User:Lowens2/sandbox

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There are two predominating opinions regarding alternative R&B as a classifier of sonic and lyrical characteristics within the larger R&B genre; the first of the two being a reluctance acceptance of its existence – if only for the sake of marketability.

Stereogum described the genre a group of “co-conspirators, not a unified movement.” Similarly in thought, How to Dress Well, while not offended by the term “PBR&B”, finds it “tacky;” in an interview with Complex (magazine) he points out that “if you put records [released by other alternative R&B artists] side-by-side, me and whoever, like you’re just not going to [hear] the same sounds, period,” before proceeding to cite Miguel as an example. Miguel himself has said that he is "comfortable” with the term “indie R&B” because it “insinuates a higher art. Or a deeper or somehow more artistic delivery of rhythm and blues music. It suggest there’s more artistry within a genre that has become more of a cliché of itself.”

The latter opinion, however, does not approve of such ambiguous terminology, and points out the not only restrictive, but discriminatory nature of the moniker.

Frank Ocean, when first asked in an interview with The Quietus, whether he considers “Novacane” ˆto be a R&B song, responded, "You’re limiting it. And that’s why I always say that about the genre thing, because that’s what it does. When you say ‘it’s that’, you listen to it in a certain way. And you might not necessarily miss it, but it’s just inaccurate, and you’ll miss a couple of things, contextually." He proceeds to point out that race and vocal delivery are stereotypical signifiers of R&B music, in turn forcing himself and his peers into a category they may not identify within; when considering Nostalgia, Ultra Oceans argues that if he were a different complexion and “people would listen to it and be like ‘Yeah, he borrowed from R&B but it’s just not R&B – it’s a lot of things, and you can’t just call it ‘R&B.’”

In an interview with The Guardian, FKA Twigs rejected the term by declaring, “Fuck alternative R&B!” She further explained: "It’s just because I’m mixed race. When I first released music and no one knew what I looked like, I would read comments like: ‘I’ve never heard anything like this before, it’s not a genre.’ And then my picture came out six months later, now she’s an R&B singer.’” The Fader echoes her sentiment, stating “By adding the prefix, it sidelines R&B itself by implying it’s not experimental, boundary-pushing or intellectual. It throws side-eye at the genre, while at the same time claiming to have discovered something worthy within it.”