G-funk, or Gangsta-Funk, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that emerged from West Coast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. G-funk (which uses funk music with an artificially lowered tempo) incorporates multi-layered and melodic synthesizers, slow hypnotic grooves, a deep bass, background female vocals, the extensive sampling of p-funk tunes, and a high portamento sine wave keyboard lead. The lyrical content consisted of sex, drugs, violence, and women. There was also a slurred lazy way of rapping in order to clarify words and stay in rhythmic cadence. Hip hop soul is the second major subgenre of contemporary R&B. It is also known as melodic hip-hop, since this music is hip-hop with melodic elements, most likely R&B but may include pop, electronica, or dance elements with it. The term generally describes a style of music that blends soulful R&B singing and raw hip hop production. The genre served as the middle point between two other hip hop/R&B blends, new jack swing and neo soul, andwhile it was most popular during the mid-1990s with artists such as the "Queen of Hip Hop Soul" Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and Aaliyah, it still finds popularity with newcomers such as Keyshia Cole, Jeremih, and Amerie.