>RE: Neo-Soul killing itself was fucking stupid.
>You build a new sub-genre that everyone seemingly liked, but
>since it isn't considered the same as 70s soul everyone ran
>from the name....while also making worse music or no more
>music at all.
>
>It was so silly in hindsight.....and that music is still so
>good. Almost no one even attempts it anymore....while everyone
>is saying "R&B is dead" in the same breath.

I think some "conscious rappers" did the same thing on some levels. Not wanting to be boxed in with the "conscious" label, they stepped outside that lane that they themselves created with varying results.

I don't like to tell artists to "stay in their lanes" because they're artists and can experiment as much as they like. But I *do* think that the deliberate attempts to distance themselves from that conscious "box" resulted in some subpar music. I think that they likely could've expanded their sounds without trying to ditch the label altogether, and ended up with better results.