The Groove

The greatest r&b artists of all time

60 artists ranked by the Groove — music.nw’s own measure of renown. Not an opinion, a fact computed from the record. Why?

No. 1

Beyoncé

United States of America · 1981– · pop

9.517

Why this number?

The full board

Mariah Carey

United States of America · 1969– · pop 6.332

Michael Jackson

United States of America · 1958–2009 · pop 4.899

Alicia Keys

United States of America · 1981– · contemporary r&b 4.661

Kirk Franklin

United States of America · 1970– · gospel 3.970

Prince

United States of America · 1958–2016 · funk 3.569

The Weeknd

Canada · 1990– · contemporary r&b 2.873

Amy Winehouse

United Kingdom · 1983–2011 · soul 2.865

9 Aaliyah

United States of America · 1979–2001 · contemporary r&b 2.609

Marvin Gaye

United States of America · 1939–1984 · soul 2.558

Rihanna

United States of America · 1988– · pop 2.489

12 Ms. Lauryn Hill

United States of America · 1975– · r&b 2.250

13 Toni Braxton

United States of America · 1967– · pop 1.937

Stevie Wonder

United States of America · 1950– · soul 1.680

15 Childish Gambino

United States of America · 1983– · hip hop 1.546

16 Frank Ocean

United States of America · 1987– · contemporary r&b 1.303

Whitney Houston

United States of America · 1963–2012 · pop 1.242

BTS

South Korea · 2013– · pop 1.112

19 Destiny’s Child

United States of America · 1990–2006 · contemporary r&b 1.100

Bruno Mars

United States of America · 1985– · pop 0.972

21 Bill Withers

United States of America · 1938–2020 · soul 0.840

22 The Revolution

United States of America · 1979–1986 · funk 0.828

23 Gary Clark Jr.

United States of America · 1984– · blues rock 0.760

Yolanda Adams

United States of America · 1961– · gospel 0.719