Black women have long shaped the sound and soul of R&B music. Their voices—raw, emotional and unmatched—have given us timeless love songs that echo through generations. Whether they’re singing about ...

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week.

Billboard has unveiled its most comprehensive ranking of R&B excellence, expanding from 35 to 75 entries in its definitive list of the greatest singers in the genre’s history. The publication’s latest ...