R&B

Amazon Music’s Originals series has returned with its annual focus on holiday music. Grammy-nominated British singer and songwriter Jorja Smith is among the artists contributing to its growing list of festive tunes. Smith uses her enchanting voice to update U.K. boy band East 17’s “Stay Another Day,” first released in 1994 and featured on their

Chlöe has collaborated with Amazon Music to release two faithful renditions of holiday classics for its Originals series. As part of the seasonal campaign, the Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter gives “Merry Christmas Baby,” popularized by Otis Redding, a new spin. The festive song will receive more attention as it’s featured in the opening credits of

J. Brown’s current single “My Whole Heart” has logged a third consecutive week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. “My Whole Heart” is now the longest-running chart-topper this year for SoNo Recording Group (SRG/ILS), the independent label founded by Claude Villani. Previously, the song, co-produced by Carvin Haggins and Giancarlo “EVO” Evola,

New Edition has announced their residency at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The legendary R&B group — Ricky Bell, Bobby Brown, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill, and Ralph Tresvant — will begin their residency on Feb. 28, 2024. Their six-show experience will conclude March 9, 2024.  Artist presale begins

Rising R&B singer Kayla Brianna has unleashed her sultry new song, “Down.” On the self-penned track, Brianna invites her love interest into the bedroom for an intimate session between the sheets. “Boy, come and meet me by this bed / And baby lay me down, down, down,” she sings over a smooth production. “Down” is

Goapele is a synesthete. “I see colors along with sounds and words,” the singer and songwriter tells Rated R&B. “They’re associated naturally in my mind. Sometimes, when I am writing or working with producers, and notes come together in a certain way, it’s visually harmonious for me. That’s part of my songwriting process. It was

Muni Long’s rising single “Made For Me” is still going strong. The romantic tune has landed at No. 7 at R&B radio this week, marking her third top 10 hit on the format. Long previously appeared in the top 10 in fall 2022 on “Honey,” her duet from John Legend’s album, LEGEND. Long debuted as

With Chris Brown’s 11th album, 11:11 set to drop Nov. 11, the R&B star has revealed the official tracklist.  11:11 will consist of an A-side and a B-side with 11 tracks each. Side A will include Brown’s latest single “Sensational” featuring Davido and Lojay. The R&B-Afrobeats-tinged tune debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales and

Muni Long has scored a new top 10 hit on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart with “Made For Me.” The lovestruck song moves from No. 13 to No. 9 in its fifth chart week (Nov. 11). It’s Long’s first top 10 hit on this chart since September 2022. “Made For Me” debuted at No. 27

Emerging R&B group WanMor has released a festive track, “This Holiday,” produced by Troy Taylor and written by Jabreh Shaw. Taylor shared on Instagram, “Anytime I get to do harmonies, bridges and modulations I’m super excited and what better artists to do it with than my guys Sheeeeeesh!!! CLASSIC!!!!”  On the heartwarming tune, the brotherly

Emerging singer-songwriter UMI has dropped her latest offering, “why don’t we go,” alongside the official visualizer. On the flirtatious track, UMI wastes no time exploring a new autumn fling in and out of their clothes. She can only show them this thrill when they’re alone. “I met you on a Sunday / And made love

Progressive soul duo Black Pumas has returned with their sophomore album, Chronicles of a Diamond, via ATO Records. The thrilling 10-track offering includes the undeniable standout single “More Than a Love Song,” plus the previously shared “Mrs. Postman,” “Angel” and “Ice Cream (Pay Phone).”  The former song and lead single reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult

Rising soul singer Devon Gilfillian was the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live last Wednesday night (Nov. 1).  The Grammy-nominated crooner performed “Love You Anyway,” the title track to his sophomore album, released in April. Rocking a light blue tropical blazer with matching pants, Gilfillian delivered a soul-stirring rendition of his empowering song.  “Love You

Toronto-based duo Majid Jordan has returned with their fourth studio album, Good People, via OVO Sound. Leading to the album’s release, the R&B duo — consisting of vocalist Majid Al Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman — dropped three tracks from the set that have since accumulated over five million streams on Spotify, including the Naomi

Eric Bellinger is on a roll. A week after releasing a new remix, the Grammy-nominated singer comes even harder with a new song called “All For Me.” The track was co-produced by Hitmaka, Nonstop Da Hitman and Bass Charity. “All For Me” hears Bellinger trying to win back a former flame, hoping to rekindle their

Brandy, SZA and Teyana Taylor are among the artists who will receive special awards at the second annual Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala, powered by Femme It Forward, a women-led music and entertainment company. The ceremony will be held Friday, Nov. 10, in Los Angeles, California. The celebration will honor “some of the biggest and

Grammy-winning musician Robert Glasper has released his first holiday project, In December, via Loma Vista Recordings.  The 30-minute set, available exclusively on Apple Music, includes guest appearances from vocalists Andra Day, Alex Isley, PJ Morton, Sevyn Streeter, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Cynthia Erivo and The Baylor Project. In December includes reimagined versions of holiday classics like

Queen Naija has received a new certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her deluxe debut album, Missunderstood…Still, has reached gold status in the U.S. with over 500,000 equivalent units sold. It’s her second project to achieve gold certification, following her 2018 self-titled debut EP, which was certified in November 2020. Missunderstood…Still was

Q Marsden has dropped his new EP, Hello, Everyday Changes, via Boy Meets Euphoria/Columbia Records. The three-pack set was led by the previously shared “Hello.”  He co-directed the official black-and-white video with Serr for the latter self-produced track and uploaded it on YouTube. The other two tracks, “Everyday” and “Changes,” were also written and produced

Terrace Martin and Alex Isley’s new joint project, I Left My Heart In Ladera, is now a top 10 record on Billboard. The collaborative EP debuts at No. 2 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart this week, led by Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me. It is Martin’s 11th appearance on this chart, while it