PORTRAIT ILLUSTRATION BY JULIETTE TOMA PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KLAWE RZECZY
19
R&B is a young
person’s game —
at least judging
by the Billboard
Hot 100, where streaming-friendly
artists like Lizzo and Khalid
dominate. But look a little deeper,
and you’ll find that the hitmakers
of yesteryear are, well, still making
hits. In July, Monica’s throbbing
slow jam “Commitment” hit
No. 1 on Billboard’s radio-based
Adult R&B list — her first chart-
topper there since 2010. Fantasia,
who this year celebrated the 15th
anniversary of her American Idol
win, hit No. 2 on the same chart
in August with the ’80s-inspired
“Enough.” Brandy is sitting just
outside the tally’s top 10 with
“Love Again,” a lush duet with
Daniel Caesar. And all three have
full-length projects expected this
fall — proof that R&B’s new class
of veteran divas still has plenty of
opportunities.
“They’re in the right demo of
‘grown but not retired,’ ” says Dee
Dee Faison, promotions director at
WBLS (107.5 FM) New York. And
that middle ground is not a bad
place to be. As Heather Lowery, vp
talent and touring at Live Nation
Urban, puts it: “They’ve made
timeless music that still appeals to
their original fan base yet connects
to younger fans who are able to
appreciate the progression of R&B.”
The fact that once-young fans
from their heyday are now adults
with purchasing power helps
sustain their longevity. “[Their fans]
are in the age range of 26 to about
- We work hard, so we can afford
the $200 seats for a girls’ trip to see
them live,” says Faison. “Younger
fans may not be able to afford
the tickets, so they get the music
through the radio or streaming.
We’re more prone to buy the record
and support them on the road.”
Late-’90s/early-2000s nostalgia
is also big in the urban music
market right now. In 2016, Sean
Combs’ Bad Boy Family Reunion
trek reunited acts like Lil Kim,
112 and Faith Evans, grossing
$22.3 million, according to figures
reported to Billboard Boxscore; this
year, boy band B2K’s Millennium
Tour became the group’s
most successful yet, grossing
$25.5 million with a stacked lineup
that included fellow crooners like
Mario and Bobby V. A co-headlining
package featuring these women
isn’t a far-fetched idea: Monica
joined Xscape’s 2017-18 reunion
tour, and this year, she and Brandy
took part in Live Nation’s Femme It
Forward concert series alongside
such peers as Ashanti and Mýa.
Still, the artists themselves
note that not trying to compete
at all is what keeps them so
competitive. “Authenticity is key,”
Monica explains. “Being you allows
people to trust and believe in your
artistry, and that’s why I never
hesitate to be me.” Says Fantasia:
“When you hear [our voices], you
know it’s us. It’s a sound that can’t
be duplicated. The humbleness
about us, staying true to ourselves
and not trying to change our style
to fit in — that’s what makes us
stick around.” —BIANCA GRACIE
What We Know About
Major
Lazer
17
In September 2018, Diplo
announced that the next album
from Major Lazer, his dancehall-
focused side project with Walshy Fire
and Ape Drums, would likely be the last.
“I think so,” the producer said, “because
I got [these] other side projects, like LSD
with Sia and Silk City [his duo with Mark
Ronson].” But the group will release
one more album, Music Is the Weapon,
before its cartoon namesake rides off
into the technicolor sunset. Recent
singles — May’s soaring anthem “Can’t
Take It From Me,” featuring Skip Marley,
and June’s “Make It Hot,” a collaboration
with Brazilian vocalist Anitta — hint that
the forthcoming LP should sound like
classic Caribbean-, South America-
and Africa-inspired Major Lazer. (The
group recently worked with Shatta
Wale and Beyoncé on “ALREADY,” a
track from the latter’s The Lion King:
The Gift project.) But expect some fresh
influences from the trio’s newest
addition, Miami-based producer Ape
Drums, who replaced longtime member
Jillionaire earlier in 2019. “We all text
and talk about the album coming out,
talk about ideas of how we’re going to
do it,” Ape Drums told Billboard in July.
“I’ve been trying to dig deep in my
brain every day to come up with new,
fresh ideas.” The first official single
from Music Is the Weapon drops in early
September, with the full project planned
for release on Diplo’s Mad Decent label
by year’s end. —KATIE BAIN
R&B QUEENS STAY IN THE GAME
22
A “Single Again” Big Sean leads Def
Jam’s fall albums slate in late September,
while Teyana Taylor will follow last year’s Kanye
West-produced K .T.S.E. before the end of the year.
Decades into their careers, Monica, Brandy and Fantasia are crushing it at radio, readying
new albums and showing that the genre’s now-classic acts can still keep up with the kids
24
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are calling:
The producer legends invited Janet
Jackson, Mariah Carey and others to guest on
September’s Jam & Lewis: Volume One.
23
Boo! Kim Petras drops
more spooky bops with
the Halloween mixtape Turn Off
the Light, Vol. 2 on Oct. 1.
25
Angel Olsen explores
her “darkest side” with
All Mirrors (Oct. 4) and a fall tour
(starting Oct. 30).
PREVIEW 2019
FALL
From left: Brandy, Monica and Fantasia.
58 BILLBOARD | AUGUST 24 , 2 019