Forbes Crowns Erykah Badu the Greatest R&B Artist of All Time / Omits Megastars Like MJ, Whitney, Aretha, Prince, R.Kelly, Luther, Chris Brown, and Beyonce from the List

Has American business and finance magazine Forbes written a critical check it can’t cash? R&B enthusiasts sure seem to think so!

The money mag took a break from counting coins to counting down the “25 Greatest R&B Artists of All Time,” a list that saw Queen of NeoSoul Erykah Badu crowned its reigning monarch.

And while expected names like Anita Baker, Sade, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Mariah Carey, and Brandy all made the cut (albeit in arguable positions and mostly below relative newcomer SZA), readers were stunned to see some of music history’s biggest names omitted.

See who inside.

Taking to press recently, Forbes rolled out its list of 25 Greatest R&B Acts ever – a tally that includes names like Queen of Rock Tina Turner as well as TLC, SWV, En Vogue, Brownstone, Al Green, and Frank Ocean.

And while not clarifying if the rankings’ criteria was anything more than editorial opinion, the count was still enough to get tongues wagging – namely from the fanbases of absent stars like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Toni Braxton, R. Kelly, Ray Charles, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Luther Vandross, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Chris Brown, Prince, Patti LaBelle, Monica, and many other game-changing acts of the genre.

Forbes’ Top 10 R&B Artists of All Time

Erykah Badu

D’Angelo

Mary J. Blige

Sade

SZA

Frank Ocean

Aaliyah

Usher

TLC

Mariah Carey

Chatter around the list exploded on social media – a conversation exacerbated by a recent weigh in from ‘The Breakfast Club’ (seen above).