Respecta.is - The Ultimate Hip Hop Portal

Saint Heron is a 12-track eye-roll at the new jacks, overseen by Solange. Those unfamiliar with R&B before the late-2011 "indie" narrative took over seem duped into thinking that dudes - not all white dudes, but always dudes – with FL Studio and BitTorrent access have resurrected a genre stunted on its own blackness. There's something to be said for artists like the Weeknd and Frank Ocean breathing new life into the commercial possibilities of what falls under the umbrella of contemporary R&B, but the widening of that lane - including the possibility of dollars to be made - brought a glut of overnight enthusiasts. It’s not that anyone can’t make R&B; it’s just that a lot of great artists who’ve been doing so for years are being left out of the conversation now thanks to breathy vocalists and late-comer producers clutching a dusty copy of Aaliyah.