Beyoncé Tops Whitney, MJ Falls Short of No. 1 in Billboard’s R&B Ranking

Stevie Wonder receives a standing ovation from President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and an all-star crowd during a 2011 White House Motown tribute. This week, Billboard named Wonder the greatest R&B singer of all time, topping a list that includes legends like Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé and Marvin Gaye. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Billboard just dropped its list of the 75 greatest R&B singers of all time — and if you grew up memorizing liner notes, taping quiet storm sets off the radio, or debating who hit harder between Luther and Marvin, this one’s for you.

Crowned at No. 1 is Stevie Wonder, the blind boy genius turned cultural architect whose sound helped define R&B, soul, and pop for over 60 years. Billboard calls him “pure creative mastery,” but most fans already had him carved into Mount Rushmore status decades ago.

Right behind him at No. 2 is the eternal Queen, Aretha Franklin. Whether from the pulpit or the protest line, Aretha’s voice changed lives and demanded R-E-S-P-E-C-T at every turn.

The top five rounds out like a 3 a.m. soul cypher in heaven: Michael Jackson (3), Beyoncé (4), and Whitney Houston (5) — each one a seismic shift in what R&B could sound, look, and feel like. Beyoncé’s placement signals her as more than a pop juggernaut — she’s a genre-defining vocalist whose catalog honors gospel roots while reshaping the modern R&B landscape. Billboard called her a “vocal chameleon” who balances breathy sensuality with outright power.

Further down, legends like James Brown (6), Prince (7), Mariah Carey (8), Marvin Gaye (10), and Al Green (14) get their long-overdue flowers. Janet Jackson (13) and Usher (21) hold it down for the crossover era, when R&B ruled MTV and packed out arenas. And Brandy, at No. 25, earns her long-standing title as the “Vocal Bible.”

But this list isn’t just a walk through the past — it’s a battleground. Controversy is built into the ranking.

Summer Walker’s inclusion at No. 74 raised eyebrows, especially paired with the absence of ‘90s titans like Keith Sweat, Joe, and Jodeci. R. Kelly’s No. 9 placement is another lightning rod, despite Billboard’s acknowledgment of his lasting musical influence.

Still, the list provides a sweeping look at the genre’s evolution — from Sam Cooke’s raw emotion (12) to Sade’s velvet cool (20), Frank Ocean’s alt-soul futurism (69), and SZA’s millennial vulnerability (33).

In truth, Billboard didn’t just build a ranking — they mapped out a sonic family tree. The list traces how Black voices turned heartbreak into harmony, protest into poetry, and romance into timeless radio.

Will it end the debates? Not a chance. But like the best R&B — it gave us something to feel and something to talk about.

Billboard’s 75 Greatest R&B Singers of All Time

1. Stevie Wonder
2. Aretha Franklin
3. Michael Jackson
4. Beyoncé
5. Whitney Houston
6. James Brown
7. Prince
8. Mariah Carey
9. R. Kelly
10. Marvin Gaye
11. Luther Vandross
12. Sam Cooke
13. Janet Jackson
14. Al Green
15. Ray Charles
16. Etta James
17. Patti LaBelle
18. Donny Hathaway
19. Chaka Khan
20. Sade
21. Usher
22. Smokey Robinson
23. Diana Ross
24. D’Angelo
25. Brandy
26. Anita Baker
27. Toni Braxton
28. Alicia Keys
29. Gladys Knight
30. Mary J. Blige
31. Teddy Pendergrass
32. Raphael Saadiq
33. SZA
34. Jill Scott
35. H.E.R.
36. Maxwell
37. Erykah Badu
38. Fantasia
39. Babyface
40. The Weeknd
41. Charlie Wilson
42. Teena Marie
43. Aaliyah
44. Monica
45. Brian McKnight
46. Kelly Price
47. Ginuwine
48. Chris Brown
49. Trey Songz
50. Faith Evans
51. John Legend
52. Daniel Caesar
53. Lauryn Hill
54. Tank
55. Jhené Aiko
56. Jazmine Sullivan
57. El DeBarge
58. Ashanti
59. Joe
60. Musiq Soulchild
61. Mario
62. Tyrese
63. Anthony Hamilton
64. Ledisi
65. Avant
66. Eric Benét
67. Carl Thomas
68. Frank Ocean
69. Ne-Yo
70. Robin Thicke
71. Mario Winans
72. Leela James
73. Sevyn Streeter
74. Summer Walker
75. BJ the Chicago Kid

Source: Billboard’s Full List

Black Thought to Direct New Hip-Hop Film Aided by Questlove’s Oscar-Winning Touch

Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, pictured, is set to direct a new immersive hip-hop film backed by Questlove and powered by WonderRoom’s 360-degree tech. 

Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter is moving from the mic to the director’s chair for a bold new venture that reimagines how hip-hop stories are told. The Roots co-founder is helming a narrative film designed to fully immerse viewers in the genre’s cultural heartbeat, using 360-degree technology to recreate its most iconic moments.

Backed by Impossible Creative and powered by its WonderRoom platform, the project blends music, performance, history, and technology in a cinematic experience producers say will let audiences “feel the music, stories, and culture of hip-hop come alive around them.”

Joining Trotter behind the scenes is longtime collaborator Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who will serve as a producer. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist is no stranger to powerful storytelling. He directed the Academy Award-winning documentary "Summer of Soul," which unearthed and reframed a forgotten Black cultural milestone, earning universal acclaim. His involvement here suggests the new film won’t just entertain — it will educate and resonate.

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Trotter, a celebrated lyricist and bandleader for The Roots, is also an author, playwright, and actor. He co-wrote and starred in the Off-Broadway production "Black No More" and published the acclaimed memoir "The Upcycled Self." His recent solo music, including "Love Letter," which earned him his 14th Grammy nomination, has only sharpened his focus on narrative craft.

“I’m grateful to Impossible Creative for entrusting me with their technology in bringing my latest project to the world,” Trotter said. “Hip-hop has a rich and beautiful history, and by creating a space where audiences play a role and physically live out its greatest moments, the potential for a better understanding of the genre and its roots increases significantly.”

The film is being produced by Two One Five Entertainment’s Shawn Gee and Josh Williams, along with Impossible Creative co-founders Charles Roy and David Galpern. Jonathan Schwartz of FanX Studios is executive producing. A Spring 2026 grand opening in New York is planned.

For Questlove and Trotter — high school classmates, bandmates, and now partners in their media company Two One Five Entertainment — this is the latest chapter in a creative partnership that has already delivered for outlets like Amazon, Netflix, and Disney. Their efforts continue to center the voices and stories of Black artists across genres and platforms.

R. Kelly’s Lawyer Calls for Trump Intervention After Alleged Prison Overdose

R. Kelly is seen in a 2019 booking photo released by the Chicago Police Department. The singer is currently serving a 30-year sentence for sex trafficking and an additional 20-year sentence for child pornography. His legal team now alleges a government conspiracy to harm him in prison. 

The man who once called himself the “Pied Piper of R&B” is battling for both his health and freedom — amid allegations of a government conspiracy and a last-ditch appeal for presidential mercy.

R. Kelly was hospitalized after collapsing in solitary confinement at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina, in what his legal team claims was an intentional overdose of prescription medication administered by prison staff.

The 58-year-old singer, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, was transported by ambulance to Duke University Hospital on June 13 after allegedly experiencing dizziness, fainting, and vision loss. His attorney says doctors discovered blood clots in his lungs and legs and recommended emergency surgery — but federal officers allegedly forced him to return to prison before the treatment could be completed.

Kelly had been placed in solitary confinement on June 10, the same day his legal team filed an emergency motion alleging that prison officials had solicited another inmate to attack him. The new filing claims the overdose occurred just three days later and accuses the Federal Bureau of Prisons of attempting to kill him.

Kelly’s attorney, Beau Brindley, has called on former President Donald Trump to intervene, saying, “President Trump is the only person with the courage to help us.” Brindley says he is seeking either a pardon or commutation on Kelly’s behalf.

Federal prosecutors dismissed the claims as a “fanciful conspiracy,” accusing Kelly of manipulating the courts to paint himself as a victim. “This is the behavior of an abuser and a master manipulator,” prosecutors wrote in their filing, adding that Kelly “has never taken responsibility for his years of sexually abusing children.”

Kelly is currently serving a 30-year sentence following his 2021 conviction in New York for racketeering and sex trafficking. In 2023, he was sentenced to an additional 20 years in Chicago for child pornography and enticement of a minor, with most of that sentence running concurrently.

Once one of the most influential R&B artists of the 1990s and early 2000s, Kelly won three Grammy Awards for “I Believe I Can Fly” and scored multiple chart-topping hits including “Bump N’ Grind” and “Ignition (Remix).”