re: What killed mainstream R&B?

R&B guys thinking they were rappers or just trying to keep up with the trend in the early 2000`s.

Also, women were starting to make themselves more powerful in everyday life and making it a point they didn`t need a man to make it in the world.
So the guys tried to play hard and get gritty which turned an R&B album into a Rap album.
Examples: Jagged Edge,112,Dru Hill.. There are many many more and I`m sure some very good ones, I`m leaving out.