R&B renaissance

2004

Usher and Alicia Keys turn personal drama into national choreography while Green Day revives punk ambition and Kanye announces himself as producer-artist.

Usher and Alicia Rule

R&B returns to the throne with precision and swagger — Usher's 'Confessions' and Alicia Keys' 'Diary' turn personal drama into national choreography. Green Day's 'American Idiot' reminds rock it still has something to say, while Kanye West announces himself as a producer who thinks like an artist. The charts feel like a conversation between the club, the couch, and the conscience.

• Usher
• Alicia Keys
• R&B
• Kanye West
• Green Day

• Usher's 'Confessions' becomes a decade-defining R&B album
• Alicia Keys' 'If I Ain't Got You' and 'Diary' dominate
• Green Day's 'American Idiot' revives punk ambition
• Kanye West's 'The College Dropout' launches a new hip-hop era