Essence: 50 Most Influential RnB Stars

[Deleted]

50 Most Influential RnB Stars

1. Aretha Franklin
2. Michael Jackson
3. Stevie Wonder
4. Marvin Gaye
5. Prince
6. Whitney Houston
7. Luther Vandross
8. Curtis Mayfield
9. The Isley Brothers
10. Mary J. Blige
11. Diana Ross
12. Mariah Carey
13. Beyoncé
14. James Brown
15. Sam Cooke
16. Quincy Jones
17. Gladys Knight
18. Chaka Khan
19. Patti LaBelle
20. R. Kelly
21. Lionel Richie
22. Maxwell
23. Lauryn Hill
24. Gamble & Huff
25. Ray Charles
26. Usher
27. D'Angelo
28. Jill Scott
29. Aaliyah
30. Timbaland
31. Ashford & Simpson
32. Janet Jackson
33. Sade
34. Frankie Beverly & Maze
35. Alicia Keys
36. Teena Marie
37. Donny Hathaway
38. New Edition
39. Etta James
40. Anita Baker
41. Erykah Badu
42. Teddy Pendergrass
43. TLC
44. Rihanna
45. Earth, Wind & Fire
46. Toni Braxton
47. Boyz II Men
48. Barry White
49. Babyface
50. Sean "Diddy" Combs

photos.essence.com/galleries/50_most_influential_black_musicians#!812103

[Rican@]

The top 10 is great but after that, um it's questionable with the order.

James Brown should be top 10 too. Michael wouldn't even have his moves.

Where's Tina Turner? I know my eyes are playing tricks on me or something.

[Deleted]

I agree that James Brown is ranked way too low.

[Kishi KCM]

There can't possibly be an order.

[Dammn Baby]

Makes zero sense that Aaliyah would rank above Janet, when Aaliyah cited Janet as a huge influence on her career - so, i can only assume that there is no order.

[Me. I Am l!nk!nfan815...]

^ and Mary J Blige has said many times that Mariah saved her life so...

[Deleted]

The list is obviously in order based on the top 5. I probably would have pushed Prince down to #6 and put James Brown in the top 5 though.

[musicjunky318]

I feel like I seen this list before. Didn't it come out last year or two years ago.

[musicjunky318]

Sam Cooke should be in the Top 10.

[Dammn Baby]

Jul 1, 2012 12:27:25 GMT -5 @jazzysoul47 said:

The list is obviously in order based on the top 5. I probably would have pushed Prince down to #6 and put James Brown in the top 5 though.

Well, you know you're fucked when Timbaland ranks higher than Ashford & Simpson.

[Deleted]

Do they not consider the Temptations or the Four Tops R&B? Those are huge oversights.

[Deleted]

I also agree that Janet Jackson is way too low (at the very least, Aaliyah is not more influential than her), but I think her legacy has been tainted a bit in the past decade. While a lot of aging stars who have had major success tend to gain more respect with time, it seems to have gone a bit in the opposite direction for her. I think she was seen as more influential and was more respected 10 years ago than she is now. Whether or not it's deserved is a different issue entirely.

[Dammn Baby]

Jul 1, 2012 12:31:27 GMT -5 @jazzysoul47 said:

I also agree that Janet Jackson is way too low (at the very least, Aaliyah is not more influential than her), but I think her legacy has been tainted a bit in the past decade. While a lot of aging stars who have had major success tend to gain more respect with time, it seems to have gone a bit in the opposite direction for her. I think she was seen as more influential and was more respected 10 years ago than she is now. Whether or not it's deserved is a different issue entirely.

Yes, optically her public stature has been diminished by the SuperBowl and the music that followed. But, nonetheless, she is second only to ReRe in terms of female #1 R&B hits, and she really has had a huge influence on today's generation of R&B stars. However, I understand her ranking in a political context. The public's perception of Janet and her legacy may improve with time (as it did with ABBA, for example, who were not particularly well regarded prior to their renaissance in the 1990's) - but perhaps not.

[Deleted]

Also Puffy has no place on this list. He's not an R&B star. He was an influential urban music record executive, but that's not what this list is about. It doesn't make any sense than he's included, while hugely influential record executives like Berry Gordy are absent.

[Rican@]

I actually think James Brown should be #2. He made most of these R&B male performers who they are today. The ordering is just backward. Yes, Janet should be in the top 15. Surprised how low Babyface is, he at least deserved top 30.

While I dig Rihanna, she shouldn't be on this list. She is way too young in her career to determine her impact.

[Verisimilitude]

That's what I was thinking. How is Rihanna in a list like this already while Brandy and Monica are both absent?

[Agent Yoncé]

This list has many flaws, as well as the recent female albums & R&B songs of the 90s, but what list doesn't have any? They couldn't get everything right & these lists doesn't define what the artists that made these lists or not has done for music.

[#LisaRinna]

Jul 1, 2012 13:23:25 GMT -5 Verisimilitude said:

That's what I was thinking. How is Rihanna in a list like this already while Brandy and Monica are both absent?

And Rihanna's much more of a Pop artist.

[areyoureadytojump]

Jul 1, 2012 12:27:33 GMT -5 musicjunky318 said:

I feel like I seen this list before. Didn't it come out last year or two years ago.

Yes, it was out last year. They mention Prince's "Welcome 2 America" tour.

[musicjunky318]

Jul 1, 2012 16:23:18 GMT -5 areyoureadytojump said:

Jul 1, 2012 12:27:33 GMT -5 musicjunky318 said:

I feel like I seen this list before. Didn't it come out last year or two years ago.

Yes, it was out last year. They mention Prince's "Welcome 2 America" tour.

Thanks. I thought so.

[Deleted]

Yeah, this list is off. It makes me wonder how old (or I should say, how young) the person(s) who formed it are. Some of the omissions or strangely low-rated acts lead me to believe the person isn't that old, which would likely skew their perception of things.

Also, I think whoever made it has conflated 'influence' with popularity. The latter does not automatically come from the former. and vice versa. This, even more so than the fact that she is more of a pop artist, is why I feel like someone like Rihanna shouldn't be on it. As someone pointed out above it's too early for us to know if she has actually influenced anyone in any way.

If Diddy was going to be on this list at all then Berry Gordy needed to be #1 on it, and Smokey Robinson #2, just for the founding of Motown.

[Linnethia Monique]

Chile where the f#ck is Al Green, Roger Troutman, Zapp, etc. Essence has lost their minds.

[horchata]

Kind of surprised at Dionne Warwick and Tina Turner not being on this list too.

[Enigma.]

Aaliyah has passed away -> huge success by default on all time lists

[Deleted]

This list is honestly a mess. They should just not have ranked them and just name the 50 people. Aaliyah being higher than Janet is a damn mess and so is Toni Braxton being lower than Rihanna. Rihanna shouldn't even be on this at all.

[Minimalism]

The Queen of Soul is deservingly at #1, and yet the King of Soul is at... #14? The most glaring problem in this all-around messy list.