The electric guitar was ditched for instruments such as keyboards, drum machines, and synthesizers, making the music very similar to hip-hop.
Starting from the 1980s, it was infused with pop, soul, funk, electronic, and hip-hop, resulting in contemporary R&B. In the 1970s, R&B moved away from rock and was mostly identified with soul and funk. It was used to refer to electric blues, soul, and gospel as well. In the 1950s, it was mostly similar to rock n roll and was commonly categorized as such. This genre of music is believed to have derived from blues, jazz, folk, and gospel. For this reason, it was initially called “race music,” which was changed for being offensive. It was made by African Americans and mostly targeted African Americans living in urban areas. R&B, which stands for Rhythm and Blues and is also referred to as R’n’B, is a form of popular music that emerged among African-American communities in the 1940s.
