Raphael Saadiq Trashes the Term ‘Neo-Soul’ | Joe Reacts

TL;DR

Raphael Saadiq says "Neo-Soul" was invented by a Black executive to cap Black artists' budgets, not describe their music.

Key Points

• 1.Saadiq's claim: the term was created as internal shorthand to signal artists would sell 150K–1M copies max, meaning they'd receive no crossover marketing budget — funds reserved for pop acts like boy bands.
• 2.Artists like D'Angelo and Maxwell were never "Neo-Soul" by their own definition — the label disconnects them from the broader soul tradition they're actually part of.
• 3.The hosts compare it to being called an "urban podcast" instead of just a podcast — a categorization designed to justify smaller budgets and lesser deals in executive negotiations.
• 4.The panel agrees Neo-Soul should be retired out of respect, but distinguishes it from fan-created terms like "backpack rap" — labels made by the culture for itself are acceptable; labels imposed by suits are not.