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    Hillary Crosley CokerHillary Crosley Coker
    7/22/14 3:06pm

    Today's chat swirls around the fact that Rich doesn't really have any jams to grind to and it's making him sad. So sad that he's always saying, what happened to the slow jam? Like, why can't people just make lovely slow R&B songs that make you feel nice and sexy and like cuddling with somebody for a little while? Me thinks that like the death of Boyz II Men, as evidenced by their Old Navy commercials, the time for true mainstream R&B might be over. I doubt Luther Vandross, bless his soul, would've been as huge now as he was when he began ... but then again, every time I watch August Alsina, I realize that these contemporary dudes couldn't hold a candle to veterans like Luther, but maybe I'm old? Rich, what say you?

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      cruzin150Hillary Crosley Coker
      7/22/14 3:22pm

      I have been asking myself this for months. I grew up in the 90's listening to R&B and I don't see much of it nowadays. Now, I'm not gonna say I listen to every stream or every radio station so I might be out of the loop, but it just seems like R&B slow jams don't exist anymore.

      Shout out to New Edition and "Can You Stand The Rain", I need my R&B fix.

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      Rich JuzwiakHillary Crosley Coker
      7/22/14 3:22pm

      I think somehow you misinterpreted my stance, Hillary. There are so many slow jams that they're coming out of my ears. We have people like August Alsina and Tink, who essentially have dedicated their careers to only making slow jams. Here are two of my favorite songs of the summer:

      Trey Songz seems aware of the Alsina pressure (see Alsina's virtual domination at this year's BET Awards) and raises it by making virtually every track on Trigga a slow jam. The album, though, has a much greater sonic palate than Alsina's fairly samey output.

      And then we have someone like FKA Twigs, who grafts oddball flair and violent imagery onto what is an essentially conventional, Princely template:

      And let's not forget Jhene Aiko's huge R&B hit, "The Worst," which seems to be going for a vaped-up Sade swag.

      The stuff is around, you just have to look for it. The kind of bass-heavy R&B, sex-obsessed material isn't exactly in strict commercial vogue. Top 40 is much more responsive to polite crooning over little more than a piano—see John Legend or Sam Smith.

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    littleblacklalaHillary Crosley Coker
    7/22/14 3:22pm

    Are you even old enough to remember the spectacular slow jamz of the nineties? I have fond memories of being on a bus with my basketball team singing all the slow jam hits of the time. Jodeci was everything! The nineties were a pretty good time in Florida for hip hop too. The first song that will be played at my wedding (when I find some guy dumb and desperate enough to marry my old ass) will be Doo Doo Brown. Haven't heard of it? Well, ya'll better get you some. Best song ever.

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      Hillary Crosley Cokerlittleblacklala
      7/22/14 4:18pm

      But, but Uncle Luke is definitely NOT a slow jam.

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      djchazzylittleblacklala
      7/22/14 4:51pm

      Uh did you listen to Power 96/DJ Laz? Were/are you from Miami?!

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