You probably haven't peeped previous posts but...

Most of the younger generation has grown up on hybridization of r&b/rap. If you are 25 yrs old.. you were in high school 2006-2010... That means you were a kid listening to Nelly, 50, Ja Rule and Lil Jon on the radio....

Neo Soul was looong dead by then. That's their parents music. It's telling when Tyler the Creator said his mom used to bump Jill Scott...

now.. industry internally

R&B suffered the greatest from the retraction in major label budgets and destruction of a&r depts..

R&B just costs too much for very little return.

Take lets say.... errrr a typical 2001 female r&b artist... They need(ed) everything a pop artist needs... hair, nails, outfits, dance rehearsals, vocal coaching, producers, songwriters, tour budget, dancers, background singers, band, big video budget etc...

There are no million dollar budgets for beginners anymore

So... why do ANY of that.. when Drake & 1,2 producers can deliver a smash R&B song with none of that above. Drake as a rapper (pretty much) writes his own tunes gets beats/features for free (until the get released) and can handle himself internally. He delivers a complete product. Same with The Weeknd. He moves like a rapper.. small camp all in house.. deliver product for the low.

On the flip side you have songwriters and producers who used to get paid JUST to walk in a session. you could live on getting only upfronts so if someone paid you were in there. That shit is a wrap soooo you save your best tunes for big vehicle projects. If you are IN the fold you can get in on a writing camp for Rihanna but most of the time you'll only get placements on the ppl JUST outside Rih, Bey, Nicki.. Score a hit and you get in anywhere

So if you have a smash are you gonna give it to Keyshia Cole or Ariana Grande? You are gonna rock the sure fire path. So all the best songs go to the most likely to win and everyone else is stuck with scraps..

On the Rhythmic side you are gonna go with who can get on the radio or the club... so Trey, Chris etc... get the club tunes

Now

What this has led to is a burgeoning indie r&B movement that took the rap ideals and made it their own.. The Internet, Frank, Jhene, Kehlani, Twigs etc...

and thats why they are winning..