Trying via the R&B lens, 2022 was a vibrant 12 months peppered by anticipated returns, sophomore segues, cross-genre magic and an indie disruptor.
Drawing from ‘70s disco-funk to ‘90s R&B and stops in-between, Beyoncé danced her approach out of a six-year hiatus with Renaissance. The album stepped its approach to No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200 in addition to High R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and High R&B Albums and, most just lately, claimed the lead on the High Dance/Digital Albums tally.
Talking of crossing over, different R&B artist Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights — his first prime 10 bow on the Billboard 200 — spun off the only “Dangerous Behavior,” which additionally led 5 different charts: Scorching R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Scorching R&B Songs, Scorching Different Songs, Scorching Rock Songs and Scorching Rock & Different Songs. In the meantime, unbiased artist Brent Faiyaz and his Misplaced Children label defied expectations in July when his sophomore album Wasteland debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (his highest exhibiting so far), with 88,000 album-equivalent models.
However past this annual year-end tally, R&B in 2022 additionally laid declare to must-hear releases by each rising and established artists, from Ravyn Lenae’s mesmerizing debut Hypnos to Syd’s weak sophomore set Damaged Hearts Membership to Robert Glasper’s third chapter in his Black Radio collection, celebrating its 10thanniversary. To not point out one other long-anticipated return: SZA with SOS (which arrived after this roundup’s Dec. 1 cutoff date). Nonetheless, the singer-songwriter’s first No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 — one of many largest bows of 2022, with 318,000 equal album models — coupled with this 12 months’s spectacular cache of releases, underscores R&B’s persevering with vibrancy.
That stated, listed below are Billboard‘s picks for the ten greatest R&B albums in 2022:
