Summer Walker Speaks Out On Why She Misses Old School R&B Vibes

Summer Walker made it clear she is not impressed with how R&B sounds today. On the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7, 2025, she stopped to talk with Complex and gave her honest feelings about where the genre stands right now.

“I don’t like it,” Walker admitted when asked about today’s R&B landscape. “It’s no shade, I’m just an old school girl, so I really love just, like, all the, you know, the SWVs and the Xscape and the Brandy and the… I almost say somebody else I can’t say. But I just love old school R&B.”

Her words revealed both her love for the classics and her uneasiness with how the current sound has shifted. Walker reminded fans of a period when groups like SWV and Xscape, along with Brandy’s unmistakable voice, shaped the soul of the genre. That era, packed with harmonies, layered arrangements, and emotional storytelling, is what she sees as the true essence of R&B.

Even as she added that her comments were “no shade,” the singer left no doubt that she feels today’s records drift too far from the soulful roots that once defined the music. And when she paused to say, “I almost say somebody else I can’t say,” she sparked curiosity. The hesitation suggested she had more on her mind but chose not to point fingers, keeping the focus on her respect for the golden age of R&B.