Study Notes on Urban R&B and Hip Hop Performance Practices

Overview of Urban/Contemporary/Alternative R&B and Hip Hop

  • In the second decade of the twenty-first century, the R&B/Hip Hop charts feature prominent artists:
      - Drake
      - Designer
      - Rihanna
      - G Eazy
      - Future
      - Beyonce
      - Kevin Gates

Performance Practices in R&B/Hip Hop

  • Vocal Focus: The primary emphasis on the vocalist, whether through singing or rapping.

  • Instrumental Accompaniment: Utilization of synthesized sounds, combined with drums and bass.

  • Lyrical Themes: A tendency towards overt sexual lyrics and commentary on contemporary life.

  • Vocal Techniques: Although many songs maintain traditional singing methods, rapping is also prevalent.

  • Notable Examples of Rapping:
      - "Panda" (2016) by Designer
      - "Pop Style" (2016) by Drake
      - "Me, Myself, and I" (2016) by G Eazy

Vocal Polyphonic Textures

  • Historical Context: Vocal polyphonic textures are a significant characteristic, tracing back to the doo-wop style of the 1940s.
  • Examples of Vocal Polyphony:
      - "We" (2015) by Jeremiah
        - Time stamp: 40 seconds to 1 minute 10 seconds.
      - "Two Phones" (2016) by Kevin Gates
        - Time stamp: 2 minutes 53 seconds to 3 minutes.
      - "Panda" (2016) by Designer
        - Time stamp: 40 seconds to 1 minute 32 seconds.
      - "One Dance" (2016) by Drake
        - Time stamp: 2 minutes 16 seconds to 2 minutes 28 seconds.

Instrumental Accompaniments

  • Instrumental backing often follows a similar minimalist approach as seen in the early twenty-first century.
  • Examples of Instrumentation:
      - In "One Dance" by Drake:
        - Instrumental elements include:
          - Kick drum playing in a four-on-the-floor pattern.
          - Syncopated rim shot on the snare drum.
          - Syncopated piano riff present from 7 seconds to 48 seconds.
      - In "Panda" by Designer:
        - Instrumental features include:
          - Syncopated kick drum.
          - High-pitched snare drum.
          - Additional singers providing syncopated vocables.