Music is deemed the universal language of our society. Yet, some music genres get more attention than others. It’s no secret that radio stations cater to more pop-sounding songs, whether that be country, rock or even Hip-Hop. R&B singer Summer Walker certainly has come face to face with this realization and has since expressed her distaste for the practice.
The 24-year-old rose to fame after the release of her 2019 studio album Over It. Walker’s brand of R&B has enthralled fans and even changed the scope of the entire genre. The “Playing Game” singer draws plenty of influences from early 90s and 2000s R&B tracks like Destiny Child’s “Say My Name” and Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna”, all while putting her own spin on the timeless tracks. As a fan of early R&B, Summer Walker has spoken out about the relevance of the genre and the respect artists like her deserve.
Walker Says Pop Music Pays More Money
Having grown up listening to old R&B tracks, the genre holds a special place in Summer Walker’s heart. So much so that the 24-year-old holds the genre to a higher regard than Pop and Hip-Hop music. During an interview with Billboard, Walker discussed how understated R&B is in the music industry. “To me, R&B is better than 2020’s Hip Hop because it can get shallow and repetitive.” . . Pop gets all the credit, for sure. We’re cute over here when they want to be in their feelings. But when it’s time to get to the money, it’s all about pop,” the 24-year-old said during the interview. Walker suggests that there is correlation between Pop-influenced songs and taking home a bigger salary. Unfortunately, soulful songs don’t cut the biggest check.
The R&B Genre Deserves Respect
In furthering her claims, the “Over It” singer shared with Billboard, that her upbeat songs get more radio play than her soulful tracks. The 24-year-old believes that R&B artists are often “pigeonholed” into this position by stating candidly, “I’ll also hear other songs from us and others that are slower, very heartfelt, and a lot of people will fuck with them. But it seems like [with radio], if you can’t shake your ass to the song, then it won’t do what it should do.” Pop music may get more radio play than R&B but that doesn’t mean it’s better. As Summer Walker stated, many artists like Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige and Ari Lennox sing passionate and soulful stories about real-life traumas and past lovers. Their songs hold substance and tracks like those deserve more respect.
