In honor of Black Music Month, Aretha Franklin declares R&B is still alive. In her essay, debuting June 15 on BlackVoices.com, Aretha name checks artists keeping R&B full of life: "...Usher, Anthony Hamilton, Fantasia, Chris Brown, Raheem DeVaughn, Erykah Badu and artists like that let me know R&B is in good hands, absolutely alive and well and mega-watt." But we here at SBHQ have to keep it real. We're not saying that the Queen doesn't know what she's talking about (we love Badu and Raheem), but R&B has never fully recovered from the pop-sheen sound of the '80s. (Remember Milli Vanilli?) With the exception of "A Rose Is Still A Rose" and "A Deeper Love," her music and her career hasn't really been the same since that era, and it would be downright disrespectful for us to even consider "Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown legitimate R&B. [BB]
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