R&B

Keke Palmer will host the 2023 Soul Train Awards, which airs Sunday, Nov. 26, at 8 p.m. ET on BET and BET Her. BET Networks confirmed the announcement on Wednesday (Nov. 15) afternoon. “Keke Palmer is a globally recognized multihyphenate talent who embodies confidence and positivity and is one of the most engaging and lovable

R&B mainstay Babyface began the year nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance at the 65th Grammy Awards for “Keeps On Fallin’,” a chart-topping collaboration with Ella Mai. The single was the lead single from Girls Night Out, an album released on Capitol Records that featured collaborations with women in R&B and hip-hop. Girls Night Out

R&B newcomer Rhyan Douglas has released his debut single, “Last Page.” It was produced by WahWah James (Kali Uchis, TOBi), and Tarron Crayton (Jazmine Sullivan, Summer Walker). “Last Page” is an emotionally raw ballad in which Douglas processes heartache over a gentle acoustic guitar backdrop. Throughout the three-minute track, the 19-year-old showcases his vocal range

Before the year closes out, Marsha Ambrosius will hit the road for a mini tour later this fall. The Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter has announced the dates for her upcoming shows at City Winery locations across the U.S. Ambrosius will launch her tour in Chicago, Illinois, where she will play a total of four shows

Kenyon Dixon was surprised when the nominations for the 66th Grammy Awards were announced last week. His 2023 song “Lucky” received his second career nomination, and first as a solo artist, for Best Traditional R&B Performance. “This one feels different,” Dixon exclusively tells Rated R&B days after he was nominated. Being included in the same

Maeta’s current single, “Through The Night,” has propelled her promising career to new heights. The Free Nationals-assisted track climbs from No. 12 to No. 8 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, marking Maeta’s first top 10 hit on the chart. Maeta nearly achieved her first top 10 hit on the chart with her seductive track

Usher’s single “Good Good” featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage slides to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart for the week dated Nov. 18. The R&B superstar now has eight No. 1s on the Adult R&B chart, tying with Bruno Mars, Tank, Maxwell, and Kem for the second-most among male artists. Charlie Wilson

Legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire, and renowned rock band Chicago have announced their co-headlining Heart & Soul 2024 Tour. The 30-city run kicks off July 10, 2024, in St. Louis, Missouri. They will stop in Cincinnati, Toronto, Houston, Phoenix and Los Angeles. The Live Nation-powered tour concludes Sept. 10, 2024, in Palm Desert, California.

While not exactly new to the R&B pool of nominations at the Grammys, Sean “Diddy” Combs has received his first nomination as a lead artist in one of the two R&B album categories. The Love Album: Off The Grid, released independently on the mogul’s Love Records, is up for Best Progressive R&B Album nomination at

Music legend Smokey Robinson and SiriusXM have joined forces to launch Smokey’s Soul Town, a year-round channel curated by Robinson.  Airing on SiriusXM’s channel 74, Smokey’s Soul Town features classic soul, R&B, and Motown from the ’60s and ’70s, showcasing artists like Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Jackie Wilson, and The Temptations. The channel

Usher continues his chart domination. His single “Good Good” featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage ascends from No. 3 to No. 1 at R&B radio. It’s his second chart-topper on this same airplay format this year. He topped R&B radio in June with “GLU,” his first song release of 2023. The bedroom jam spent one

“ICU” was Coco Jones’ first song to top Billboard and radio earlier this year. Now, the Camper-produced track honors the rising singer with her first career nominations at the 66th Grammys Awards. Honored with five nominations, Jones contends mainly in the R&B, Rap, & Spoken Word Poetry Field, with four R&B nominations. Jones is up

J-Sol’s new single “Toxic Love” features a horn-mad partner treating him like a boy toy. The tune’s production, helmed by Butta-N-Bizkit (John Legend, Ledisi, Mali Music), embodies an Afro-fusion vibe, while the lyrics depict the British-Nigerian artist’s inner turmoil with a woman who holds power over him. J-Sol sings, ” I don’t even wanna beat

Alt-soul singer and songwriter Samoht has returned with his new album, Amor. The 13-track effort, released independently, includes previously shared songs “Moonlight,” “Pool,” and “Sexy & You Know It.” Samoht expresses his love for his partner through various emotional states, including devotion (“Emergency”), sexual desire (“Azz”), and seeking forgiveness after conflict (“Belong 2 U”). Courtesy

Eleven solo albums into his career, Chris Brown received his 22nd nomination at the 2024 Grammy Awards with “Summer Too Hot,” the lead single from his freshly-released album 11:11. It’s up for Best R&B Performance.  “Summer Too Hot” is Brown’s second nomination in this category, with the previous one being for “New Flame” featuring Usher

Ari Lennox is beginning a new music chapter. The Grammy-nominated singer announced the release of her new single “Get Close,” which will be available on Friday, Nov. 17. Lennox shared the pre-save link for her upcoming song release and shared the official artwork after the 2024 Grammy Awards nominations were revealed. No additional details are

The 2024 Grammy Awards nominees have been revealed. Alt-R&B star SZA is the most-nominated artist this year with nine nods, including three in the General Field. Her blockbuster sophomore album, SOS, is nominated for Album of the Year. The stacked category also includes World Music Radio (Jon Batiste); the record (boygenius); Endless Summer Vacation (Miley

Grammy-nominated singer BJ The Chicago Kid has served up a hearty helping of Gravy, his new collaborative album with producer Yeti Beats. The 15-track album was produced live at Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, where Al Green recorded Let’s Stay Together and I’m Still in Love with You. “This project is a dream manifested into

Ciara has teamed with electronic music trio Keys N Krates for a new song, “Fantasy.”  Regarding their new collaboration, Ciara shares, “After vibing with ‘Fantasy’ for the first time, I had good feels all over. I felt an infectious energy that made me want to dance, and I could envision myself living my best life

Tamar Braxton has added five dates to her sold-out Love and War 10th Anniversary Tour, including stops in Orlando, Florida; New Orleans; San Francisco; and Charlotte, North Carolina. The Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter shared the news on Thursday morning on Instagram. As of now, no special guests have been confirmed for the newly announced dates.