Hip hop soul facts for kids

Hip hop soul is a cool type of music that mixes R&B or soul singing with hip hop beats. It was really popular in the early and mid-1990s. This music style grew out of another R&B sound called new jack swing.

Imagine a soul singer performing over hip hop beats and rhythms. That's pretty much what hip hop soul is! Famous artists like Mary J. Blige (who is known as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul"), Jodeci, Faith Evans, TLC, and R. Kelly made this genre popular. Later, in the late 1990s, hip hop soul helped create a new style called neo soul. Neo soul kept the hip hop and R&B vibes but also added sounds from classic 1970s soul music.

What Is Hip Hop Soul?

Hip hop soul came directly from new jack swing. New jack swing was a popular R&B style. Artists like Teddy Riley and his group Guy, Keith Sweat, and Bobby Brown made it famous. New jack swing added hip hop elements, like drum beats and rapped parts, to R&B music. It also took inspiration from artists like Prince.

Hip hop soul changed things up from new jack swing. It used fewer synth sounds. Instead, it focused on R&B singers performing over sample-heavy backing tracks. These kinds of tracks were common in hip hop music, like boom bap.

This new music style made hip hop and R&B work together even more. Hip hop soul artists often dressed in hip hop fashion. They also had a tougher image than traditional R&B singers. This made R&B music more popular with younger hip hop fans. It helped hip hop soul songs sell better and get more airplay on music charts. It also made hip hop music and culture more popular with older audiences. Some music experts say that hip hop soul changed traditional R&B styles a lot.

The Story of Hip Hop Soul

The name "hip hop soul" came from record producer Sean "Puffy" Combs. He used the term when promoting What's the 411?. This was the first album by Mary J. Blige in 1992. Mary J. Blige was called the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul." Her album, mostly produced by Combs, had R&B songs sung over hip hop beats and samples.

Another group, Jodeci, also moved into hip hop soul with their 1993 album, Diary of a Mad Band. Their music started to focus more on hip hop rhythms than just melodies. Many other male singers and groups followed this trend. These included R. Kelly, 112, Tony! Toni! Toné!, and Blackstreet. Blackstreet was a second group formed by Teddy Riley.

Montell Jordan was the first R&B singer to sign with the hip hop record label Def Jam Recordings. His 1995 song "This Is How We Do It" is a great example of hip hop soul. It used a sample from Slick Rick's 1989 hip hop song "Children's Story."

Another important song was "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By." This was a 1995 duet between Wu-Tang rapper Method Man and Mary J. Blige. Method Man rapped his verses, and Blige sang a cover of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's song "You're All I Need to Get By." This song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1996.

The female group TLC started with a style similar to new jack swing. Their first album was Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip (1992). Their second album, CrazySexyCool, had a lot of help from Puffy Combs. This album moved the group more into the hip hop soul sound. Other female artists like SWV, Adina Howard, Faith Evans, and Total also made hip hop soul music. Faith Evans and Total were signed to Puffy Combs' own label, Bad Boy Entertainment.

By the end of the 1990s, hip hop influences became common in many R&B songs. This made hip hop soul less distinct. Also, neo soul started to become popular. Neo soul mixed hip hop and R&B with stronger influences from 1960s and 1970s soul music. Artists like D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill are examples of neo soul artists. However, some newer artists like John Legend, Anthony Hamilton, and Keyshia Cole continued to make hip hop soul music in the 2000s and beyond.

Famous Hip Hop Soul Artists

R&B singer Mary J. Blige is known as the "queen of hip hop soul" because she often worked with rappers and hip hop producers.

• R Kelly
• Frank Ocean
• Mariah Carey
• 112
• Chris Brown
• The Black-Eyed Pees
• Akon
• Mary J. Blige
• Ray J
• Whitney Houston
• Fergie
• Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
• Ciara
• Rihanna
• Miguel
• The Weeknd
• Trey Songz
• Mario
• Bobby V

See also

In Spanish: Hip hop soul para niños

• African-American music