Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kedar Massenburg coined the term neo soul in the late 1990s to sell a specific sound to the public. He established Kedar Entertainment Inc. in 1995 to release recordings that would eventually define the genre.
Me'Shell NdegéOcello's 1993 debut album Plantation Lullabies is often credited as the first shot in the neo soul movement. Tony! Toni! Toné!'s 1993 album Sons of Soul sparked a soul music revival that opened the door for a new generation of singers.
D'Angelo released Brown Sugar in 1995, Maxwell followed with Urban Hang Suite in 1996, and Erykah Badu released Baduizm in 1997. The movement reached its peak with Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998.
The group consisted of artists such as D'Angelo, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Mos Def, Common, James Poyser, J Dilla, and Q-Tip. They developed through the production work of The Roots' drummer and producer Questlove.
Neo soul became a haven for female voices who challenged the marginalized presence of women in mainstream hip hop and R&B. Artists like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Macy Gray, Angie Stone, and Alicia Keys created a distinct space for women to express themselves beyond the constraints of the mainstream industry.
Neo soul acts in the 2010s and 2020s included Tyler, The Creator, Fitz and the Tantrums, Mayer Hawthorne, and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. By 2019, journalists highlighted artists like Steve Lacy, Mahalia, and Adrian Daniel who were on the precipice of pushing neo soul forward into its third decade.