Which record executive is credited with popularizing the term "neo soul"?

Kedar Massenburg is the record executive credited with popularizing the term "neo soul." He used the label in the late 1990s to market a new generation of artists whose music drew on classic soul while incorporating R&B, hip-hop, jazz, funk, and other influences.

Massenburg founded Kedar Entertainment in 1995 and became closely associated with artists including D'Angelo and Erykah Badu. He later served as president of Motown Records from 1997 to 2004. The commercial breakthroughs of D'Angelo's Brown Sugar, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, Baduizm, and Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill helped make the category widely recognizable.

The wording matters: Massenburg is generally credited with coining, trademarking, or popularizing the industry term, not with inventing every musical idea found in neo soul. The sound itself developed from a much broader soul-revival movement and had multiple artistic contributors.

A common mix-up is choosing D'Angelo or Erykah Badu, since their records helped define the genre. They were major performers associated with neo soul; Massenburg was the executive who promoted the name and category.