Best R&B Singers

These are the most amazing RnB singers ever... take a look.
The Top Ten
1 Amir Tataloo Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, born September 21, 1987 (age 33)
better known by his stage name Amir Tataloo, is an Iranian singer and songwriter. He was born in Tehran, Majidiyeh region.

An underground musician unauthorized by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Tataloo is "a rapper with... read more

King Amir Tataloo is the best of all-time human being in history. If you can call him human because he is more than any human. He is the champion of my generation and the greatest teacher for his society. He has brought many new styles into the world from lifestyle and music to sports. No one can even be compared and near him.

Amir Tataloo is the best R&B singer in the world. He is the best Iranian rapper and first R&B singer in Iran, and the father of R&B in Iran. The best in the world.

Amir Tataloo is the best R&B singer in the world.

2 Michael Jackson Michael Jackson (Michael Joseph Jackson; August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, and songwriter. He passed away from cardiac arrest caused by a propofol and benzodiazepine overdose on June 25, 2009. He donated (at least) a remarkable 500,000,000 dollars to charity. Michael... read more

I was blown away when I first listened to Michael Jackson's Butterflies a cappella. His range, pitch, and delivery as a singer are perfect. Not only that, but Michael can sing all kinds of styles such as Broadway, rock, soul, and classical. Did you know Michael Jackson was also an incredible beatboxer?

3 Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, is an American singer and actress, who started out in the popular pop/r&b girl group Destiny's Child. They had multiple top 5 hits such as "No, No, No", "Say My Name", "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Survivor", "Independent Women", "Bootylicious", and "Jumpin', Jumpin" from... read more
4 Usher Usher Terry Raymond IV is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. Born in Dallas, but raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee was where he lived until moving to Atlanta, Georgia at the age of 12 where his mother put him in local singing competitions all over the city.

I think he's good. Confessions is one of my favorite R&B albums of all time, and Here I Stand is great too. But he's definitely not better than Joe, Brian McKnight, Johnny Gill, Luther, Teddy, Marvin, etc.

5 Brian McKnight Brian McKnight, born June 5, 1969, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays eight instruments including piano, guitar, bass guitar, percussion, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet. He is one of the very few leggiero tenors in... read more

I'm kinda okay with Luther Vandross or Michael Jackson (who, let's be honest, inspired Brian himself in some way) being above him. But I wouldn't put Usher, Akon, or Nicole Scherzinger (who are good but not as legendary as Brian) above him, and I definitely would not put Chris Brown or Beyoncé (who are very overrated) even near him!

Love McKnight! His voice takes me to another dimension.

Come on, him and Joe are supposed to be in the top five, not Chris Brown or Beyonce.

6 Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Throughout his career, Vandross was an in-demand background vocalist for several different artists.

Beyoncé above Luther is an insult to music. Beyoncé isn't even R&B, pop is not R&B!

Beyoncé and Chris Brown above Luther? Wow. They shouldn't even be in the top 50. There are so many better singers than overrated Beyoncé and Chris Brown!

Luther should be number one. He's the master of vocal notes.

7 Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger, born Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente on June 29, 1978, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She first rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop/r&b group The Pussycat Dolls.

She has an amazing voice, enough said. Her songs don't always show it, but just listen to her live and you'll know she has an amazing voice that rivals and even trumps that of Beyoncé's.

I do wish that she'd stick more to the R&B genre though, since that is where she excels the most. Leave the pop to Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna.

She has a great voice, and I wish she had more true R&B songs to show it off. Plus, don't forget she's fine!

Nicole Scherzinger! No doubt about this chick!

8 Johnny Gill Johnny Gill started out as a solo artist in the 1980s, releasing two albums that didn't garner much attention. It was not until later, when Gill became a member of the r&b/pop group New Edition, that people started to take notice of his music and his talent. He went on to release his most successful... read more

He has one of the best voices I've ever heard! It's upsetting that people with so little talent are more famous than him.

He needs to be higher! He should be above Beyoncé, the pretentious mainstream artist, and Chris Brown, who is nowhere as good as Johnny is and uses auto-tune on every song!

9 Akon Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, better known as Akon, is an American-Senegalese singer, rapper, songwriter, businessman, record producer and actor.

I miss the days of Akon! He was everywhere, and it was great. Now we have wack singers like Ty Dolla $ign, Bryson Tiller, Tory Lanez, Chris Brown, and August Alsina who mostly sing about stupid crap and can't sing that well.

They will never replace Akon and T-Pain! The only one who comes close is The Weeknd, but still, his voice is very weak and girly!

He has one of the best lyrical and flowing songs. Konvict and Koncrete are two of his albums that reached platinum.

10 Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass was an American singer–songwriter and composer. He first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade.

Love me some Teddy P! Even if the production of the song is not that good, anything Teddy sings is magical! Luther too! He can make any song good, even if the production is meh.

Wish we still had him today. If it wasn't for him, we might not have Johnny Gill. Wish it was Chris Brown or B. Smith who died and not Teddy or Luther.

This list is just sad. How is the man who inspired all of these people not even in the top five, let alone the top 10! And to make it worse, he is under Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Drake, Eminem, and The Weeknd as well as some singers who are good but are not as legendary as Teddy.

The Contenders
11 Drake Aubrey Drake Graham, known professionally as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, born on October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Canada. He started his career on Canadian reality show "Degrassi: The Next Generation".

He has some R&B songs here and there, but he's more of a rapper to be honest. But I do think he's a better R&B singer than he is as a rapper. As an R&B singer, he's kind of like a better version of The-Dream.

12 Zayn Malik Zain Javadd Malik, born on 12 January 1993, who records mononymously as ZAYN, is a British singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Bradford, ZAYN aspired to pursue a career in music from a young age leading him to audition as a solo artist for the British reality television music competition The X... read more

He's much better than The Weeknd and Frank Ocean. Him and BJ the Chicago Kid are the best doing it right now!

For a 2010s artist, he's one of the few good ones.

13 The Weeknd Abęl Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally by his stage name The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was born on 16 February 1990 in Toronto, Ontario... read more

He should clearly be much higher. What is Drake even doing above him? He is a rapper. He is arguably the most successful artist in the world, and his songs back it up. If you think he is overrated, just watch The Hills, Starboy, or Wicked Games, and you will see that he is worth the hype.

He has amazing vocals. Listen to "Wicked Games." "Starboy" is awesome and sincere. Just like Beyoncé's "Hold Up," his "The Hills" and "Party Monster" reveal his darker persona. He should be at least number 10 on the list.

This man set the bar for modern R&B. His trilogy is still one of the best albums ever.

14 Charlie Wilson Charles Kent "Charlie" Wilson, also known as Uncle Charlie, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, producer and the former lead vocalist for The Gap Band.
15 Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. Houston is one of pop music's best-selling music artists of all-time, with an estimated 170–200... read more

This is just insulting. How is she not at least in the top 3? And she is under Beyoncé and Rihanna? Those girls are nowhere near Whitney and could never dream of being half as great as she was. "Saving All My Love" is better than Beyoncé's entire career.

It's an insult to have her listed so low. Easily one of the greatest inspirations for a lot of R&B artists (especially women).

No one can sing better than Whitney!

16 R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), known professionally as R. Kelly, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and convicted sex offender. He has been credited with helping to redefine R&B and hip hop, earning nicknames such as "the King of R&B", "the King of Pop-Soul", and the... read more

One of the greatest R&B singers of all time is not number 1 and is below Chris Brown, the mainstream pop artist? Akon, who is good but not as legendary as R. Kelly, is above him? And Beyoncé, the pretentious mainstream artist?

17 Mariah Carey Mariah Carey, born March 27, 1970, is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is one of the biggest best-selling women in the music industry, with 18 number 1 records to her name. She is regarded as a sex symbol through her songs and music videos, and she is "well known" for her over-the-top... read more

She's the queen, nobody can top her. Beyoncé, take notes.

18 Jason Derulo Jason Joel Desrouleaux, better known by his stage name Jason Derulo (an alternate spelling of his surname), is an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is best known for his singles such as "Whatcha Say", "Ridin' Solo", "In My Head", "What If", "Wiggle", "Talk Dirty", "Trumpets" and "Want To Want... read more

With his incorporation of K-pop elements, he's somewhat strayed from his R&B roots. However, every now and then he releases a song that'll remind you he is an R&B artist.

19 Rick James Rick James was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in his teen years in various bands and groups before entering the U.S. Navy to avoid being drafted in the early 1960s.
20 Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 - August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father, C. L. Franklin, was minister... read more
21 Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris, known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist.
22 Al Green Albert Leornes Greene, often known as The Reverend Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s.

Maybe people have heard an Al Green song. They just didn't know the song was his. Another trailblazer for R&B artists.

23 Chris Brown Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, he was involved in his church choir and several local talent shows from a young age. He is most well known for his physical assault towards the singer Rihanna in... read more

Given a lot of his new music isn't really R&B anymore, his older works are definitely worthy of some recognition. From 'With You' to 'No Air' with Jordin Sparks, Chris definitely has it in him if he ever chooses to go back to it.

To say this guy is talented is an understatement. He isn't even my favorite R&B artist. People will hate on him because of his previous problems, and he's not quite the role model, but this list isn't about that! He is definitely one of the best voices in R&B now.

It's odd that he's hated now these days. He used to do good songs.

24 James Brown James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. A progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance, he is often referred to as the "Godfather of Soul".

This guy is the grandfather of modern R&B and it's a shame few people even know about him. From Michael and Prince to Usher and Ne-Yo, James Brown paved the way for all of the artists we have now.

25 Frank Ocean Christopher Edwin Breaux, known professionally as Frank Ocean, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and photographer.

The only guy in the whole list with creative writing and a perfect album.

Frank has no bad songs and all great albums. Easily the best on this list.

8Load More
PSearch List