Urban Music

Urban music, also called urban contemporary, is a music radio format that features playlists composed of soul, hiphop, rap and R&B songs. The concept of urban music first emerged in the '70s; the term urban contemporary was coined by New York DJ Frankie Crocker in mid-70s. Most contemporary urban music radio stations play purely hiphop, soul, R&B and rap songs, but other urban music stations also play reggae and reggaeton.

Urban music is also considered by many as a general music genre, which covers all the genres mentioned above. Because of popular forms of media, urban contemporary or urban music has become associated mainly with African-American (because of rap and hiphop) and Latino music (for reggae and reggaeton). Urban music is primarily marketed toward African-Americans aged 18-34 because of the heavy R&B and soul influence, coupled with hiphop and dance beats that young people like.

Urban music entered US cultural mainstream in the 90s, when urban contemporary artists such as Aaliyah, Brandy, Crystal Waters and Shanice started dominating the hit charts. This development ushered in changes in the way R&B and hiphop songs were written and produced. The playlists on urban music radio stations are dominated by popular hiphop and R&B songs, although some stations also play classic soul music from the 70s and 80s.

Urban music artists and acts

Urban music, as people know it today, is best described as a fusion of rap, R&B and dance genres. Some people even go far to say that if a song doesn't exhibit this multi-genre fusion, it cannot be considered as urban music. This is why most urban music songs played on the radio are collaborations by artists from different genres such as "I'm Real" by Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule, "Dilemma" by Kelly Rowland and Nelly and "Baby Boy" by Beyonce Knowles and Sean Paul.

Urban music sub-genres

The three most popular sub-genres of urban music are urban adult contemporary, rhythmic contemporary and urban jazz. Urban adult contemporary or urban AC caters mainly to adult African-American audiences. This is why most of the artists featured in urban AC stations are also of African-American descent. Examples of urban AC artists are Angela Bofill, Anita Baker, Sade, Vanessa Williams and Babyface.

Rhythmic contemporary is the urban music sub-genre that features upbeat mixtures of dance, hiphop and rhythmic pop. Urban jazz is a fusion of jazz and hiphop and R&B elements. Some of the well-known urban jazz artists are Kim Waters, Peter White and Michael Lington.