesting topic because there's a lot of singers who should make that list regardless of people's preferences. So, I never judged no one's decisions of who they felt deserve to be on that list.

It's just that things could be sorted out better if you listed these singers from their own eras.
 
I think its different types of male R&B though; so Stevie isnt in the same category as MJ; or MJ isnt in the same category as Prince; or Prince isnt in the same category as Luther; etc etc so it makes it difficult to have a Mt Rushmore...

man if Kels wasn't out there wilding, his spot would be solidified :smh:

His spot is still solidified, I can separate the artist from human being.

R. Kelly stole his style from Aaron Hall. Aaron Hall was 2nd generation Charlie Wilson. R. Kelly can't make the cut. Sorry.

Luther was the quintessential R&B voice of the 80s. Luther made sultry and low the thing to be. Luther was king; Patti was queen. That's not even up for debate.

Stevie has influenced so many R&B vocalists that it ain't even funny. Irreplaceable.

Marvin Gaye was the voice of 70s R&B and was a prototype for the sound that would eventually become the standard. Its hard to argue against Marvin.

The only real debate is who gets the last spot.
Prince and MJ are amazing artists but they were hybrid artists. Michael Jackson is not a genre...but sometimes it seems like it. Still, he was called the King of Pop, not the king of R&B.

Smokey?
Who represents the high-voiced falsettos of R&B?

Babyface?! :lol:

Gotta do it by eras unfortunately

I love R&B so much and have to agree with @slewdem100, we need to go by eras to to have any type of meaningful conversations. It's niggas in here pretending Kellz's spot is in question music-wise (Im not fucking with his human moves lol).

Categories are helpful in general, I don't know that I could do a "MOUNT RUSHMORE OF R&B!". I'd need some more parameters. What we tryin to do? What's the vibe? I'll pull up with Maxwell or the SOS Band as necessary my G,

Peace,
 
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