Spotify CLASSICS: The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the Streaming Era
In February, we launched Spotify CLASSICS, our first-ever program to celebrate catalog music. Our inaugural list focused on the Classic Hip-Hop and R&B Albums of the Streaming Era and featured timeless bodies of work like Beyoncé’s Lemonade, Frank Ocean’s Blonde, SZA’s Ctrl, Rihanna’s ANTI and Jazmine Sullivan’s Heaux Tales, to name a few.
Today we’re unveiling the second chapter of our CLASSICS program: The 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the Streaming Era.
R&B went through an identity crisis during the first half of the 2010s but the genre has found its footing during the streaming era. R&B morphed into a style of music that absorbed hip-hop, pop, afrobeats, electronic, alternative, and indie into its sound, breathing new life into the genre.
“Streaming has introduced new platforms that cater to R&B fans, helping revive the genre at a time when R&B was receiving less media coverage, and being relegated to urban adult contemporary radio,” said Carl Chery, Creative Director and Head of Urban Music at Spotify.
Spotify’s editorial team has taken on the ambitious task of corralling all shades of R&B under one umbrella, and in the end, this list offers a snapshot of all the genre has offered between 2015 and present day.
Note: All songs were released on Spotify after January 1, 2015. The Spotify streams are current as of April 9, 2024.
Chris Brown ft. Drake – “No Guidance”
RCA, 2019
Spotify Streams: 1,011,146,574
Despite their status as rap and R&B titans, Chris Brown and Drake had never managed to find the time or willingness to collaborate prior to the release of “No Guidance.” So when the duo joined forces in 2019, fans finally got the moment they had been anticipating for years. And it didn’t disappoint.
Trading lines over a sleek, bouncy track that’s as suited for the club as it is an evening at home, the pair brings out the best in each other as Drake’s aloof flows perfectly complement Chris’s passion-filled vocals. “No Guidance” would go on to be one of 2019’s biggest songs as it quickly topped charts and broke records en route to a Grammy nomination for Best R&B song and a spot in Spotify’s Billions Club.
Fun Fact: Production contains an uncredited vocal sample of “Before I Die” written and performed by Che Ecru.
9. Jazmine Sullivan – “Pick Up Your Feelings”
RCA, 2020
Spotify Streams: 80,405,429
If there’s any artist who can say they paid their dues en route to stardom, it’s Jazmine Sullivan. Having spent two decades encountering her share of ups and downs, one of R&B’s best finally get her proper dues with Heaux Tales. The fanfare and acclaim surrounding its release was entirely justified.
Of the album’s many high points, it’s “Pick Up Your Feelings” that truly stands out as a perfect distillation of Jazmine’s best artistic qualities—knowing nods to classic soul, a willingness to explore the personal corners of her life with an unflinching honesty, and the vocal chops to make any song uniquely hers.
Fun Fact: “Pick Up Your Feelings” won the first-ever tie for Best R&B Performance with Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open.”
8. Rihanna – “Needed Me”
Roc Nation, 2016
Spotify Streams: 1,435,951,281
While R&B had already been drifting in outer space sonically, “Needed Me” pushed the genre to the farthest edges of the universe. Featuring Mustard on the beat, the sparsely arranged blips, distorted warbles, and chainsaw synths create an icy, expansive soundscape for Rihanna to explore with her laissez-faire delivery.
But “Needed Me” is more than just the biggest song on Rihanna’s biggest album. It’s a snapshot of a singer and producer working together at their creative and commercial peaks, pushing the boundaries of pop music and redefining what a hit song can be. Far from the upbeat, energetic tracks that typically top the charts, this is a pitch-black ballad that creeps along at a glacial pace. The song’s ambition doesn’t come at the expense of its catchiness, however, as it creates a potent combination that elevates the song to one of the streaming era’s best.
Fun Fact: “Needed Me” is Rihanna’s 29th Hot 100 top-10 hit, tying her with Michael Jackson for the third-most Hot 100 top 10s, and trailing only behind Madonna (38) and The Beatles (34). It notably became her longest charting Hot 100 hit, surpassing the 41-week run of “We Found Love.”
7. Summer Walker – “Session 32”
LVRN/Interscope, 2018
Spotify Streams: 250,211,565
Summer Walker’s 2018 debut single, “Session 32,” represented a left turn from the R&B status quo upon its release. Instead of the maximal, futuristic production that had dominated the genre over the previous decade, a lone acoustic guitar is front and center on a stripped-back track, establishing a raw and moody atmosphere for Summer to croon over.
Most compellingly, the newcomer adopted an unapologetically confessional approach to songwriting, tapping into a level of honesty and vulnerability rivaled only by the likes of SZA and Jhené Aiko. In less than two minutes, “Session 32” places listeners in the end stages of a crumbling relationship, moving through a haze of sadness, relief, anger, uncertainty, and yearning as Summer tries to figure out what went wrong.
A classic ballad that not only established the singer as one of music’s most distinct voices, “Session 32″ also introduced the world to one of the most influential voices in R&B today.
Fun Fact: “Session 32” was Summer’s first-ever release, which was self-produced and recorded at her home. (You can even hear the fire alarm battery in the background.)
6. Solange – “Cranes in the Sky”
Saint/Columbia, 2016
Spotify Streams: 153,013,700
After spending the previous six years dabbling in ’60s soul on Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Sol, and ’80s new wave on True, a creatively rejuvenated Solange resurfaced in 2016 with A Seat at the Table, an album that not only revealed a new sound for the artist but provided a thesis on the past, present, and future of Black music and culture.
Serving as the album’s centerpiece, “Cranes In The Sky” puts Solange’s songwriting talents on full display as she meditates on life’s overwhelming moments and her attempts to chill, spend, and party them away. Walking the line between traditional pop structures and free-flowing experimentation, Solange lets each part of the song softly melt into the next, blurring the distinctions between verse and chorus. All the while, the Raphael Saadiq-produced track follows a laid-back groove that never rises above a simmer, seamlessly blending R&B, soul, funk, and jazz into a strikingly unique work that would take home a Grammy for Best R&B performance.
Fun Fact: Solange wrote “Cranes in the Sky” eight years before the album’s release, in the aftermath of her break-up with the father of her child.
5. Bryson Tiller – “Don’t”
RCA, 2015
Spotify Streams: 1,224,790,966
Bryson Tiller was hardly the first artist to combine trap and R&B sensibilities on the same song when he hit with “Don’t.” But what set the Louisville singer apart from his like-minded peers was how cohesively he merged those sounds together.
Across the song’s runtime, Bryson doesn’t just flip between singing or rapping. He accomplishes both in equal measure, riding a beat that would suit Frank Ocean just as well as Future. And while his desire for a woman he can’t have is well-traveled territory in music, “Don’t” introduced the world to a shameless brand of pettiness and toxicity that would prove irresistible to an entire generation of music fans.
Though “Don’t” might not be as pioneering or boundary-pushing as other tracks on this list, few songs have had a greater impact on the evolution of hip-hop and R&B. Its stratospheric success not only established Tiller as one of the major voices in the streaming era of R&B, but it also played an outsized part in solidifying a creative and commercial lane for countless others to follow.
Fun Fact: The last “Don’t” is timestamped at exactly 2:40.
4. Beyoncé – “CUFF IT”
Parkwood/Columbia, 2022
Spotify Streams: 769,533,925
When the world emerged from the pandemic in the summer of 2022, many were ready to blow off some steam. And in a moment of impeccable timing, Beyoncé arrived with her seventh album, RENAISSANCE. A 62-minute party on the surface, the album filters the dancefloor legacies of Chicago, Detroit, and New York through an afrofuturist pop lens to remind the world that electronic and club music is Black music.
And it was “CUFF IT” that grabbed the world’s attention. Flaunting an embarrassment of riches in the song credits, Bey unites three of music’s greatest songwriters in Nile Rodgers, Raphael Saadiq, and The-Dream, who pull from the most revelrous corners of disco, house, funk, and R&B to create a pop masterpiece.
Featuring the trademark bass lines, guitar licks, and four-on-the-floor beats that recall Rodgers’s time as a member of CHIC, Beyoncé sets the table stakes from the start when she says “I feel like falling in love/I’m gonna f**k something up/I need some drink in my cup.” Sonically, “CUFF IT” is nothing short of a cathartic let-out tapping into the spirit of earlier Beyoncé hits like “Crazy In Love,” “Love On Top,” and “Drunk in Love,” and supplying a perfect tonic for the time.
Fun Fact: The song was originally meant for Tony! Toni! Toné!, but Raphael Saadiq decided to send it to Beyoncé. She initially accepted the demo but had forgotten about it until The-Dream found it.
3. Daniel Caesar and H.E.R. – “Best Part”
Golden Child, 2017
Spotify Streams: 1,292,644,962
Looking at the class of artists who rose to fame in the streaming era, few sit higher than Daniel Caesar and H.E.R. On “Best Part,” the two team up and put their unique talents on display for the world to hear.
A duet in the truest sense, the song is kept to the bare minimum as elements of pop and indie are stacked onto its R&B foundation. Over an acoustic guitar, organ flourishes, and rhythmic snaps, H.E.R. takes the lead on the first half of the song and is given acres of space, letting the nuances of her soothing voice come to the fore. Daniel then joins her, subtly raising the energy of the track until it reaches its crescendo on the refrain, with the two pleading for the affection of a lover.
“Best Part” represents much more than a massively successful collaboration between two rising artists. It’s a monument frozen in time, marking the exact location where the pair simultaneously evolved into generational stars.
Fun Fact: Daniel and H.E.R. made “Best Part” in the studio the very first day they met.
2. Frank Ocean – “Pink + White”
Boys Don’t Cry, 2016
Spotify Streams: 1,194,418,867
When Frank Ocean released Blonde in 2016, he had already established himself as R&B’s leading auteur. With releases like Nostalgia, Ultra, and Channel Orange to his name, he had an army of devoted fans willing to follow him to the fringes of the musical landscape. And Frank took full advantage of this creative freedom on his 2016 landmark album, leading his faithful followers into the outer realms, where the boundaries separating genres cease to exist.
It’s the Pharrell Williams-produced “Pink + White” that stands out as the gold standard for R&B experimentation. In the context of the album it sets the tone for the album’s blurry approach, anchoring the many free-flowing songs that follow. On its own, the song thrives on creative tension as Frank toes the line between structureless songwriting and pop formalism, navigating the conceptual divide with an uncanny confidence.
Most importantly, “Pink + White” heralded a sea change—one where R&B’s biggest stars would step beyond accepted conventions and discover possibilities that pushed the genre forward into a new era.
Fun Fact: “Pink + White” is Frank Ocean’s most-streamed Spotify song of all time with over 1 billion streams.
1. SZA – “Snooze”
Top Dawg Entertainment/RCA, 2023
Spotify Streams: 886,508,230
Following up a creative and commercial achievement like Ctrl is no easy feat, but when SZA released her long-awaited follow-up, SOS, she made it look like a walk in the park. Coincidentally, the song also sounds like a walk in the park in the best way.
Building on the far-reaching scope of her previous album, SZA reaches new heights on the sun-drenched single “Snooze.” True to the song’s title, the production carries a drowsy air, with slack, blues-inspired guitar licks and a beat that’s softer than a down pillow. With the legendary Babyface signed on as producer and cowriter, his sixth sense for hit-making lends a songwriting polish to the track that never compromises SZA’s most unique attribute: her voice.
Despite the fact that she’s usually surrounded by exquisite production work, SZA’s vocals rarely fail to steal the show of any track she blesses. And on “Snooze,” as she coos about the importance of not sleeping on the love of her life (figuratively speaking), music and lyrics intertwine harmoniously. Even while delivering one of her more restrained performances in recent memory, SZA’s voice stands apart.
In the context of R&B’s elite, it’s this precise quality that—creatively—puts SZA head and shoulders above the pack, and a huge reason why “Snooze” sits alone as the greatest R&B song of the streaming era.
Fun Fact: “Snooze” peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the only song that spent all of 2023 charting there. It also won a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 2024.