Like throw back soul made for a hip-hop generation that didn't produce bands - yes. Absolutely. Merging of classic soul with hip-hop.... nah b. Not at all.

If we take it as a movement official from like 96-01 with the proto going back to like 93, it was toning down the hip-hop influence of things like TLC, BBD into Mary J and Jodeci all the way up to Aaliyah Ginuwine and Missy which were actually doing the hip-hop meets r&b thing which evolved to the hot 97 home of hip-hop and r&b model.

But by the second wave of neo soul like 99 they were trying to abandon hip-hop sonically as much as possible. Oh sure we can talk about ?uest being in a hip-hop band and Dilla behind the beats and all that, but what they were making was practically hip-hop antithesis, which was actually going against the grain. It might as well have been band music which was what they were trying to push because they were of a musical talent which was above hip-hop in that it connected to those roots of black soul music organically blah blah blah...

Again for me the primary definer of neo soul would be a reverence for historical soul, and a self righteous pretension. Sprinkle in the smooth jazz, and meander a bit with the vocals and you've got it covered.

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Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." © Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."