My favorites in women’s music have been a few that have been around for a long time. I love music in general, and my favorite genre of all time is Rhythm n Blues (or you know, RnB). In my opinion, women completely dominate in that area. I want to make a list of my favorite artists and my favorite albums and my favorite songs. There will be some men on this list, but I want to focus on women as strong musical leaders in black culture especially. I see myself in the women in the music industry and they’ve taught me how to work through my emotions. I’m focusing mainly on RnB and Neo-Soul because that’s primarily the music that I love the most.
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Lauryn Hill. She is an absolute legend, genius, writer, vocalist. Everything she does she does well, she sets the standard for artists period. Not just black artists or women, she completely changed the world with her album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” and never dropped another studio album in protest of the music industry. I want to cry thinking about all the music she’s sitting on. Anywho, I don’t think this list is in any particular order, but she belongs first regardless.
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Destiny’s Child- They set the standard for girl groups, the first to do it and be able to sing. Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams served fashion, vocals, and performance value. Their music videos are so memorable that people imitate them. The blueprint. My favorite songs are If and Cater 2 U, I promise the harmonies are some of the most beautiful things you’ve ever heard. I can write an entire series on Beyonce, so I reserved putting her on this list.
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SZA- I had to throw in a modern artist, there’s definitely going to be a few more on the list. SZA has a unique sound and voice with equally unique and artist visuals. Her voice and her words are beautifully matched. She makes me feel things. From SoundCloud SZA to CNTRL (Favorite songs are Garden and Anything) to her latest single with Ty Dolla Sign, Hit Different, she delivers and she gets better.
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Usher- I have to give props to Usher. He’s made club songs (Yeah! Ft.Lil John and Ludacris) and whole albums and features that are all well produced and consistently good content. He’s stayed relevant since the peak of his career, and for good reason. He’s a very talented singer, dancer, and all-around performer with the charts to validate him as an artist.
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Alicia Keys- In all honesty, I’m putting Alicia on this list because of my childhood. I told my Dad I wanted piano lessons because he plays the piano, but really it’s because of the talented Alicia Keys. I used to watch her music videos and learn to play her songs. She’s just a phenomenal writer, composer, and pianist. She may not be the best live vocalist, but she is singing in that studio.
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Bryson Tiller- Immaculate writing and flow, great production, and nice voice. I can listen to Bryson for days.
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India.Arie- A lot of people don’t know about her, she’s old school she’s from the 90s. Her writing is some of the best, her vocals are so pleasant. She’s one of the most beautiful souls and it shines through her music.
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Jhené Aiko- Of course, my girl Jhené is definitely on the list. Her soprano vocals are angelic, her oceanic production and enchanting visuals earn her a spot on my list. She’s a great artist, dabbling in rap and keeping up. Her music matures with her.
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Miguel- My all-time favorite male singer, Miguel has such a different sound that makes his magic great. He’s such a phenomenal vocalist that it’s hard for me to think of someone who is close. His music sounds different. His albums “Wildheart” and “Kaleidoscope Dream” will forever be some of the greatest music to touch RnB.
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Justin Bieber. Not really, but Journals was a good quality album that Bieber released while Usher was making remixes with Skrillex and whatnot. My real pick is Erykah Badu, of course. The list wouldn’t be complete without auntie! Miss Badu puts her heart and soul into her music, her happiness, and pains, and she produces great vocals and writings. We love to see relevance, Consistency, and Longevity.