In 1992, while executive producing Mary J. Blige’s What’s The 411? for Uptown Records, Sean “Puffy” Combs, came up with a sound that focused primarily on singing over heavy hip hop production. Reminiscent of the kickback of new jack swing 808 drums, the genre encouraged listeners to dance through the trials of heartbreak and love engagement. Raw soul coming from the likes of Blige and Jodeci proved that younger singers could carry on the pain and feelings exhibited by the previous decades likes of Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, and Aretha Franklin. Down south in Atlanta, Georgia, Jermaine Dupri and Dallas Austin would take after this lead by producing and songwriting for artists like TLC and Xscape.

The early ‘90s saw beginning production take on the attitude of boom bap. The artists dressed similarly to rappers, sporting baggy clothing and oversized jerseys and caps. The women channeled a tomboy aesthetic that counteracted their softer, feminine vocals. As the decade progressed, the fashion became more sleek and glamorous: Or as coined by Mary’s camp, “ghetto fabulous". Rappers being featured on these tracks became a mainstay with the help of songs such as Mary J. Blige’s “I Can Love You” featuring Lil’ Kim, and Lil’ Mo’s “Superwoman Pt. II” featuring Fabolous.

Entering into the 2000s— and proceeding into the 2010s— hip hop soul became a throwback for the pop industry. Artists like Keyshia Cole have kept the genre alive through a rawer, more uncensored take with lyricism. Still proving to borrow from those sounds, pop music introduced more electro vibes into the subgenre. At this point it wouldn’t become unfamiliar for singers to start rap-singing on their own solo tracks. The ideals of hip hop soul also saw a large rise in online mixtapes, and eventually birthed subgenres like trap&B and trapsoul.

Mary J. Blige in the music video for “Real Love” in 1992.