Shawn Stockman, a member of the legendary R&B group Boyz II Men, weighs in on discussions over whether contemporary R&B artists are what they used to be.
The artist highlighted in a series of tweets how singers nowadays are less concerned with honing their art by “investing in their vocal performances (or not having very great ones)” and more focused on competing “with the bravado of the hip hop industry.”
Stockman began by stating that there used to be a definite difference in demeanor between a rapper and a vocalist.
“R&B has lost its identity because it felt like it had to compete with the bravado of the hip hop world. Because labels stopped supporting the perception of Black men being more than displaying a ‘thug image.’” Shawn Stockman tweeted.
He further added Please note that my tweets are not intended to imply that there aren’t any talented vocalists out there. Great vocalists have existed forever, but their admiration is exaggerated. Let’s do this, shall we? Send me some musicians you believe I should republish! I’ll start out.
He continued by thanking everyone who didn’t interpret what he said in the wrong manner.
Another tweet he posted:
“Thanks to those who understand my comments concerning R&B is out of pure concern for the culture I gave my life to. It’s not about dissing anyone, it’s not about excluding those who rep the right way. Just bringing 2 light that the love 4 the real is disproportionate.”
The recent Verzuz duel between R&B artists Omarion and Mario, which also featured performances by Ray J, Sammie, Bobby V, and Pleasure P, appears to have served as inspiration for the singer’s tweets. Following the contest, opinions on Omarion, Ray J, and Jeremiah’s vocal ability in particular were widely divided. R&B superstar Giveon also received criticism for his recent BET Awards performance in which he claimed that his microphone’s technical issues were the cause of what looked to be voice flaws.
