It's missing nowadays. Everyone topping the charts in hip-hop or R&B is a solo act. Back in the day, groups ruled the charts. When did this shift happen, IYO?

More money as a solo artist

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Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks

Geto Boys, Poison Clan, UGK, Eightball & MJG, OutKast, Goodie Mob

It's pretty much what Nick said.

Rest In Peace, Bad News Brown

all R&B vocal Groups they are looking for that break out solo cat
and now after B2k that was the last run unless you say Pretty Ricky but none of those turkeys gonna see a Bobby Valentino solo run

mistermaxxx R.Kelly, Michael Jackson,Stevie wonder,Rick James,Marvin Gaye,El Debarge, Barry WHite Lionel RIchie,Isleys EWF,Lady T.,Kid creole and coconuts,the crusaders,kc sunshine band,bee gees,jW,sd,NE,JB

Miami Heat, New York Yankees,buffalo bills

contractually. Once labels convinced artists there was more money in it for solo artists that was it. You would think it would also be less of a risk to sign solo acts, but labels don't care when they can just use an artist or group as a tax shelter anyway so it doesn't matter.

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CHOP-THESE-BITCHES!!!!
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Garhart Ivanhoe Poppwell
Un-OK'd moderator for The Lesson and Make The Music (yes, I do's work up in here, and in your asscrease if you run foul of this

w/the rise of synthesizers and the death of live instruments. bands that originally had like 10 or 12 members blowing on horns and banging on percussion among other things now only needed maybe 3 to 5 members tickling keys on synths. plus record sales dipped and promotional costs increased and that meant less money from royalties. the pie is smaller - why split it in 10 or 12 slices when it can be split in 3 to 5 slices? so bands tended to cut members.

then came Prince and there was already Stevie before him - the rise of the one-man band. w/new technology it became easier for musicians who were able to play multiple instruments (especially on synthesizers and drum machines) to go solo. why form a group or remain in a group if one person can handle all of the heavy lifting formerly handled by others? plus - that pie is still smaller than it was in the 70s...why split it 3 or 5 ways when one person can just have it all? so acts that formerly might've formed bands tended to emerge as solo acts and groups that'd dwindled to 3 to 5 members were splitting up.

that trend continued through the 90s - especially as new technology and audience taste made it possible for these new solo acts to record in their bedrooms or in non-traditional studios. and also, producers became more likely to handle instrumentation themselves w/o relying on a house band or other studio musicians. multi-tracking technology made it possible for solo acts to even record backing vocals w/o calling in extra vocalists or having a group singing behind them. plus all that doo-woppy vocal shit fell out of favor w/audiences. so there was no need for an act to have anyone behind them at all!

these days it seems the solo act can either play all the instruments (synths) or their producer will handle that. they're gonna sing their own vocals or maybe hire a vocalist or 2 when needed. either the act is writing their own material or the producer is writing it or maybe they're getting pre-recorded demos from some songwriter. there's no need to have a group member around to handle that. it all tends to lead to more solo acts on the market than groups, i think.

fuck you.