Her response, equal elements nostalgic and demanding, underscored her devotion to the ‘90s and early 2000s—a period many fans still view as the height of contemporary R&B. By pointing to groups like SWV and Xscape, as well as Brandy’s era-defining voice, Walker highlighted an strategy rooted in harmonies, intricate preparations, and heartfelt storytelling. For her, these qualities outlined the style’s identification, qualities she feels are lacking from a lot of at this time’s output.

Even as she clarified that her remarks have been “no shade,” Walker’s tone made clear that she views fashionable R&B as overly distant from its soulful foundations. Her hesitation—“I almost say somebody else I can’t say”—added intrigue, suggesting she didn’t need to title one other artist and danger sparking pointless controversy.

The singer’s perspective faucets right into a long-running debate about R&B’s evolution. In latest years, artists have blurred the traces between R&B, hip-hop, and digital music, making a wave of “alternative R&B” that’s broadened the style’s sound.

Yet purists argue that innovation has come at the price of intimacy and emotional depth. Walker herself embodies this rigidity—her catalog attracts from fashionable manufacturing whereas staying firmly anchored within the confessional, soul-baring custom she associates with the style’s previous.

By voicing her discontent so plainly on considered one of music’s greatest phases, Walker not solely sparked dialog but additionally positioned herself as a defender of R&B’s roots. For followers who share her eager for lush harmonies and unfiltered emotion, her feedback served as a reminder that the spirit of old fashioned R&B nonetheless holds highly effective sway.