Raphael Saadiq Rejects ‘Neo-Soul’ Label as Industry Jargon
‘It Had Nothing to Do with the Music’: Raphael Saadiq Rejects ‘Neo-Soul’ Label as Industry Jargon
LOS ANGELES — For decades, the term "neo-soul" has served as the catch-all shorthand for a generation of artists who blended classic R&B with jazz, funk, and hip-hop. But according to Raphael Saadiq, the term is a "categorical misnomer" that had more to do with boardroom budgets than the actual sound of the records.
In a candid series of comments made on Instagram this week, the Tony! Toni! Toné! founder and Oscar nominee took aim at the genre label, explicitly stating that neither he nor his longtime collaborator D’Angelo fit under the "neo-soul" umbrella.
“Shorthand for Marketing Meetings”
Saadiq, who co-wrote the D'Angelo classic "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," pulled back the curtain on the term's origins, attributing it to a specific strategy used by music executives in the late 1990s.
“Neo-soul was a term created by one Black executive purely as shorthand,” Saadiq explained. “It helped labels internally identify which acts would not require crossover marketing budgets. Those funds were reserved for pop boy bands.”
According to Saadiq, the label acted as a warning sign to marketing departments that these artists had a "ceiling" on their sales potential. The word signaled to executives that an artist might sell 150,000 to 500,000 copies, rather than the multi-platinum numbers expected of mainstream pop acts.
The Kedar Massenburg Connection
The executive Saadiq alluded to is Kedar Massenburg, the former president of Motown Records who is widely credited with coining the term in the mid-90s to market artists like Erykah Badu, Maxwell, and D’Angelo.
While the term helped create a recognizable "movement" for fans, Saadiq argues it lacked the organic cultural roots of a genre like hip-hop.
“Hip-hop was created by the people,” Saadiq noted, contrasting it with the "industry jargon" of neo-soul. “Raphael Saadiq, D'Angelo, and Maxwell are not 'neo-soul' artists. Sorry, but that’s the truth.”
A Bittersweet Reflection
The timing of Saadiq’s comments adds a layer of poignancy to his critique. In a recent interview with The Root, Saadiq reflected on the profound loss of D’Angelo, whom he described as his "brother from another mother."
The "Brown Sugar" singer reportedly passed away in October 2025, leaving behind a legacy that Saadiq believes transcends any marketing tag. Saadiq, who recently earned an Oscar nomination for his work on the film Sinners, noted that he and D’Angelo always viewed themselves as part of a continuous "Black music" and "soul" tradition, rather than a "new" (neo) offshoot.
The Legacy of Soul
Despite Saadiq’s rejection of the label, the music produced during that era remains some of the most influential in modern R&B history. For fans, the term "neo-soul" represented a golden age of live instrumentation and vulnerability.
However, Saadiq’s "history lesson" serves as a reminder of the often-invisible lines drawn by the industry between art and commerce. As the music world continues to celebrate the work of these icons, Saadiq is clear: call it soul, call it Black music, just don't call it "neo."
