ESSENCE DROPS 50 GREATEST R&B SONGS OF ALL TIME LIST!! Stevie Wonder Takes #1, Tevin Campbell Claims #2… But Social Media Is ARGUING Over Snubs & Rankings!! (DETAILS)
Honey, clear off your timelines and grab your headphones, because the internet is in an absolute uproar over music rankings!
ESSENCE Magazine officially set social media ablaze after dropping their definitive list of the 50 Greatest R&B Songs of All Time. While ESSENCE’s editorial team claimed they approached the list as music lovers ranking the records that define Black life, cookouts, and culture, music sleuths and R&B purists on X (Twitter) and TikTok are already fighting over who took the crown—and who got completely robbed!
The Top 10: Timeless Classics & Soul Standards
Taking the undisputed #1 spot on the list is none other than Stevie Wonder’s 1976 masterpiece, “As” from Songs in the Key of Life. ESSENCE editors revealed that out of all 50 spots, Stevie taking the top crown was the only choice that required zero debate!
Rounding out the elite Top 10 are some of the most iconic sing-alongs in music history:
- Stevie Wonder – “As”
- Tevin Campbell – “Can We Talk”
- Whitney Houston – “I Have Nothing”
- Prince – “Adore”
- Frankie Beverly & Maze – “Before I Let Go”
- Donny Hathaway – “A Song For You”
- Luther Vandross – “Never Too Much”
- SWV – “Weak”
- Earth, Wind & Fire – “Reasons”
- Lauryn Hill feat. D’Angelo – “Nothing Even Matters”
90s & 2000s Heavyweights Take Over The Top 50
From 90s vocal powerhouses to 2000s heart-wrenching anthems and modern neo-soul, the rest of the 50-song list reads like a legendary cookout playlist:
- 11–20: Anita Baker (“Sweet Love”), Mariah Carey (“We Belong Together”), Sade (“No Ordinary Love”), Teddy Pendergrass (“Love TKO”), Fantasia (“When I See You”), Tony! Toni! Toné! (“Anniversary”), Mary J. Blige (“Not Gon’ Cry”), Janet Jackson (“I Get Lonely”), Jodeci (“Forever My Lady”), and Michael Jackson (“Heaven Can Wait”).
- 21–30: Al Green (“Let’s Stay Together”), Beyoncé (“Dangerously In Love 2”), L.T.D. (“Love Ballad”), Lenny Williams (“Because I Love You”), Marvin Gaye (“Sexual Healing”), Erykah Badu (“On & On”), Babyface (“Whip Appeal”), New Edition (“Can You Stand The Rain”), Brandy (“Have You Ever”), and Usher (“Superstar”).
- 31–40: Patti LaBelle (“If Only You Knew”), The Isley Brothers (“For The Love of You”), Toni Braxton (“Love Should Have Brought You Home”), Dru Hill (“We’re Not Making Love”), Jill Scott (“The Way”), Faith Evans (“Soon As I Get Home”), Zapp (“Computer Love”), Aaliyah (“One In A Million”), Monica (“Why I Love You So Much”), and Keyshia Cole (“Love”).
- 41–50: Frank Ocean (“Thinkin Bout You”), Ari Lennox (“New Apartment”), The Deele (“Two Occasions”), En Vogue (“Don’t Let Go (Love)”), Keke Wyatt & Avant (“Nothing In This World”), Ginuwine (“So Anxious”), Xscape (“Who Can I Run To”), Kehlani (“Folded”), Groove Theory (“Tell Me”), and Jesse Powell (“You”).
Social Media Debates: Love For Tevin, Debates Over Mariah & Jodeci
While music fans universally applauded Stevie Wonder holding down the #1 spot, social media commentary channels quickly began tearing into the rest of the list:
- Tevin Campbell At #2: Fans cheered for Tevin Campbell’s 1993 classic “Can We Talk” landing at #2, with commentators noting that 30 years later, the opening notes still send any room into an immediate collective choir!
- Track Selections Debated: Longtime R&B heads argued over specific song choices—asking why Jodeci’s “Forever My Lady” made it over “Cry For You” or “Come & Talk To Me,” and debating if Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” should have replaced “Nothing Even Matters”.
- Top 5 Placements: Mariah Carey fans insisted “We Belong Together” belonged in the Top 5, while Prince lovers argued whether “The Beautiful Ones” or “If I Was Your Girlfriend” deserved the nod over “Adore”!
Despite the inevitable online arguments, music lovers agree ESSENCE put together a timeless collection of hits that celebrate the absolute depth and richness of R&B culture!
What do you think about ESSENCE’s Top 50 R&B songs list? Did Stevie Wonder deserve #1, and which of your favorite songs got snubbed? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!