Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Spotify CLASSICS: The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the Streaming Era

09/04/2024

In February, we launched Spotify CLASSICS, our first-ever program to celebrate catalog music. Our inaugural list focused on the Classic Hip-Hop and R&B Albums of the Streaming Era and featured timeless bodies of work like Beyonc 's Lemonade, Frank Ocean's Blonde, SZA's Ctrl, Rihanna's ANTI, and Jazmine Sullivan's Heaux Tales, to name a few.

Today we're unveiling the second chapter of our CLASSICS program: The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the Streaming Era. Spotify defines the Streaming Era as a timeframe that spans 2015 until present day.

R&B went through an identity crisis during the first half of the 2010s, but the genre found its footing during the streaming era. R&B morphed into a style of music that absorbed hip-hop, pop, Afrobeats, electronic, alternative, and indie into its sound, breathing new life into the genre.

Spotify's U.S. editorial team-along with Carl Chery, Creative Director, Head of Urban Music at Spotify-has taken on the ambitious task of corralling all shades of R&B under one umbrella, and in the end, this list offers a snapshot of all the genre has offered in the streaming era. Based on criteria such as quality, impact, replay value, influence, and cultural significance, Spotify CLASSICS is 100% qualitative. The program is driven by our editors' music and cultural expertise-and not by data-meaning that massive streaming numbers were not a requirement for the 100 songs you see below.

Note: All songs were released on Spotify after January 1, 2015. The Spotify streams are current as of April 8, 2024.

100. Mahalia ft. Ella Mai What You Did 5K/Sony, 2019

Spotify Streams: 119,207,837

Fun Fact: The song samples Rose Royce's I'm Going Down. Mary J. Blige and Cam'ron previously sampled the song. Cam'ron appears on the remix to What You Did.

99. Libianca People 5K/Sony, 2022

Spotify Streams: 599,870,162

Fun Fact: Jakarta, India, is the top city listening to People on Spotify.

98. Lucky Daye ft. Alex Isley, Masego & Jack Dine Good & Plenty (Remix) Isley & Dine, 2021

Spotify Streams: 51,032,263

Fun Fact: Joey Badass sampled Good & Plenty on his song Passports & Suitcases.

97. PJ Morton ft. JoJo Say So Morton/Empire, 2019

Spotify Streams: 35,878,123

Fun Fact: Say So won Best R&B Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. PJ Morton has won five Grammys as an R&B artist.

96. Kali Uchis Moonlight Geffen, 2023

Spotify Streams: 640,798,930

Fun Fact: Kali Uchis first teased the song on her TikTok account on November 20, 2022.

95. SiR D'Evils Top Dawg Entertainment, 2018

Spotify Streams: 119,009,859

Fun Fact: Jay-Z released a song with the same title on his debut album, Reasonable Doubt.

94. Sampha (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano Young Turks, 2017

Spotify Streams: 91,697,106

Fun Fact: (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano is Sampha's most-streamed solo song on Spotify.

93. Ravyn Lenae ft. Steve Lacy Skin Tight Atlantic, 2022

Spotify Streams: 23,727,173

Fun Fact: Skin Tight was a late addition to Ravyn Lenae's album, Hypnos. Steve Lacy brought it to Ravyn's attention as they were starting to mix the album.

92. Yebba Distance RCA, 2021

Spotify Streams: 31,535,923

Fun Fact: Distance was recorded in New York City's legendary Electric Lady Studios. D'Angelo's Voodoo, Bilal's 1st Born Second, and The Roots' Phrenology were also recorded at Electric Lady.

91. Tiana Major9 ft. EARTHGANG Collide Motown, 2019

Spotify Streams: 45,894,014

Fun Fact: Collide was nominated for Best R&B Song at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

90. Thundercat Them Changes Brainfeeder, 2020

Spotify Streams: 302,994,988

Fun Fact: Them Changes borrows its drums from The Isley Brothers' Footsteps in the Dark, Pts. 1&2.

89. Kelela LMK Warp, 2017

Spotify Streams: 12,352,417

Fun Fact: Stereogum, Noisey, and Highsnobiety all ranked Kelela's LMK at #7 on their Best Songs of 2017 lists.

88. Oxlade KU LO SA Troniq Music/Epic, 2022

Spotify Streams: 18,882,490

Fun Fact: The A COLORS SHOW version of Oxlade's KU LO SA has over 81 million views on YouTube.

87. Kehlani ft. Masego Hate the Club Atlantic, 2020

Spotify Streams: 34,330,901

Fun Fact: Kehlani name-checks Shabba, a popular reggae/dancehall party now known as Donovan's Yard. Young Thug also shouts out Shabba on Metro Boomin's Trance.

86. Janelle Monae Only Have Eyes 42 Atlantic, 2023

Spotify Streams: 8,967,190

Fun Fact: Only Have Eyes 42 samples reggae artist Derrick Harriott's The Loser.

85. Snoh Aalegra I Want You Around ARTium/AWAL, 2019

Spotify Streams: 147,258,213

Fun Fact: I Want You Around is Snoh Aalegra's first Platinum single certified by the RIAA.

84. Ro James Permission ByStorm/RCA, 2015

Spotify Streams: 69,369,232

Fun Fact: Permission samples Willie Hutch's Brother's Gonna Work It Out. The sample was previously used on Chance The Rapper's Lost.

83. Ty Dolla $ign ft. Musiq Soulchild, Tish Hyman & 6LACK Your Turn Atlantic, 2020

Spotify Streams: 14,684,668

Fun Fact: Your Turn was originally included on the tracklist for a Ty Dolla $ign album slated to be released before the COVID-19 pandemic.

82. Masego ft. FKJ Tadow EQT, 2017

Spotify Streams: 442,923,172

Fun Fact: The Tadow video was released almost two years after the song came out.

81. Jacquees B.E.D. Cash Money/Republic, 2016

Spotify Streams: 261,215,353

Fun Fact: B.E.D. s chorus interpolates the bridge of Avant's Read Your Mind.

80. Khalid Location RCA, 2017

Spotify Streams: 1,347,691,159

Fun Fact: Location has been officially remixed three times: The first including Lil Wayne and Kehlani, the second featuring Lil Simz, and the third featuring Jorja Smith and Wretch 32.

79
LINK: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2024-04-09/greatest-rnb-songs-classics-st...
See more stories from spotify

Europe Stories

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

04/09/2025

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Dalet Win Prestigious 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...

07/08/2025

Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, Redefining In-Car Entertainment Experience

July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...

18/07/2025

The Sky Arts Awards Are Back, Live From The Roundhouse This September

Friday 18 July 2025 Credit: Marc Sethi The Sky Arts Awards will return on 16 September, once again taking place at the iconic Roundhouse in London. Produced b...

18/07/2025

2025-07-18

This month, players can dive into special crossover events featuring SpongeBob SquarePants in Snake.io+ and Crossy Road Castle, available exclusively on Apple A...

18/07/2025

Hurling Fans Flock Together for a Night of Craic agus Ceol on RT's Up For The Match this Saturday night

Up for the Match brings the fun, the passion-and a bit of Riverdance- tomorrow n...

17/07/2025

Audiobooks+ Brings More Choice and Flexibility to Spotify Premium Subscribers

Spotify's goal with audiobooks is to help grow the publishing industry and create the best possible experience for booklovers, which is why we're launch...

17/07/2025

SES Receives All Required Regulatory Approvals to Complete Intelsat Acquisition

Luxembourg, 14 July 2025 - SES received the final regulatory approvals for the SES-Intelsat transaction, including the US Federal Communications Commission. O...

17/07/2025

Riedel Communications Powers Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour with Integrated Network and Comms Solutions

Wuppertal July 17, 2025 Riedel Communications Powers Handa Opera on Sydney Har...

17/07/2025

Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Fourth Quarter and Full Year Fiscal 2025 Financial Results Via Webcast

Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Fourth Quarter and Full Year Fiscal 2025 F...

17/07/2025

Dalet Showcases the Tools and Vision to Lead Media and Entertainment's Next Chapter at IBC 2025

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, w...

17/07/2025

Tune into summer on RT Radio 1 | A season of stories, sounds, and something for everyone

The summer is here and RT Radio 1 has unveiled a lively seasonal lineup, packed...

16/07/2025

Spotify's Editors Pick Their Best Podcasts of the Year (So Far)

Spotify's podcast editorial team is always on the hunt for shows and episodes that spark conversation, push boundaries, and keep us coming back for more. As...

16/07/2025

Clear-Com's EQUIP Boosts Ride Efficiency, Safety, and Communication at Merlin Theme Parks

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

16/07/2025

IBC 2025

Join us at IBC this September and take control of your content. Discover how we're bringing a new level of purpose and precision to the application of AI in...

16/07/2025

Sky and ITV extend multi-year content and platform partnership

Wednesday 16 July 2025 Sky and ITV today announced an extension of their long-standing partnership, which will see ITV's content and services remain seamle...

16/07/2025

Living with the Lions: What really happens on tour

Sky Sports lifts the lid on Lions life with hilarious behind-the-scenes mockumentaryWednesday 16 July 2025 To view this content, please enable our use of cooki...

16/07/2025

2025-07-16

CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA Apple TV+ today earned a record-breaking 81 Emmy Award nominations across 14 hit Apple Original titles for this year's 77th Emmy Awa...

15/07/2025

Open Call: Resilience Incubator for Independent Media in Brazil and Colombia

Independent media outlets in Brazil and Colombia are invited to apply for a new programme aimed at strengthening the long-term resilience of journalism in the f...

15/07/2025

A travs de una nueva colaboracin, usuarios de DiDi en nueve pases de Latinoamrica podrn acceder a Spotify Premium

Spotify une fuerzas con DiDi, la app l der en servicios de movilidad, delivery y...

15/07/2025

SES Successfully Prices 1 Billion Dual-Tranche Bond Offering with Strong 5.5x Oversubscription

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNIT...

15/07/2025

U&GOLD to bring Fawlty Towers: The Play to TV audiences for the first time

U&GOLD has acquired the broadcast rights for Fawlty Towers: The Play (1x120'). Recorded during the show's run at the West End with its original cast, Fa...

15/07/2025

TV SIM builds for the future with high efficiency transmitter from Rohde & Schwarz

TV SIM builds for the future with high efficiency transmitter from Rohde & Schwa...

15/07/2025

Harmonic to Showcase Breakthrough Video Streaming and Broadcast Delivery Innovations at IBC2025

Harmonic's Hybrid, AI-Powered and Live Sports Streaming Innovations are Key ...

15/07/2025

The Next Level 4099 CORE+ Instrument Microphone

The well-known and well-loved 4099 has been completely revamped. It features amazing CORE+ technology, which eliminates distortion and extends dynamic range, a ...

15/07/2025

Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Measurement and CTV Program-Level Reporting

Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Mea...

15/07/2025

All Ireland Football semi-finals and Tailteann Cup Final draw large audiences to RT

Peak audiences of over half a million tune into both Kerry v Tyrone and Donegal ...

15/07/2025

PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025

PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 posted: 15/07/2025 Proton Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 Alongs...

14/07/2025

RT Launches New Look Weather Forecasts

Enhancing Public Service Broadcasting with Innovation, Accuracy & Sustainability New regional detail and local towns featured...

11/07/2025

Superman' Filmmaker James Gunn Reveals the Playlists Inspired by Your Favorite Characters

If you've ever wondered what might be playing in Clark Kent's headphones...

11/07/2025

AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration

AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration launches two papers to guide the future of AI integration, today at the AI for Good Global Summit The...

10/07/2025

Taliban repression silences award-winning Afghan woman journalist

The current holder of the prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award has been forced to stop reporting over fears for her safety in Afgha...

10/07/2025

A New Report Puts Aussie Artists in the Spotlight

Spotify is turning up the volume on Australian music with a multipronged initiative designed to highlight the dominance of Australian artists on the global stag...

10/07/2025

Spotify Toasts Oasis's Return With Exclusive Ways for Fans to Get Closer to the Music That Defined a Generation

This is not a drill: Oasis is back on the road-marking its first live performanc...

10/07/2025

Spotify and Youth Music Open Doors for Future Artists

The music industry depends on fresh ideas, bold voices, and emerging talent. Yet across the U.K., too many young musicians lack the space to develop their craft...

10/07/2025

VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing

10 Jul 2025 VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing Kyiv, New York, Dubai, and Philadelphia - July 10, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq:...

10/07/2025

From Treehouses to the Deep Sea: A First Look at Sky Kids New Adventures

Thursday 10 July 2025 The Very Small Creatures Jaime's Treetop Tales Emerald BooSnoo! Christmas Mashup Pip & Posy's Spooktacular Party The Very Sm...

10/07/2025

Millions of Sky customers set to enjoy even bigger rewards as Sky VIP loyalty programme gets a major upgrade

Thursday 10 July 2025 Brand new rewards are coming to Sky customers, with free ...

10/07/2025

Comscore Achieves Full JIC Certification for National TV Measurement Including Persons-Based Data

Comscore Achieves Full JIC Certification for National TV Measurement Including...

09/07/2025

Sky becomes UKs fastest major broadband provider with launch of new 5 Gbps Full Fibre speed and WiFi 7 hub

Wednesday 9 July 2025 Sky Broadband now has the UK's fastest broadband spee...

09/07/2025

2025-07-09

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced Jeff Williams will transition his role as chief operating officer later this month to Sabih Khan, Apple's senior...

08/07/2025

MediaSafe Africa: A New Digital Safety Resource for Journalists

In an era where digital threats to journalists are becoming increasingly aggressive and widespread, MediaSafe Africa launches as a vital online resource to help...

08/07/2025

Spotify's Our Game, Our Sound' Campaign Champions Community and Joy in Women's Football

This summer, as the energy builds for one of the biggest moments in women's ...

08/07/2025

Richard Watsham to depart UKTV following highly successful 14-year tenure

UKTV today announces that Richard Watsham, Chief Creative Officer at UKTV and Global Director of Acquisitions for BBC Studios/UKTV, has decided to step down fro...

08/07/2025

Harmonic Sets DOCSIS 4.0 Record with 14 Gbps Downstream Speed at CableLabs Interoperability Event

SAN JOSE, Calif. - July 8, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a reco...

08/07/2025

Arvato Systems optimizes customer communication with AOK Niedersachsen

Arvato Systems Optimizes Customer Communication with AOK Niedersachsen New project in the statutory health insurance sector Arvato Systems and AOK Niedersach...