2000s R&B

History and character

When urban "was" pop

In the early 2000s, as Chris Molanphy observed, urban music was pop music: R&B dominated the American and worldwide charts. Usher with "Confessions" (2004: "Yeah!" with Lil Jon and Ludacris, "Burn", "Confessions Part II") sold millions of copies in a single week; Beyoncé made her solo debut with "Dangerously in Love" (2003, "Crazy in Love" produced by Rich Harrison over a Chi-Lites sample); Alicia Keys ("Songs in A Minor", 2001, "Fallin'"), Mariah Carey with the comeback of "The Emancipation of Mimi" (2005, "We Belong Together"), Destiny's Child ("Say My Name", "Survivor"), Aaliyah ("Try Again", 2000), Ashanti, Mario ("Let Me Love You", 2004), Ciara ("Goodies", 2004), Chris Brown ("Run It!", 2005), Ne-Yo ("So Sick", 2006), Rihanna ("Umbrella", 2007), Keyshia Cole, Amerie ("1 Thing", 2005).

Producers and writers

Timbaland, The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo: Kelis "Milkshake", Justin Timberlake "Justified"), Rodney Jerkins (Darkchild), Jermaine Dupri, Scott Storch, Rich Harrison, Bryan-Michael Cox, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, Stargate and Ne-Yo as songwriters, Lil Jon (crunk&B).

Currents

• Pop / club R&B: huge hooks, clean hip hop drums, synth stabs.
• Crunk&B: Atlanta crunk + R&B vocals ("Yeah!", "Goodies").
• R&B ballads with piano and strings (Alicia Keys, John Legend "Ordinary People", 2004).
• Electro-R&B of the late decade: Auto-Tune as an effect (T-Pain, "Buy U a Drank", 2007), computerized synths, dance and EDM influences that would lead Usher and Chris Brown to the pop-EDM of the 2010s.

Aesthetics

Sharp, punchy production, programmed drums with a lot of personality (Timbaland, Neptunes), perfect layered vocals, rap bridges, with videos and choreography at the center.

Scales and keys

Natural minor (Aeolian) and Dorian

• C# Aeolian: C# D# E F# G# A B; D Dorian: D E F G A B C.
• Use: club R&B and crunk&B (minor synth riffs), Neptunes (minor seventh chords and Dorian vamps: "Hot in Herre" is hip hop but the harmonic flavor is the same).

Major with sevenths

• In D: D E F# G A B C#; chords Dmaj7 Em7 F#m7 Gmaj7 A7 Bm7.
• Use: romantic ballads and mid-tempos (Ne-Yo, Mario, Usher "Burn"), IV–V–iii–vi and vi–IV–I–V progressions.

Harmonic minor and Phrygian dominant

• Bb harmonic minor: Bb C Db Eb F Gb A; F Phrygian dominant: F Gb A Bb C Db Eb.
• Use: Timbaland's "exotic" melodies (Aaliyah "Try Again", Missy Elliott) and the Orientalist riffs of the early 2000s.

Pentatonic and blues (vocals)

• D minor pentatonic: D F G A C; C major blues: C D Eb E G A.
• Use: runs by Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Keyshia Cole, Alicia Keys (gospel and blues).

Mixolydian

• In G: G A B C D E F; funk and brass stabs (Rich Harrison: "Crazy in Love", "1 Thing").

How to choose

Harmony

Loops and hooks

Loops of 2–4 chords with sevenths, often diatonic, on which huge hooks are built; choruses with layered backing vocals; rap bridges (featured guests) over the loop's harmony.

Techniques

• Dorian vamps and minor seventh chords (Neptunes).
• Soul and funk samples (Rich Harrison).
• Pop progressions IV–V–iii–vi, vi–IV–I–V in ballads (Ne-Yo, Stargate).
• Minor synth ostinatos (crunk&B).
• Modulations in the last chorus (still common).

Harmonic rhythm

One chord per bar (mid-tempo), two per bar in ballad choruses.

Voicing

Acoustic piano and Rhodes with gospel voicings (Alicia Keys), synth pads and stabs, acoustic guitars (Ne-Yo, Mario), synthetic strings.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

Groove by current

• Mid-tempo R&B (85–100): clean hip hop drums, light swing (52–56%) or straight feel, sixteenth-note hi-hats.
• Timbaland: rapid-fire syncopation, triplets, unconventional sounds, silences.
• Neptunes: dry, minimal drums, "plasticky" kick and snare, cowbell and claps, lots of space.
• Crunk&B (100–105): TR-808, double-hit kick, huge claps, hi-hats only in the choruses.
• Rich Harrison: sampled go-go and funk with horns (100–125).
• Electro-R&B (115–130): four on the floor or nearly, dance synths.

Drums

Kick

Punchy and defined (click 3–5 kHz); syncopated hip hop patterns or crunk double hits; almost straight in electro-R&B.

Snare / clap

On 2 and 4, dry and bright, often a layered clap; in Timbaland tracks, displaced, "snappy" snares.

Hi-hat

Sixteenth notes with open hits; triplets (Timbaland); eighth notes (crunk&B in the choruses).

Percussion

Cowbell (Neptunes), finger snaps, Latin percussion, beatbox, horn samples as a rhythmic element.

Interaction

Bass and kick locked together; the lead vocal and backing vocals fit into the gaps.

Sections

Intro with a vocal hook, verse with a basic kit, pre-chorus with a build, full chorus, rap bridge (with more hip hop drums), final chorus with ad-libs.

Typical mistakes

Drums that are too soft (the 2000s are punchy); harsh hi-hats; sounds that are too "2020s" (long 808s everywhere).

Bass

• Punchy synth bass (Neptunes, Timbaland), 808 (crunk&B), electric bass in ballads and soul tracks.
• Notes: root and octave, syncopated lines; slides in crunk&B.
• Register: 40–120 Hz, with definition at 700 Hz–1 kHz.
• Relationship with the kick: tight lock, light sidechain (1–2 dB) in electro-R&B.

Harmonic instruments

• Synth stabs, pads, leads (the Korg Triton, Roland JV/Fantom and Motif were very common workstations; the Neptunes and Timbaland also used vintage synths and samplers).
• Acoustic piano (Alicia Keys, John Legend), Rhodes.
• Acoustic guitars (mid-tempo), funky guitars (Neptunes).
• Sampled horns (Rich Harrison), synthetic strings.
• Soul and world samples.

Melody and vocals

• Vocals: technically perfect and powerful (Beyoncé, Mariah, Keyshia Cole), or smooth and rhythmic (Usher, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown); controlled melismas and runs.
• Backing vocals: huge stacks in the choruses, 3–5 part harmonies, unison doubles.
• Rap bridges: featured guests (Jay-Z, Ludacris, Lil Jon, T.I.).
• Ad-libs: phrases and runs in the last choruses.
• Effects: plate and delay; from 2005–2007, Auto-Tune as an audible effect (T-Pain, then Kanye West "808s & Heartbreak").

Instruments

Vocals, backing vocals, drum machines and samplers (MPC, ASR-10, workstations), TR-808, synths, synth bass, 808, piano, Rhodes, guitars, sampled horns, strings, percussion.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Jup-8 V — Stabs and pads: Chord stabs and pads for pop and club R&B.
• OP-Xa V — Crunk&B lead: Bright saws with pitch envelope for Lil Jon-style riffs.
• DX7 V — Bell, E.Piano and FM bass: FM bells and pianos, also widely used in the workstations of the era.
• Stage-73 V — Rhodes: Warm chords for soul ballads and mid-tempos.
• Piano V — Ballad piano: Bright grand piano for Alicia Keys-style ballads.
• Mini V — Synth bass: Punchy bass with a fast envelope filter.
• Vocoder V — Robotic vocals: Vocal effects typical of late-decade electro-R&B.

Song structure

Length 3:30–4:30. A highly standardized, radio-friendly form.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Sharp and punchy: a perfect lead vocal up front, wide and bright backing vocals, defined drums, controlled lows, "glossy" highs. References: Usher "Confessions" (2004), Beyoncé "Dangerously in Love" (2003), Rihanna "Good Girl Gone Bad" (2007), Justin Timberlake "Justified" (2002). Balance: vocal 0, backing vocals −3/−5, kick −3, snare −3, bass −4, synths −6.

Kick

HP 30 Hz; punch 60–80 Hz; click 3–5 kHz (+2/+3 dB); compression 4:1 3–4 dB; mono.

Snare / clap

HP 150 Hz; body 200 Hz; crack 3–5 kHz; air 10 kHz; compression 4:1 4 dB; short plate (0.8–1.2 s) at −16 dB.

Hi-hat and percussion

HP 500 Hz; bright but controlled (cut 7 kHz −2 dB); pan ±15–30.

Bass / 808

HP 30 Hz; fundamental 50–80 Hz; definition 700 Hz; compression 4:1 3 dB; mono; sidechain 1–2 dB.

Synths, piano, guitars

HP 150–200 Hz; dynamic EQ keyed from the vocal; plate/hall 1.5 s; wide stereo.

Vocals

• Chain: careful comping → Melodyne (transparent correction) → EQ → 1176 (5–7 dB) → LA-2A (3 dB) → de-esser → saturation → air EQ.
• EQ: HP 90–100 Hz; −2/−3 dB at 250–300 Hz; presence +3 dB at 3–5 kHz; air +3 dB at 12–14 kHz.
• Space: plate 1.5–2 s at −14 dB, 1/8 or 1/4 delay at −18 dB.
• Auto-Tune as an effect (T-Pain): retune 0 ms, correct scale, before the compressors.

Backing vocals

HP 150–200 Hz; compression 6–8 dB; symmetrical panning; bright (shelf +2 dB at 10 kHz); de-esser.

Rap feature

HP 90 Hz; presence 3–4 kHz; compression 6 dB; dry, centered.

Buses, sidechain, master

Vocal bus 1–2 dB; drum bus 2–3 dB. Master −9/−7 LUFS integrated (the loudness war era), true peak −1 dBTP; for a modern approach −9/−8.

Common mistakes

Vocals that are too bright and sibilant; kick and bass masking each other; loudness-war overcompression.

Reference tracks for mixing

• Destiny's Child — Say My Name (1999)
• Usher — Burn (2004)
• Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z — Crazy in Love (2003)
• Rihanna ft. Jay-Z — Umbrella (2007)
• Ne-Yo — So Sick (2006)

Reference listening

• Aaliyah — Try Again (2000)
• Alicia Keys — Fallin' (2001)
• Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z — Crazy in Love (2003)
• Usher ft. Lil Jon & Ludacris — Yeah! (2004)
• Ciara ft. Petey Pablo — Goodies (2004)
• Mario — Let Me Love You (2004)
• Mariah Carey — We Belong Together (2005)
• Amerie — 1 Thing (2005)
• Ne-Yo — So Sick (2006)
• Rihanna ft. Jay-Z — Umbrella (2007)