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On Thursday, June 19, @PopBase shared a Billboard published ranking list of the Top 10 Greatest R&B Artists of all time. The list began with Stevie Wonder, followed by Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, and Whitney Houston, all of whom made it into the Top 5 of the list.
R. Kelly, who is currently behind bars serving a 30-year prison sentence, was placed at #9 on the list.
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The tweet has since gone viral, garnering over 673,000 views and 12,000 likes. Netizens have been reacting to it, with one of them commenting:
Many X users have expressed their objection to R. Kelly being featured on Billboard's list, asking for his removal. For the unversed, the rapper was sentenced to 30 years in prison in June 2022 over charges of s*xual exploitation of a child, racketeering, bribery, and s*x trafficking, NPR News reported on June 29, 2022.
"R Kelly ??? Oh billboard," commented an X user.
"number 9 should be REMOVED immediately," wrote a second one.
"r kelly over marvin gaye? where’s al green? let’s be fr," added a third netizen.
Meanwhile, others objected to Beyoncé being ranked over Whitney Houston on the list. One of them even questioned the absence of Chris Brown on it.
"Beyonce above Whitney is criminal," posted a fourth one.
"Where is chris brown..? Be serious," questioned a fifth user.
"beyonce over real legends? that’s straight disrespect," replied a sixth netizen.
"Stevie and Aretha at the top? Billboard really did that, honey!" commented a seventh one.
Shubh made history as the second Indian artist to feature on Billboard's Canada cover
Besides Billboard's Top 10 R&B artists list going viral on social media, the music publication's Canadian branch also made headlines for featuring Shubh, a Brampton-based singer, as the second Indian artist on its cover (after Diljit Dosanjh).
In an interview with Billboard Canada (published on June 18), Shubh opened up about the beginnings of his career as an artist, which started with writing as a teenager. He said:
"I started writing when I was really young. I’ve been writing for 12 to 13 years. I’ve always carried notebooks – almost like diaries – and that writing became the foundation of everything."
Shubh told the outlet that he was still as connected to the handwritten process as ever, carrying a pen and notebook with him everywhere. The singer shared that he moved to Canada in 2014 on a student visa to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.
Shubh's first release, We Rollin, was released seven years later and found global fame quickly, which changed his career trajectory:
"That first song made me realize something special was happening... Sometimes I take two to three months to make just one song."
For his next single, Baller, Shubh went through 28 mixes until settling on the 29th one for release. The singer said he ultimately released the song under pressure from the "deadlines," adding:
"We did 28 mixes. The 29th was okay, I guess. I still didn’t like it."
Shubh dropped his full-length album, Sicario, earlier in 2025, which has since dominated the Billboard Canada charts. The singer also has an upcoming North American arena tour scheduled for later this year.
