Featured Artists

Dazed slow jams are the primary mode of Atlanta-based contemporary R&B/rap artist Ricardo Valentine, a singer-slash-MC who goes by the name 6LACK ("black"). Prior to connecting with LVRN (Love Renaissance), the creative agency that has supported fellow Georgia native Raury, Valentine was signed to a label that he felt restricted his creativity.

A forthright lyricist and understated vocalist who has singled out the likes of Minnie Riperton and Mýa as two of her many inspirations, Ari Lennox has been the one-artist R&B contingent of J. Cole's Dreamville roster since 2015. The singer and songwriter made her commercial Dreamville debut in 2016 with the Pho EP and followed up in 2019 with her first album, Shea Butter Baby, which hit the Billboard 200 chart at number 104.

One of the most recognizable figures in contemporary music, Beyoncé rose to fame in the late '90s as the central member of pop-R&B group Destiny's Child, and the following decade embarked on a multi-platinum, record-breaking solo career with Dangerously in Love (2003), her first in an unbroken string of number one pop solo albums. Chart-topping singles such as "Crazy in Love" (2003), "Irreplaceable" (2006), and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (2008), combined with sold-out world tours and Grammy awards, all heightened her profile in the 2000s. Billboard named her female artist of the decade, while the RIAA acknowledged that, with 64 gold and platinum certifications, she was the decade's top-selling artist. Once Beyoncé released her self-titled fifth solo album in 2013, it was evident that the powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, and dancer wasn't merely an entertainer but a progressive artist as well. The notion was affirmed throughout the remainder of the decade with Lemonade (2016) and Everything Is Love (2018), the latter of which was a collaboration with husband Jay-Z.

Calling on the same single-minded inspiration that drove greats like the Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West, and Eminem, Detroit rapper Big Sean moved from energetic self-released mixtapes to platinum-selling albums. Signed to Def Jam subsidiary GOOD Music, Sean scored hits from the time of his first studio album, 2011's aptly titled Finally Famous.

Early approval from Timbaland and Drake boosted the career of Bryson Tiller, a contemporary R&B songwriter and singer -- a self-termed "trap soul" artist who also raps -- from Louisville, Kentucky. Tiller made waves with SoundCloud uploads like "Don't," "Break Bread," "Let 'Em Know," and "Sorry Not Sorry."

With his fusion of dancehall, reggae, Afro-beat, and pop, Burna Boy emerged in the early part of the 2010s as one of Nigeria's fastest rising stars. The LeriQ-produced 2012 single "Like to Party" proved to be his breakout track and paved the way for his full-length debut, L.I.F.E, a year later. Over the next five years, Burna released two more albums and collaborated with a variety of artists, from J Hus and Skales to Fall Out Boy and Lilly Allen. His international exposure widened with 2018's Outside, which hit number three on the Billboard Reggae chart and won the Nigeria Entertainment Award for Album of the Year. In advance of his next LP, 2019's African Giant, Burna made his first appearance at California's Coachella festival.

Greeted with comparisons to young Michael Jackson and Usher, Chris Brown arrived in 2005 as a squeaky-clean pop-R&B artist with "Run It!," the first debut single by a male artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 in over a decade. While there was nowhere to go but down, at least in terms of chart positions, the singer, dancer, and occasional rapper was only getting started. Within a few years, Brown became one of the biggest active pop stars with Chris Brown (2005) and Exclusive (2007), multi-platinum albums that produced five more Top Ten singles, including "Kiss Kiss" and "Forever." As a featured artist or duettist, he added to the count with hits such as "No Air," a ballad with Jordin Sparks. By the end of the decade, Brown underwent a stylistic makeover during which his forebears shifted to the likes of Jodeci, R. Kelly, and 2Pac. This, and a more drastic change in public image, did little to slow his commercial momentum. His streak of Top Ten albums was sustained with releases such as Graffiti (2009), the Grammy-winning F.A.M.E. (2011), and Fortune (2012). Brown's artistic scope has since continued to widen with Heartbreak on a Full Moon (2017) and Indigo (2019), albums as long as epic films.

Known as DaniLeigh, Danielle Curiel is an understated R&B singer and songwriter who collaborated with Prince and went on to sign with major-label Def Jam. Curiel had worked as a background dancer and was one-half of Curly Fryz, with her sister, when Prince sought her to direct and appear in the video for his 2013 single "Breakfast Can Wait."

Canadian rapper and vocalist Drake sustained a high-level commercial presence shortly after he hit the scene in 2006, whether with his own chart-topping releases or a long string of guest appearances on hits by the likes of Lil Wayne, Rihanna, and A$AP Rocky. Thanks to his introspective rap style, his sensitive R&B crooning, and his gold-touch songwriting, each one of his albums -- from 2011's Take Care to 2018's Scorpion -- topped charts worldwide, and his singles, like the Grammy-winning "Hotline Bling," and many mixtapes did too. As his star rose, he helped others along, sponsoring the Weeknd's early work, starting the OVO Sound label, and giving features on his records to up-and-coming acts. By the second decade of his career, Drake's constant chart domination, his Grammy wins and nominations, and his meme-worthy cultural presence made him one of the world's most popular musicians.

An R&B singer and songwriter with a casually commanding voice, Ella Mai wasn't exactly an unknown artist before DJ Mustard signed her to his 10 Summers label, but the U.K. native hit the mainstream in 2018 with the breakthrough single "Boo'd Up," a sparkling slow jam that increased in popularity throughout the year. The single led to her Top Five self-titled debut album, which arrived that October and was followed shortly thereafter by a Grammy win for Best R&B Song.

Fabolous scored his first Top 40 pop hit, "Can't Deny It," right out of the gate in 2001, instantly establishing himself as a rising East Coast rap star with a combination of street-savvy toughness and pop crossover appeal. The Brooklyn rapper was one of the first East Coast MCs to embrace the bling mentality of the South as well as the gangsta swagger of the West Coast, all the while incorporating a subtle undercurrent of pop-rap into his music. Among the first of a new breed of New York City rappers, later and most notably to include 50 Cent, who were able to cross over without losing street cred, Fabolous put together a streak of five Top Ten albums throughout the 2000s. These include the platinum pair of Ghetto Fabolous (2001) and Street Dreams (2003), and the chart-topping Loso's Way (2009), featuring the Grammy-nominated "Money Goes, Honey Stay." A Def Jam affiliate since 2007, Fab has eased into veteran mode with a couple of proper albums amid several mixtapes. He returned to the Top Ten beside Jadakiss with Friday on Elm Street (2017) and Summertime Shootout 3: Coldest Summer Ever (2019).

Known for a uniquely fluid and melodic yet mumbling vocal style, rapper Future busted out of the South at the dawn of the 2010s with a flurry of mixtapes, high-charting albums, certified platinum singles, and contributions to several other hits as a featured artist. After he scored his first commercial hit via a guest spot on YC's "Racks" (2011), Future quickly became a key factor in Atlanta's grip on the Billboard charts, often with production support from fellow ATL natives and dwellers such as Metro Boomin, Mike WiLL Made-It, Sonny Digital, and Southside. By the end of 2017, Future had amassed 32 Top Ten R&B/hip-hop hits as a headliner and featured artist. Meanwhile, 11 full-length projects -- including an all-platinum run of DS2 (2015), Evol (2016), and Future (2017) -- debuted within the Top Five of the Billboard 200. Future capped off the 2010s by adding to his Top 20 tally with the Grammy-winning "King's Dead," co-producing a remake of Super Fly, and hitting the top of the Billboard 200 again with The Wizrd (2019).