<P> According to Billboard, the most commercially successful R&B acts of the decade were Usher, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Chris Brown and Ne - Yo . </P> <P> Continuing from the 1990s and early 2000s, R&B, like many other genres, drew influences from the technical innovations of the time and began to incorporate more electronic and machine - made sounds and instruments . The use of effects such as Auto - Tune and new computerized synths have given R&B a more futuristic feel while still attempting to incorporate many of the genre's common themes such as love and relationships . The evolutions of the genre's production and instrumentation have spurred the successes of performers such as Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera, Usher, John Legend, Frank Ocean, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, Pharrell Williams, Miguel, Janelle Monáe, Chris Brown, Drake, Jhené Aiko, Jennifer Lopez, Tamar Braxton, The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Tinashe, Ne - Yo, Rihanna, Brandy and K. Michelle . </P> <P>--Christgau, Vice, 2017 </P> <P> Early 2010s artists such as Kelly Rowland, Ne - Yo, Usher, and Chris Brown began embracing new electronic influences while still keeping R&B's original feel . Kelly Rowland "s "Commander", Usher's "OMG", "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love", "Scream" and "Climax", Chris Brown's "Yeah 3x", "Turn Up the Music" and "Don't Wake Me Up" are all EDM - oriented . As this electronic element continues to grow apparent throughout the genre, contemporary artists like are gaining popularity outside of R&B and continue to collaborate with non-R&B artists . </P>

What is not an element in the electronic dance genre known as big beat