Jasmin’s Five Most Influential R&B Artists of All Time

Deon Egenti
3 min readSep 14, 2021

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R&B is one of the most important genres in music. The term Rhythm and Blues was coined by music journalist turned music producer, Jerry Wexler. He is an integral part of signing and/or producing acts such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and many more. From then, R&B has evolved to subgenres such as contemporary R&B, new jack swing, neo-soul, alternative R&B, etc. So many different artists have come from the genre, but very few have been able to impact. Whether they had a classic album, timeless song, incredible choreography, or an influential taste in fashion. These R&B legends deserve all the recognition and praise for being influential in the game. I asked four good friends of mine to give their list of artists who deserve their flowers. In the second edition, I ask the owner of Redolence Essential Candles, Jasmin, to give me her five most influential R&B artists of all time.

Mary J. Blige

First of all, who doesn’t love Mary? She is one of the few artists that has continued to stay relevant throughout the decades. Her first album, What’s the 411?, was monumental. I feel like everybody, no matter what age you are, knows a Mary J. Blige song.

Whitney Houston

Who is not influenced by Whitney Houston? Everyone who comes after her whether it’s Brandy, Mariah Carey, and everybody that can SANG is influenced by Whitney Houston.

The Isley Brothers

So many people have sampled them. They are one of the most sampled groups of all time. How is that not influence in itself?

Michael Jackson

Although he is the “King of Pop,” he has influenced many R&B artists such as Chris Brown and Usher. Everyone knows who Michael Jackson is or they know a song from him.

Janet Jackson

Who isn’t influenced by Janet? Her singing, choreography, and stage presence are unmatched. A lot of people come from Janet. Hell, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and all these other icons come from Janet.

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Check out her candle business: Redolence Essentials

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Deon Egenti

“being happy is the goal, but greatness is my vision”