Subgenre PBR&B: Music For Hip Romantics

So there's this new label for music (new to me) that caught my attention called PBR&B. It's a genre in music that is heavily coated with copious amounts of smooth Peanut Butter.

Not really. It really stands for Pabst Blue Ribbon... Rhythm And Blues. The name comes from the stereotypical favoring of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer from hipsters. This derivative of R&B is also known as alternative or hipster R&B. Could be derogatory. Most think so. It's a little clever, but not clever enough.

So, how would you know if you're listening to this genre in particular? It's actually pretty simple to decipher. If you're listening to soulful music about being in love, losing love, making love, or finding love (probably unsuccessfully), odds are it is PBR&B. And I'm pretty sure all R&B artists sing of these things, but these artists would have a more unique, melodious and maybe electronic tone to their songs. Plus they'll sound like they really need a hug, or a forum, or some sort of comfort. Probably not alcohol or drugs, unless you want another album. Here's where it all got started.

It's not all that easy to explain, so here are some examples of PBR&B:

*The Weeknd - The Knowing

He starts off the list because he is by far the best example I can give. The song proves my point entirely. It's catchy, soulful, and sad. He starts off by saying he knows what his lady girl did, and pretty much is done trying because she broke his heart that hard. The video has an immense amount of symbolism, which really surprised me considering his other videos to be just provocative. I think it establishes his character a lot better, but he may have had to switch it up for the sake of popularity, I don't know. So with that being said, this song is amazing. It's not a song you need to listen to on a good day, but you might do it anyway.

* Janelle Monae - Many Moons

This song has been one of my favorites for as long as I knew of Monae's music. Her entire style is based off of a retro-styled robot of the future (year 2719ish) called 57821, or Cindi Mayweather. The basis of the story is she falls in love with a human named Anthony (or just Sir) Greendown, which is a no no. I mean, there's a reward for turning her in for demolition, for crying out loud. That's some seriously life-threatening loving. So in this song, she sings about social dynamics and its constrictions. Especially labels and terms that downsize a person's reputation. She wants to be free, but she is taken away by robo-angels and sings a lullaby about being saved in the end, being reborn, and taken to a better place (in every conceivable way). This song blew my mind, it was so beautiful.

*Frank Ocean - Pyramids

Anything this man makes fits the category, but this is my favorite song he made, and Thinkin' Bout You is too common so I figured I'd expose something else from "Channel Orange". Mr. Ocean often sings about love, and in this song it seems as if there is a girl he wants that he can't really get. It's tough to say why. Or it could be about a guy, which makes this song even more depressing. We may never know. This song has two parts, starting upbeat and transitioning into a more soulful storytelling. I believe the song is about a lover that he cannot get a hold of. Like they're in two different worlds. Very emotional.

*Jhene Aiko - Comfort Inn Ending (Freestyle)

I love this song, and it completely introduced me to Aiko's potential. But it's really depressing, because it's about her man person cheating on her... or her cheating on her man person with a cheater... I think they just cheated each other out of their hearts by being together without actually liking each other enough. Something like that. Definitely not a song you'd want stuck in your head. Both her EP ("Sail Out") and her album ("Souled Out") have to do with the process of understanding both parties in a relationship, but mainly hers. It's pretty awesome since it's all a woman's point of view, which balances all these manlimotions (manly emotions. Get it? :-D).

*Childish Gambino - II. Flight of the Navigator

He mainly raps and he's just now beginning to use a lot more vocals in songs, but this is one of the songs with him mostly singing that is emotionally influential. Gambino is already an emotional artist, but this song right here? Forget about it. The beat is catchy and encourages interpreted dancing, while the lyrics make you wonder about existence. A good amount of the song is him saying "just hold me close," so yeah. You'll need a hug after the 5th consecutive listen.

*Lana Del Rey - Video Games

For the longest time, I thought she was looking to the side. Then I looked closer and was like, "ohhhh."

I can't imagine her to have been smiling while writing this song. It seems like a pretty decent love song, but the melody is fairly melancholy. And she mainly has this vacant expression on her face pretty much all the time. The song is well made though, because the lyrics are fun to sing along to, even if you try to sing like her. I still think her vibe and lyrics are contradicting in some ways, but that must be the point. She could be in love and not happy. Or the man person is acting like their relationship is a PS3 game, not really taking it seriously. Or the relationship is one-sided. Something to that effect

*Jaden Smith - Blue Ocean v19

Jaden currently has two mixtapes released: The Cool Cafe Vol. 1 and 2. Personally, I didn't care for the 1st one, but the 2nd one was much better. But this song best fits PBR&B because he's talking about his experience with a girl he met at a music festival that he can't really have but really liked, then spiraling into an emotional rampage by the second part. It's way too catchy for your own good. But ultimately, it seems as if he's expressing his feelings in ways beyond average comprehensive standards. Click Here for the full version of the song.

So these are the songs and artists I think fit this subgenre the bestest (best of the best). And these are also some of my favorite songs that they've made. A piece of my taste, passed on to you. ^_^

Now I also don't think that music has to be so judgmental that these artists have to be categorized like this. Why can't there just be Rhythm & Blues? Given, adding all this "indie" and "alternative" to genres can be helpful to distinguish mainstream pop from more eccentric music, but a label is a label. From another perspective, independent art is for outcasts. Which is fine; I love indie music and films. It brings brilliant minds together in esoterica. But that's just how I think. Which is why I can't figure out if it's good categorization or just bigoted criticism.

Anywho, what do you think about the whole Pabst Blue Rhythm and Blues thing? Laudable genre or ignorant stereotyping? Which song was your favorite? What makes art independent? Let your fingers do the talking and light some insight sparklers all up in this blog's night sky.