Introducing Our New Playlist: ALT&B
The new home for alternative R&B is here.
We’ve been hearing for a while that R&B is dead – and our mission with Yams has always been to show:
That’s untrue.
R&B is more diverse than ever.
While some people like to attribute R&B to only being music that is reminiscent of Jodeci, Babyface or Mary J. Blige, R&B artists in 2024 are taking influence from many genres and bringing it back to R&B.
On Jazmine Sullivan’s 2009 song “Dream Big”, Missy Elliott (who produced the song) sampled dance legends Daft Punk (“Veridis Quo”). On Brandy’s Afrodisiac album, she takes influence from acts like Coldplay – whose song “Clocks” she interpolates on the album closer “Should I Go.”
Artists like Lucky Daye, Tinashe, and H.E.R. have turned to house music DJ Kaytranada to bring electronic influence into their music. Frank Ocean and Solange use folk and indie rock influences in their music.
Artists like Tems, Rema, and Tyla deliver diverse, African-influenced music to the R&B world. Brent Faiyaz and Partynextdoor bring ambient, trap-tinged pain to the rhythm and blues universe.
There’s a lot of conversation these days on what exactly R&B is – but what we do know is that Yams is a place where all of these sounds will be celebrated.
Be sure to check out our new ALT&B playlist — which features some of our favorite alternative classics and plenty of new artists for you to discover.