The-Dream Defines R&B for All You Lames and Explains What Happened to "Body Work/F*** My Brains Out"

On the day his new EP 'Crown' becomes available, The-Dream explains what R&B means to him and how it differs from pop.

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Complex Original

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The-Dream's latest project Crown is available now. The six-track release is part one of a two-part EP series that, when combined, will form an album representing both sides of the legendary singer-songwriter's abilities. Crown recalls the excellence of his first three albums; it's a return to form after IV Play. Jewel finds The-Dream performing songs that, according to him, he would've previously given to other artists. They're songs that scan more readily as pop, but performed with The-Dream and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart's signature sound.

But where's the line between pop and R&B? The genres can feel increasingly blurred, as pop vocals pretty much owe everything to R&B (not to mention other hallmarks of the genre). Complex asked The-Dream to explain what makes something R&B, and to discuss the genre's significance and the part it's played in black music. 

For diehard fans, he also dished on what happened to a beloved loosie, "Body Work/Fuck My Brains Out," and a potential collaboration with iTunes that will get all his demos to the world.

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