Beyonce, Janelle Monae, Solange Knowles, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson. These ladies have been the top 5 female artists in the category for R & B in the last 10 years.

Queen Bey—we all know and love her; even if you don’t, you have to respect her and her work ethic. Before she became a famous independent artist; she was in Destiny’s Child, a music group known for their awesome girl power, wicked dance moves, and catchy song lyrics. Now Beyonce as an amazing independent artist with 303 musical awards. She is a humanitarian, singer, songwriter, dancer, and wife and mother of three beautiful kids. Beyonce is someone who is not afraid to speak out for black empowerment.

Janelle Monae definitely deserves more credit than she gets. She is the most relatable music artist up to date. Before she started her music career she worked in an Office Depot in Atlanta, Georgia to support herself and her music career. she wanted nothing more than to be a singer and performer, and that’s exactly what she did. She has won 32 musical awards. She has toured with Bruno Mars and she’s known for bringing funk to her music. Not only is she a great singer and performer, she’s also a great actress. She sells out concerts, does well on the music charts, and her work ethic is incredible.

Solange Knowles is well known as Beyonce’s sister—but that’s not why she’s on the list. Solange has always had trouble stepping out of her sister’s shadow; when she finally did people started seeing her for who she really is. She’s known as an amazing fashionista; she makes and sets the trends, and she’s known for her soulful R&B music. She also has her own label; talk about being a boss lady! Not only that, she is known for sliding some lyrics that discuss issues like police brutality and feminism into her music, which get people speaking about the issue, and listen to her music; win-win for her!

Everything this woman touches turns into gold! If you’re thinking Alica Keys, you’re definitely correct! She’s another artist that is known for amazing work ethic who writes and records her own music. One of her first albums went platinum 5x over, and she is known for being an amazing lyricist and music polisher. All of her albums have debuted at No.1 or No.2 on the Billboard top 100; she’s won 103 awards, and was written the best New York anthem, ‘Empire State of Mind’ featuring Jay-z. Her music is considered relatable and touches your heart.

Janet Jackson has definitely made a name for herself in the music industry. Janet Jackson is a woman is known for her music, her amazing humanitarian work, and for being the trendsetter that she is. The foundations she’s apart of are Aids Life, American Foundation for Aids Research, Red Cross, NAACP, and that’s just to name a few. She’s very active in her charities and donates constantly. Her best-known singles are ‘Rhythm Nation’, ‘Love Will Never Do’, ‘That’s The Way Love Goes’, & so many more. Her latest album unbreakable is her 7th No. 1 album. She has won 370 musical awards. Everything she touches music-wise and charity wise become a success!

Before writing this column, choosing these women were not hard, their work ethic is amazing, they have a big influence on today’s youth, and speak on important topics, and they are definitely relatable.