http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/R-and-B_Summary.html Randamp;B or Rhythm and Blues was a term used, from the late 1940’s, to designate a very popular type of music which combined Blues and Jazz and was performed by African American artists. Before this term arose, race music was used to identify this type of music; however, this term was considered offensive. Today and since the 1980s, Randamp;B refers to a modern version of the pop that is influenced by funk and soul. Contemporary Randamp;B encloses different subgenres: quiet storm, new jack swing, hip hop soul and neo soul, and different artists: Alisha Keys, Chris Brown, Destiny's Child, Aaliyah among many others. en-us http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7251.html Mon, 10 Apr 2006 09:36:27 CST
With his first appearance on stage in 1992, Robert Sylvester Kelly, better known as R. Kelly, has a vast and varied career as producer, rapper, Randamp;B singer and song-writer. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, January 8th, 1967. His childhood was very difficult due to poverty and neighboring hostility.

By 1990, R. Kelly released his first single “Why You Wanna Play Me” and the next year he was introduced to Aaliyah, to whom he was illegally married for a few months; this was during the year 1994. The controversy held around this event turned out their relationship to dissolute.

In 1992, on his 25th birthday, he released the album Born Into the '90s, in which songs like "She's Got that Vibe", "Slow Dance", "Dedicated", and "Honey Love" proved to be a success. A year after this album release, he comes back to the show with 12 Play, and with songs like "Sex Me", "Your Body's Calling" and "Bump andamp; Grind" he becomes one of the most recognized figures in the Randamp;B ambiance; actually, his hits have been categorized as Platinum because he has sold over a million copies. After being blamed for getting involved with teenaged girls R. Kelly comes back to the studio in 1995 to record his third album. This new release was a big success just like its antecedent; it sold over 5 million copies. The song called "You Remind Me of Something" was a Top 5 Pop and #1 Randamp;B record in 1995.

Lately, his brand new production has bitten new records and in 2005, the hit “Burn it Up” featuring Wishin andamp; Yandel is one of the singles of his new album TP.3 Reloaded and it is confirmed that it will be part of the X-Men: The Last Stand video game soundtrack. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7256.html Mon, 10 Apr 2006 09:35:56 CST
2005 became the year in which the American contemporary Randamp;B singer and songwriter, Trey Songz made his debut, and since people started to listen to his songs, they did not stop to ask for them on the radio and buying his album; it is named Gotta Make It, and it has proved to be a success among Randamp;B admirers, who were waiting for new, refreshing talent.

He was born in Virginia, on November, 1984. he himself confirms that his inspiration comes from Randamp;B celebrities from the 60’s and 70’s, such as Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson; yet, R. Kelly and Luther Vandross have influenced his skills as songwriter and singer.

Though Trey Songz has not sold millions of copies yet, many critics foreshadow a big, incoming success, to the point of becoming a radiant superstar. His first hit Gotta Make It, positioned in the place #87 in the US Hot 100, and #21 in the US Randamp;B/Hip Hop chart.
http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7265.html Mon, 10 Apr 2006 09:35:29 CST
Ne-Yo was born in Arkansas on October 18, 1982; he is only twenty-four years old but he rapidly found fame when he first got into his professional career in 2005. He is well- known for his song-writing and co-authoring songs for Randamp;B stars such as Faith Evans, Jamie Foxx, B2K, Ruben Studdard, among others.

He was introduced to L.A. Reid, who supported his project for Def Jam. This was the beginning for the first single called "Stay", featuring Peedi Crakk; this hit is included in Ne-Yo’s album In My Own Words, for it to be released in early 2006. Admirers of this genre who were waiting for freshness and originality considered “Stay” so good that it reached number 36 on the Hot Randamp;B/Hip-Hop Singles andamp; Tracks. The second single of the album, called “So Sick”, was a larger success, reaching number-one not only on the Hot 100 and the Pop 100, but also at the official UK chart.

Ne-Yo is at present filming the video for his third single, "When You're Mad", which is directed by Little X.

In his private life, Ne-Yo is the father of a boy and he has a clean-living friendship with the mother of the child, who as he mentions, has been his best friend for many years.
http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7287.html Mon, 10 Apr 2006 09:35:03 CST
Heather Headley was born in Trinidad y Tobago, on October 5, 1974. The former sounds and genres she began performing were calypso, reggae and soca. This passion for music began at an early age. When she was 15, she moved to Indiana, were she studied at Northrop High School, and after graduating, she attended Northwestern University to study communications and musical theatre.

As mentioned before, she studied a major on theater, acting. Then, Heather Headley had the opportunity to participate in the Broadway adaptation of Aida; she received a Tony Award in 1999 because of her assertive role in this musical.

In 2001, she recorded her first album, called This is Who I Am under the label of RCA Records. Due to the success of her second single, I Wish I Wasn’t she was nominated to Grammy Awards for Best Female Randamp;B Vocal Performance and Best New Artist.

This early 2006 brought Heather Headley a new achievement in her professional career; she has just released her second album, In My Mind, which is currently charting number 1 in the US Dance.

So if you want to chill out and listen to an excellent Randamp;B artist, go ahead and look for her production! Don’t miss it!
http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7301.html Mon, 10 Apr 2006 09:34:41 CST
Forth Worth, Texas was the birth place of Kirk Franklin; January 26, 1970 is the date when this African American musician came to this world to bring about all of his talent and a good message, bringing together the best sounds of Randamp;B, soul, gospel, and hip-hop. In 1993, he released his first album, under the name of Kirk Franklin andamp; Family. This album is completely focused in gospel, and he is also the leader of three existing, very popular gospel choirs: Kirk Franklin andamp; the Family, Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation, and God's Property.

From releases as a gospel singer, Franklin was nominated for his performance with the song Lean on Me, which was considered as the song of the year on the 1998 Grammy Awards. This was one of the tracks from his album The NU Nation Project; for this album, Franklin looked for the participation of several musicians, such as R. Kelly, U2’s Bono and others.

As he describes his production, it is important to mention that the originality of the sounds, mixed together with a singular technique to include different musical influences is what marks the direction toward which music is conducting people’s feelings; by surpassing the obstacles that society imposes, music shows that those sound combinations (jazz, rock, hip-hop, Randamp;B) are, literally, the best way to bring people together.

Hoping you love variety and fine Randamp;B production, this, I’m sure, is a good option to listen to freshness and highly qualified music. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7281.html Mon, 10 Apr 2006 09:32:38 CST
He is indeed, what his last name proves to be in the American and worldwide musical scene; he is John Legend, Grammy winner, songwriter, pianist and of course, an excellent Randamp;B singer. His gifted career started very early in his life. When he was four years old, he played the piano and sang in the church’s choir.

Born in Springfield, Ohio, on December 28, 1978, John Legend attended Springfield North High School and after finishing it, he went to University of Pennsylvania. He majored in English, emphasizing on the African American Literature and Culture.

His musical career started when he performed as an independent artist in several nightclub circuits in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. Devon Harris, his roommate at Penn, introduced him to his cousin, the hip-hop artist Kanye West, and started to work together in the label G.O.O.D. Music.

As an interesting fact, he has been nominated nine times, and out of those nine, John Legend has been granted the Grammy Award in four occasions: the first time occurred in 1999, for the category of Best Album of the Year, named Miseducation of Lauren Hill, with the song Everything is Everything. This year, he was awarded three times for his album Get Lifted on the Randamp;B genre, in the category of Best Randamp;B Album. The second award was for Best Randamp;B Male Vocal performance for the song Ordinary People, and the third one was in the general genre category, as the Best New Artist.

Regarding the selling release, only in 2004, 1.6 million of copies of Get Lifted  were sold, being #4 in the US (Platinum) and #12 in the UK in 2005.

No doubt John is a Randamp;B Legend whose talent and cultural background can be appreciated in each song he releases.