R&B

Emerging singer Chase Shakur has released It’s Not You, It’s Me, his debut effort for Def Jam Recordings. It’s the sequel to his 2022 EP, It’ll Be Fine. It’s Not You, It’s Me includes the previously shared tracks “Sink or Swim,” co-produced by Arsenio Archer and Deputy, and “X’s N O’s.”  “Cascade Road” feels loathsome,

Victoria Monét has announced Jaguar II will release Aug. 25 via RCA Records. It’s the second and final installment in Monét’s Jaguar series; the first was released in August 2020. The announcement includes official artwork and links for pre-ordering and pre-adding on various music retailers and streaming platforms. Jaguar II will contain 11 tracks. So

Patti LaBelle will honor the late Tina Turner at the 2023 BET Awards, according to BET.com. The ceremony is set to air live Sunday, June 25, at 8 p.m. ET. It has not yet been announced whether LaBelle will lead the tribute alone or be accompanied by other guests. Turner passed away at 83 due

Angie Stone has unveiled the video for “Love The Feeling,” which is featured on her recently released album, Love Language. The Charles West-directed video shows Stone at a grown and sexy gathering, where she is the main attraction, as couples groove to the sound of her sophisticated voice. “This video was inspired by the infectious

Camper has a new project on the way. In an exclusive interview with Rated R&B, the Grammy-winning producer and songwriter revealed details about his upcoming compilation album titled Campilation.  “I have all the R&B artists I love that’s my family on the album together. [The album is] like what DJ Khaled did with hip-hop, but this

Corinne Bailey Rae has unveiled the dates for her headlining tour. The North American leg kicks off Sept. 5 in Long Island, New York, at Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University. From there, the English singer/songwriter will play in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago and New Orleans. Bailey Rae will wrap up the

Mary J. Blige has reconnected with Grammy-winning songwriter and vocal producer Kuk Harrell in the studio. Harrell posted a picture of the two of them smiling in the lounge. “Always an honor and always grateful to be able to do what I do with the level of artist that I’m blessed to be allowed to

Janelle Monáe has achieved her third consecutive top five debut on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. Her new album The Age of Pleasure opens at No. 2 with 19,000 equivalent units sold.  It’s Monáe’s second set to open at No. 2, as her 2013 album, The Electric Lady, launched at No. 2 with 47,000 copies

Ambré is everywhere. Following the release of her new EP, who’s loving you?, she visited NPR headquarters to perform for its Tiny Desk Concert series in celebration of Black Music Month. During the 18-minute set, Ambré and her band played three tracks from her 2022 EP, 3000°, which included the No. 1 single “I’m Baby.”

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has unveiled the honorees for its 46th Kennedy Center Honors, set for Dec. 3 in Washington, D.C. Music icon Dionne Warwick is among the five recipients to be celebrated at the annual event. Highlighting notables across entertainment fields who’ve had lifetime artistic achievements, the 2023 class

Phabo has announced his headlining Don’t Get Too Cozy Tour, which kicks off Sept. 6 at Valley Bar in Phoenix, Arizona. From there, the tour will stretch across North American territories, including Houston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Denver, and San Francisco, before wrapping its first leg on Oct. 13 at Echoplex in Los Angeles, California.

The nominations for the 2023 BET Awards arrived earlier this month. Beyoncé, Chris Brown, and SZA were the top nominees among R&B artists, each receiving four nominations, including Album of the Year. Coco Jones, who is performing this year, isn’t far behind with three nominations, while FLO netted two nods. Rated R&B has compiled 15

R&B singer SiR has teamed up with rapper D Smoke for a new bop titled “Work Hard Play Hard.” Arriving just in time for the summer season, “Work Hard Play Hard” is a fresh anthem that hears the SiR and D Smoke celebrating the fruits of their labor — and they encourage everyone else to

It’s a Tuesday afternoon, and Darhyl Camper, eponymously known as Camper, is happily celebrating his fourth consecutive week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart with Coco Jones’ breakout song “ICU.” He produced the piano-laden track for her debut EP, What I Didn’t Tell You (Deluxe), released in 2022. While working on “ICU,”

It’s the first day of summer, and what better way to kick off the new season than with some fresh music? Rest assured, Raheem DeVaughn is back with his new EP, The Summer of Love, via New Era Soul Records/DMG. The Summer of Love is as warm and passionate as the title suggests. The 12-track project, half

The wait is over. Monica’s long-awaited radio show, MoTalk, is launching on Apple Music on Saturday, June 24, at 3 p.m. ET. Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal will appear as the first guest. The logline states that in the first episode, O’Neal will reveal his top picks for songs, share his views on treating

Hip-hop soul legend Musiq Soulchild and emerging singer/songwriter Destin Conrad have linked up for a new song, “To This Day,” for Spotify’s Are & Be playlist to celebrate Black Music Month. “To This Day” is blatantly nostalgic yet progressive, finding the two crooners detailing their toxic experiences with an interest that is not good for

Kiana Ledé has unveiled the dates for her headlining Grudges Tour.  The upcoming trek kicks off Sept. 5 at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, Colorado. From there, Ledé will play across the U.S. and Canada, hitting cities such as Vancouver, Los Angeles, Houston, Toronto, Baltimore and Nashville.  The tour will conclude Oct. 12 at Park West

Emerging singer Idman has announced that her debut project, Risk, releases July 14 via Artista Records. “I’m so excited to tell this story in full, contextualized and all,” says Idman. “I’m honored to get to have this body of work be my introduction to folks – it all happened in the exact right way and

Singer Normani has teased the release of her new single “Candy Paint,” partnering with Bose, a premium audio solutions company, to promote it. Normani discussed her creative process in a one-minute ad, emphasizing her pursuit of perfection in all aspects of her work, including music and choreography for the accompanying visuals. Throughout the ad, she