It shames me to see the direction that R&B music has taken in the last 4-5 years. I honestly think that the largest contributor to R&B's downfall is the popularity of crappy mainstream rap music. Some rappers can be great (Nas, Common, Royce Da 5'9, The Roots), but the majority should never hold a microphone and unfortunately those are the ones who generally get the most fame/recognition. R&B "artists" started using rap producers, lyrics, and subject matter.
Call me a pessimist but I dont think petitions or letters will work. The best we can do is support good artist by buying their albums. Let the artist know that there are still people out there who want to hear their music. Keep these artists in the business.
Believing herself to being shunned by her groupmates, Left Eye of TLC issued a challenge in 1999 that they each produce a solo cd on a 3-CD set called The Challenge. She wanted fans to judge who was the most talented. The group eventually settled their differences.
