Chicago’s very own Ann Marie makes a staunch return with her new project Hate Love. With production from Tasha Catour, Killah B, OG Parker, and Hitmaka, to name a few, the 13-song release explores the lows of relationships, mixed emotions, and sensuality. In the song “I Need,” Marie sings about and lists all the desired
R&B
With fall on the cusp, Majid Jordan enjoys one last week of “Summer Rain” on the new song. The duo’s producer Jordan Ullman and Stephen Kozmeniuk worked together on the superbly created ’80s backbeat suited for the vocalist Majid Al-Maskati’s story about how a stiff love hold pins him down. Majid sings, “Lost in the
B y Kyle Dion’s account, sassy is seen as “being live and saying whatever the f*ck you feel.” Part of what makes Dion’s new music so flagrant across the boards is he has comfortably set foot inside shoes that rightfully belong to him rather than those of an exaggerated persona. His latest album, SASSY, does
On October 8, Marc E. Bassy will release Little Men, his second album under his own imprint New Gold Medal and his first since 2019’s PMD, which he reissued a year later. Early tracks slated to appear on Bassy’s upcoming set are “Tell Me Lies” and “Trouble,” as well as the two-pack singles “Atmosphere” and “Zone.” The pop-R&B crooner pairs
Dawn Richard isn’t stopping for anything as it relates to her newly-released album Second Line. The New Orlean native has released a video for the split track “Mornin | Streetlights.” The black-and-white visual directed by Zebretta Johnson features Richard and two dancers in sync with a tight routine shot in front of a forested area.
Bathe’s forthcoming project, Bicoastal, is due on October 15, and it features their latest track, “Bolero.” Reflecting on his lineage over a smooth and airy production, the duo’s vocalist Devin Hobdy describes the song as “a therapy session with my ancestors and a love letter to the Black and brown communities that made me.” “Tell me it’s
In February, VanJess ended their nearly three-year project drought with the EP Homegrown. The sister duo keeps the era going with a deluxe version that expands from nine to 14 songs. While the reissue continues to hone in on VanJess’ collaborative energy with the previously shared remix of “Slow Down” featuring Lucky Daye and the TOKiMONSTA-assisted “Say Yes,” it allows room for
Queen Naija has announced the dates for The Butterfly Tour with special guest Tink. The tour will kick off on October 17, at Center Stage Theater in Atlanta. From there, Naija and Tink will play in major cities in the U.S., including Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and San Francisco. The tour will conclude on November
Following the details about her upcoming album Blue Water Road, Kehlani has shared the first single and its music video. The new song, “Altar,” was produced by Andrew “Pop” Wansel (Kiana Ledé, Ariana Grande) and contains background vocals from Ambré and Jacob Collier. Speaking on the new track, Kehlani said, “Understanding grief and death has been a
A new Kehlani era is upon us. The Grammy-nominated singer has announced her new album, Blue Water Road, will arrive this winter. Her announcement was accompanied by a cinematic, minute-long trailer. “Coming out of the rubble of It Was Good Until It Wasnt and into the light, on to the road,” Kehlani wrote on Twitter. Blue
Jon Vinyl extends his streak of new music with “Deflect,” his fourth offering of 2021. In this new song, the Canadian singer-songwriter is in a serious tailspin that has caused him to be doubtful about where to place his feelings in a possibly forced romance. Prior to “Deflect,” Vinyl released three other songs this year, including
Chaka Khan has returned with “When The Time Comes,” a new song lifted from the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie soundtrack. This bold and spirited number is reminiscent of a Diana Ross classic, but with an inherent vocal charisma that only the Queen of Funk can effortlessly pull off. Here, she sings about knocking down all sorts of barriers
Front + Center is Rated R&B’s artist discovery series, putting new and emerging R&B singers at the center of your attention. They say you don’t make 100 percent of the shots you take. But, for Cocoa Sarai, the stats are quite favorable. In recent years, Sarai put her stamp on the music industry, working on
Chlöe did not come to play at the MTV Video Music Awards tonight. She shut down the Barclays Center stage with the first televised performance of “Have Mercy,” a new song that she co-produced with Murda Beatz. The booming superstar’s high-energy set was filled with tons of sexy dance moves alongside a legion of rump-shaking
Aaliyah seemed always to be one step ahead of the curve sonically when it came to her music career. July 2001 brought her self-titled album, which helped take her modern sound beyond street-level R&B into the universal soul realm. [embedded content] Musically, “I Can Be,” a deep cut from Aaliyah’s eponymous, is the parent song
Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Mykal Kilgore has returned with “The Man in the Barbershop,” his first single in two years. Over a soulful production — helmed by Jamison Ross, Cory Irvin, and John Michael Rouchell — Kilgore opens up about his experiences at the barbershop as a Black gay man. He specifically talks about crushing on an
Syd has joined the stampede of artists to release music today. The frontwoman of The Internet shared the new song “Right Track,” and it has the right juice to soundtrack any cuffing season. Smino is featured on the catchy, ForteBowie-produced track that finds Syd’s sweet voice giving off lots of joy and happiness about finding
Emerging singer-songwriter DEVN takes us on an emotional journey with the release of his debut EP, St. Luke St. The Charlotte, North Carolina native runs through the different emotions one can experience romantically. On the anger-filled “Never Again,” he says he’ll no longer love the song’s protagonist, while on “Ten,” he sings of wanting to be sexual with
Jennifer Hudson is on her way to EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) status, following her 2021 Daytime Emmy win in the category of Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program for Baba Yaga. She had a voice role (The Forest) in the Eric Darnell-directed film and served as one of the four executive producers. Hudson
Call Ari Lennox supreme because she delivered a tribute to Diana Ross and other phenomenal Black women in music in the “Pressure” video. In the Chandler Lass-directed video, Lennox assumes the role of the front singer of a trio in several throwback scenes paying homage to different music eras. She throws in love for Ross, along with