Sevyn Streeter’s just-released Girl Disrupted opens with “Livin,” where she discusses her issues with depression. In an interview with Billboard, she noted, “All these artists at the top of the pop charts are dressed like R&B artists in their videos. They’re singing lyrics and melodies from R&B songs of the past. We’re a very influential genre, and I’m not mad at it. I just want people to accept it no matter who it comes from. I can’t say that that’s always the case.”
There are a few men who take a hyper-personal approach to songwriting, namely the incandescent Frank Ocean, who writes in rich, complex metaphors. But it seems like most aspire to the aesthetic masculinity of rappers. They talk-sing boasts in a wavy voice that threads the needle between melodic pop-rap and clubby, hard-edged trap music. It’s no surprise that listeners occasionally refer to the likes of Chris Brown, Bryson Tiller, and the Weeknd as rap stars — sometimes they dispense with singing altogether and spit actual bars, if only to underline their unbeatable virility.
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Women aren’t above boasting, either. One of Kehlani’s fan favorites is “N——-” from her 2015 mixtape You Should Be Here, where she barks back at unnamed paramours. “I’m not yours, never was,” she sings. “Too damn strong to let you get the best of me.”
But generally speaking, men dominate rap music — at least its most visible variant. So R&B women have subtly developed values and thematic ideas that contrast with corporate rap’s muscular displays of material wealth, opiate consumption, casual violence, and the necessary ability to steal your girl for a one-night escapade. It’s a compelling package that has yet to receive the industry support it deserves.