R&B

“It gets no funkier than Rick James,” said rap pioneer Roxanne Shanté in a new trailer for a Showtime documentary dedicated to the life and career of the randy punk-funk legend.  Directed by Emmy-nominated Sacha Jenkins, Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James is described in an official statement as a film that “presents a full

Stokley is back with a new song called “Woman” from his upcoming album, Sankofa. The KiDi-assisted tune arrives with an melanin-packed video, directed by REX.  The Afrobeat-flavored track finds both stars bowing to their designed helpmate, proclaiming they are nothing without them.  “I’m a king, but I still need my rib / Need a queen that can

Before Uforo “Bongo ByTheWay” Ebong became a platinum-selling producer, he was a pre-teen with a natural knack for music. Around age eight, he started rapping. He soon realized that he needed beats to rap over. By age 11, he began experimenting with making beats. “I realized you can’t use other people’s beats, which was a

Phony Ppl is hitting the road ahead of their forthcoming album. The Nowhere But Up Tour itinerary takes the five-man collective across North America this fall, kicking off in Boston on October 20 at the Brighton Music Hall.  Along the road, the hipsters will play shows in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Toronto, before ending things

Jake&Papa is the zone with new music. The duo has unleashed a new song called “Run&Gun,” and it’s produced by Cookup Kwame.  The boisterous track finds the brother pair singing about coming from nothing and promising more wins ahead. In the process, they chin-check their haters, letting them know it’s going to take more than

On the new reflective and piano-laden song “Alive,” Cynthia Erivo sees no point in avoiding the pain of the past when it benefits the evolution. Its earnest pop&B flare is deftly reminiscent of Rihanna and features solid and wistful lyrics co-written with Sean Douglas.  “Sometimes we run away from who we’ve been and what we’ve

Genre-blending artist Tink is back with her new album titled Heat of the Moment.  The 14-track LP, executive produced by Hitmaka, includes guests appearances from Jeremih, Yung Bleu, David and more. Speaking on Heat of the Moment, the Chicago native said, “I want people to see the elevation in me.” She added, “I’m excited for this album,

Leela James offers proof that women in music can balance a great career with motherhood. On a Tuesday afternoon, the gritty soul singer, hailing from Los Angeles, Calif., kindly asks her energetic son to remain quiet during our Zoom video call. She goes on to laugh at herself after the smoke detector chirps out of

A statement album of unreleased songs by Prince has been released today. Welcome 2 America includes 12 songs taken from studio sessions of a previously announced 2010 album.  Among the once-shelved recordings, sanctioned by Legacy and The Prince Estate, is the title track, a song influenced by Curtis Mayfield (“Born 2 Die”), and “Hot Summer.” All

Fresh off the heels of celebrating the fifth anniversary of her debut album For All We Know, Nao has announced a new album, And Then Life Was Beautiful. The follow-up to 2018’s Saturn is out on September 24. Nao’s forthcoming album features contributions from Lucky Daye, Adekunle Gold, Lianne La Havas, and Serpentwithfeet, as well as the recent songs “Messy

Jacquees has teamed up with rapper Future for his latest single “Not Jus Anybody,” which was co-produced by Ayo Slim and ATL Jacob. Over a mellow production that’s laced with trap drums, the self-proclaimed King of R&B lets women know that he’s no regular guy and that being with him is a “chance of a

Vedo is back with a new track titled “Yesterday.”  Over an ominous production, he sings about outgrowing his lady love and her antics. He questions what caused the rift in the relationship, and how it has all has affected him.  “You’re so stuck on yesterday / Still stuck in your old ways / I’ve changed, I’m not

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have unveiled their second new song as Silk Sonic. It’s called “Skate,” and it’s sure to get everyone rollerskating again.  On this nostalgic stroll of gliding carefree on any flat surface, the two crooners emulate the essence of vintage soul that only can make us love again. Laced with lots of

Remember the Lovers & Friends Festival? The once-in-a-lifetime concert was scheduled to go down last spring in Los Angeles, with a lengthy performance lineup of nostalgic and fresh acts, from Usher to Ms. Lauryn Hill to TLC. But, unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the festival was postponed — until now. In collaboration with Live Nation,

Gallant has shared an explosive new video for his Neptune highlight “Dynamite” featuring Brandy. Bennett Johnson’s direction is riveting from every angle of this visual, beginning with Gallant, clad in plush bleached fit, singing atop of a Los Angeles skyscraper as a thunderstorm rages on over the city. The camera lens soon pans to Brandy,

H.E.R. has received four new certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Of the four awards, three are gold honors, including two for tracks “Comfortable” and “U.” The former appeared on The Photograph soundtrack, chalking up more than 35 million streams on Spotify. The latter was taken from H.E.R.’s Grammy-winning self-titled 2017 project.

It’s always a good day when Bryson Tiller releases new music. The trap soul groundbreaker has shared a new song called “One Sided” via SoundCloud.  Tiller is pleading with his uncaring love interest in the trippy new song about seeing his point of view after he’s caused an undue riff in the relationship. He understands his mistake

A year after Kem released his comeback single “Lie To Me,” and it soared to number one on R&B radio and Billboard, the balladeer has issued a remix featuring Wiz Khalifa.  The song’s production, spearheaded by Troy Taylor, gets a new twist, incorporating the piano sample of Brenda Russell’s “A Little Bit of Love,” popularized

The season of Tinashe is upon us. Tapping into her mystical gifts, the independent talent quickly returns with her new song “I Can See The Future.” Known for tracks with an infectious bounce, Tinashe stays true to the penetrable sound. She has her eyes set on a special dude and she can definitely see what

June’s Diary has reinvented themselves in the video for their song “Maniac.” The start of the Saw-inspired video, directed by Derek Blanks, finds the quintet caged while their captor watches them. It then switches between multiple solo dance scenes with a legendary multi-talented dancer. You’ll have to watch the entire video to see who the guest star