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Music Style: Somber Contemporary R&B that is over guitar driven or atmospheric.

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Brent Faiyaz is quite the star in today’s generation of R&B acts. Taking inspiration from 90’s and early 2000’s R&B acts, Brent shows that he can fit right in to that generation of R&B artists. Brent was originally a member of a group called Sonder. Sonder is a music trio with singer, Brent Faiyaz, and producers Atu and Dpat. Sonder makes music that takes a modernized futuristic take on traditional Contemporary R&B. Make sure to check out their project Into. I could go more into Sonder, but this is a write-up about Brent.

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If you listen to Brent’s music, you will immediately notice that his music is very inspired by late 90’s and early 2000’s R&B music. Listen to his song Talk 2 U. Notice how is sounds like Usher’s song, You Make Me Wanna…, which is a 90’s R&B classic. Listening to both of these songs will tell you that if Brent was an artist during that time, he would fit right in. While the throwback sound is nothing new in R&B music. You have acts like Anderson East emulating 60s and 70s Blue-Eyed-Soul music, Dvsn moving with modernized 90’s Contemporary R&B, Giveon with old school traditional Soul with Jazz, Bruno Mars with late 80s New Jack Swing, Syd working with Aaliyah and Brandy inspired vocals, Ella Mai tapping into 90’s nostalgia, Dru Chen incorporating traditional funk with Pop, Soul, and R&B along with many other artists.

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The guitar driven aspect of Brent’s music is what fills that 2000’s R&B nostalgia trope. However, the thing with Brent is that he isn’t aiming for nostalgia, he’s using his influences to make a sound that he sees fit. A lot of Brent’s music often contains an atmospheric sound (Allure, DSN, Poison), ominous vibes (Fuck the World (Summer in London), Pounds, Whyz it so Hard), hip hop based (Gang over Love, Running on E, Clouded), a somber tone (Came Right Back, Natural Release, So Far Gone / Fast Life Blues), a saxophone solo (L.A.), an electric guitar solo (Target on my Chest), and even some psychedelia (Gravity). Brent takes the modern style of R&B, and approaches it in an unconventional manner while still staying true to the genre’s stylistic roots.

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I’ll admit that when I first listened to Brent Faiyaz, I wasn’t expecting much vocally. After listening to quite a few of this generation’s male R&B singers, I gained a perception that there’s a good chunk of them that are below average vocally. I’m glad that no longer have that perception and Brent was one of the artists that helped me remove that mindset. Brent’s singing voice is reminiscent of the late 90s and early 2000’s R&B crooners such as Ginuwine, Usher, Trey Songz, Mario, Frankie J, and Jon B. His singing voice perfectly fits the template for 2000’s and 90’s R&B singers. It’s generally very soothing and sensual, while becoming soulful when needed. Brent shows that he can croon just fine in songs like Skyline, Bluffin, and Needed along with moving to a more soulful tone like in Eden, Home and Invite Me. Some more of his songs where he shows off his vocal are Soon Az I Get Home, Target on My Chest, So Far Gone / Fast Life Blues, L.A., and Lovely. If you want more proof regarding his vocals, watch this live performance of Poison. Brent has also showed that he can rap along with his singing. He can use a sing rap style as seen in Clouded and Around Me.

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Lyrically Brent’s topic often revolve around love and relationship, but he also takes a hip hop approach to topics. Songs like Pounds deal with addiction while tracks like Why’z It So Hard deal with the negative imagery of black men portrayed in media. He often tells tales from childhood like in Home, so his lyrics tend to revolve around of many topics compared to the average R&B singer. When Brent talks about love, his lyrics seem somber on the surface level, but are actually confrontational. There somewhat demanding, while possessing level of insecurity.

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If you want something heavily atmospheric, listen to A.M. Paradox. If you’re in the mood for some 2000’s guitar driven Contemporary R&B, listen to Sonder Son. If you like ominous with some sing rapping, listen to Lost. If you’re a Weeknd fan and want a Contemporary R&B version of Trilogy, listen to Fuck the World.

Some of my favorite Brent Faiyaz songs: Allure, Running on E, Lovely, Insecure, Poison, Natural Release, Home, First World Problemz / Nobody Cares, Stay Down, L.A., Missin Out, Talk 2 U, Sore Far Gone / Fast Life Blues, Needed, Came Right Back, Around Me, Pounds, Target On My Chest, Skyline, Been Away, Let Me Know, Soon Az I Get Home, Rehad (Winter in Paris), Bluffin, Eden

Here’s a Spotify and Apple Music playlist for Brent Faiyaz.

Here are some good performances: Talk 2 U (DDICL Performance), Too Fast (Into Tour 2018), Missin Out (Live)

The Next R&B Artist Spotlight: Sudan Archives

If You use discord, make sure to check out the R&B Discord Server. If you want to be in a place to discuss R&B music. Here’s a link if you’re interested. https://discord.gg/rQ6jRt7W
Note this link will expire on 03/01/2021