Looking back at 2021, the year treated R&B fans to a smorgasbord of the genre’s variety of styles from classic and contemporary R&B/soul to alternative/progressive with infusions of rap, jazz, funk and Afrobeats. Just as wide-ranging were the artists who left their own indelible stamps on the year, running the gamut from established stars to promising rookies and influential OGs.
Here are Billboard’s 10 best R&B albums of 2021.
