Ouch! Billboard Snubs Sade, Monica, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, & Angie Stone / Adds SZA, Summer Walker, & H.E.R. to ‘Best R&B Artists of All Time’ List

Billboard has been setting social media ablaze all week with their ‘75 Best R&B Artists of All Time‘ – a countdown to honor the genre’s most game-changing artists. Expected names like Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Brandy, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin all found placement on the tally, but discourse around their placements flooded the net – » Read more about: Ouch! Billboard Snubs Sade, Monica, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, & Angie Stone / Adds SZA, Summer Walker, & H.E.R. to ‘Best R&B Artists of All Time’ List » The post Ouch! Billboard Snubs Sade, Monica, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, & Angie Stone / Adds SZA, Summer Walker, & H.E.R. to ‘Best R&B Artists of All Time’ List appeared first on ..::That Grape Juice.net::.. - Thirsty?.

Music Jun 19, 2025 0 Add to Reading List

Ouch! Billboard Snubs Sade, Monica, Ciara, Kelly Rowland, & Angie Stone / Adds SZA, Summer Walker, & H.E.R. to ‘Best R&B Artists of All Time’ List

Billboard has been setting social media ablaze all week with their ‘75 Best R&B Artists of All Time‘ – a countdown to honor the genre’s most game-changing artists.

Expected names like Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Brandy, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin all found placement on the tally, but discourse around their placements flooded the net – particularly because Ross, Brandy, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Usher, Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, and Mary J. Blige all ranked outside the top 10.

And while fans of the aforementioned are crying foul, supporters of acts like Sade, Ciara, and Monica are still stunned their faves are completely absent from the listing.

As we previously reported, staff of the mag’s official website created the ranking in honor of Black Music Month and ordered their picks by “enduring generational/cultural impact, vocal prowess, industry achievements, game-changing influence, body of work, and career longevity.”

With the latter two being a marker, viewers of the list were surprised to see newcomers Summer Walker, H.E.R., and SZA ranking in place of or sometimes higher than some of the more tenured acts on the tally.

Look below for a list of R&B faves who didn’t make Billboard’s cut.