As such, albums were shelved or delayed or retooled and artists were dropped from major labels and forced to go it alone, making the first decade of the 21st century the least 'soulful'-however you define it-decade for the industry itself in. "The industry, which already has a hard time with unapologetic and complicated black artists, had no idea what to do with all these enormously talented individuals who rejected entire marketing campaigns designed to 'break' them to the record-buying public.
Speculation of its decline mainly attributes to authentic origins of the musical movement as clashing with industry behaviors aimed at producing mainstream music. What Happened to Neo Soul?Īt the beginning of the 2000s, following the break-out success of multiple Neo-Soul artists, the style began to see a decline in listeners. A fusion of RnB with electronic music, hip hop, funk, and more served as the preamble to new frontiers of fusion that provided a canvas for new interpretations. The origins of contemporary RnB from the late 1980s play a major role in the synthesis of Neo Soul. The likes of artists D'Angela, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill, out of affinity for organic instrumentation and lyricism among much more, honed their craft in constructing this movement in their own unique ways The term was coined first by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Recordings, an infamous Detroit-based record label.
In an era of mass redefinition, Neo Soul is one genre that took the best features of previous musical movements and left the rest behind. Neo Soul: Facts & Origins The Origins and Rise of Neo-Soul