The VIBE staff has come to the conclusion that R&B is in good hands. Longtime favorites such as Miguel, Lalah Hathaway and Charlie Wilson continue to raise their own personal bars for sonic excellence. Artists such as Ella Mai, H.E.R., and Daniel Caesar have steadily cemented their statuses as musical forces to be reckoned with, with each of the artists adding a Grammy (or Grammys) to their collection as of last night (Feb. 10).
While on the red carpet at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 10), VIBE was able to ask some of the artists in attendance about the state of R&B, and who they believe is contributing to the genre in a positive, prolific way. Check out some of your favorite artists’ favorite artists below.
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H.E.R.
“I mean, there’s so many artists. I’m happy to see what Ella Mai’s doing, she just won. Me and Daniel [Caesar] just won. I think real music is coming back, with real instruments, real stories, and I think it’s just really dope.”
Leon Bridges
“Oh man, it’s a huge list! It’s really dope to see how prominent it is right now. Look at Miguel, Khalid, C.S. Armstrong, Ro James, Daniel Caesar, there’s so many.”
Duke Fakir, the last living member of The Four Tops
“My favorites are Alicia Keys and John Legend. Those two are top of the line. They bring a lot of class, first of all, and they have great voices, they just represent show business in a great way. I respect their stage presence, how they’re dressed, how they appear, I hold them in high regard.”
PJ Morton
“I think there’s so many out here. What H.E.R. is doing, I’m really excited about what SZA is doing, she was owning this last year. Wow, so many R&B artists, that’s what I like about now. Chloe x Halle, I consider Anderson [.Paak] a soul act, even though he’s a rapper. He’s definitely one of my favorites as well. BJ The Chicago Kid, too, it’s a family.”
Lalah Hathaway
“Jazmine Sullivan, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Khalid, Daniel Caesar, Keifer… there’s so many, there’s so much happening in black music, which as we know, influences everything. I hear the influence of black music everywhere.”