If it Ain't that 90's R&B

by CHLOÉ ADAMS

From the seductive sounds of Sade, to the upbeat melodies of New Edition, there’s nothing like that nineties R&B sound. The feeling brings a sense of nostalgia, really. It reminds us of the first moment we shared a kiss with our significant other. It’s the story of our parents and grandparents when they walked through the streets of the city. It represents our cookout line dances during family functions. It brings us back to the house parties during those summer evenings with our friends. It’s rhythm and blues and it’s not going anywhere.

In B.Sweat’s case, it is the source from which he pulled the inspiration for his latest project, 90’s R&B Love, set to be released Summer 2019. “Music has always been a part of my everyday life,” he said. “I had hoop dreams in the beginning and that faded away *laughs.* But once I got cut from my High School JV team, I focused on music. I was always writing some stuff and it started coming together after that. I found a mentor, one thing led to the next and now I’m here. I found more creativity with R&B.”

Brandon Sebastien, who professionally goes by the name “B.Sweat,” is a 25-year-old singer, songwriter, and rapper. He’s no stranger to this music game having worked with the likes of H.E.R., NBDY and Sharii Marie. If there’s one thing we know, he’s ready to change the game and bring back the real sound of R&B.

B.Sweat talks about his favorite experience working as a singer/songwriter. “This was pretty crazy, but I remember one time my mentor flew up to NYC for a weekend with a few different artists to work with. So he hit me up and asked me to come through a session. When he hit me up I asked him who he was working with and he didn’t tell me. So long story short, I ended up going to the studio which, by the way, I’m a huge Tank fan. Like huge. I believe he’s the king of R&B.”

There’s no question, the style of R&B has definitely shifted over the years. We now hear quieter, melodic harmonies, often associated with the word “vibe.” But, what set the tone for some of our current R&B favorites was influence from big voices like, Usher, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Boyz II Men, D’Angelo, Luther Vandross, Babyface, you get the point. So, we definitely understand why Tank would be a B.Sweat favorite.

“So I went upstairs into the session and it was with K. Michelle,” he continued. “She had a bunch of songwriters and people in the studio. So they were producing and writing for her that night. Not even ten minutes later, Tank just casually walks in. So I was like, ‘Oh, this is crazy!’ and he looked at me like ‘yeah.’ It was insane. But seeing the way he created his record and the way it just came together and the way they bounced off of each other’s energy, I had never really seen that before. He went in the booth and started freestyling to the point where she was vibing and they were just feeding off of each other. It was the craziest thing.”

To believe that R&B is dead is to believe the passion, the intimacy and everything else it represented (or expressed) no longer exists. R&B is, in fact, alive and well. If there’s one thing we can learn from B.Sweat, it’s that R&B, good R&B, takes the right vibes, the right people, and the right love. “Just being in the environment...The way Tank came in with the energy and the way they were just going back and forth, it was just crazy to see how that formed a record like that,” he said. “Usually when I’m creating, I’m by myself in a room and I’m only feeding off of my own energy, especially since I’m the R&B head in my group. So just to be in the room was amazing.”

R&B is amazing. From the atmosphere you’re in, to the creative process, from the final product of the song, to the reaction of its listeners; R&B has been a timeless treasure to our society and our creative conscious. “There’s a lot more creativity [In R&B]” said B.Sweat. “When I listen to music, I don’t listen like everyone else. I usually listen to really study what I’m listening to. That’s why I say, people like Tank and Chris Brown and even Trey (Songz) are some of my favorite artists. If you sit there and listen to the way their songs come about, lose the instrumentals and just listen to it acapella, it’s like, ‘yo.’ There’s so much going on and there’s so much creativity behind it.”

We asked B.Sweat, what to expect from him in the future. He couldn’t have given us a better answer. “I have a daughter who is two years old now,” he said. You can expect a lot of honesty in the future - especially because of her. Gotta keep it real with yourself before you can keep it real with anyone else. There’s a lot of growth that I have been applying to music and my everyday life.” So, what can we expect from R&B to get us back to how we felt with those classic songs? Maybe the answer is “honesty.”

B. Sweat's daughter, London

R&B lives on today and B.Sweat is one of many artists who refuse to let it die. Check out our “Summertime Vibes” playlist on Spotify to listen to songs by B.Sweat and other artists alike!