R&B

Ella Mai has earned a new certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her Roddy Ricch-assisted song “How” is now certified gold, with over 500,000 equivalent units sold.  The song, produced by Bass Charity, Mustard, and Nic Nac, peaked at No. 16 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart, where it spent 16 weeks. 

Grammy-nominated singer Khalid has released a deluxe edition of his third album, Sincere.  The expanded set features six additional tracks, including collaborations with R&B-pop singers Normani and Chlöe and afro-pop artist Ayra Starr.  “Thank you so much to all of the beautiful and talented women that collaborated with me on this project,” Khalid shared in a

Roy Woods’ new EP, Rolling Stone, is a sonic snapshot of life in motion. “The inspiration comes from just living life right now in the moment and trying to capture those moments,” Woods tells Rated R&B over the phone. Rolling Stone, out today (Dec. 6) via OVO Sound, is preceded by the singles “Hold Still”

Journey Montana has enlisted fellow rising R&B singer Eli Derby for the official remix of her single “You.”  “It’s such a passionate song to me, and I think Eli really embodies the intensity and emotional depth the song can have from a male perspective,” Montana tells Rated R&B. Derby appears in the second verse of

Phabo is ready to peel back the layers of his woman’s garments on his new song “Underneath.” On the velvety track, co-produced by EJ Croft, Twelve40, and Tay Da Prince, Phabo croons: “Under your clothes, you wanna show me / Instructions on where I should go / It’s in your control, you gotta hold onto

Kaytranada has scored his second certification of the year from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). “Intimidated,” featuring H.E.R., has been certified gold for selling over 500,000 equivalent units in the U.S. The electro-soul groove is the title track to Kaytranada’s 2021 EP.  Kaytrandada’s certification comes after receiving a gold award for “10%” featuring

Mac Ayres‘ new album, cloudy, is a love letter to his past. The slow-burning album consists of 15 tracks, including popular uploads on SoundCloud such as “alone with you,” “games” and “she just wanna see me rn.”  Lyrically, the album explores themes of love, grief, isolation and self-transformation over mellow soundscapes. “This project is an homage

Grammy-winning singer Tyla has released a new track, “Tears,” in partnership with Coke Studio.  On the guitar ballad, the South African star sings about offering emotional support to someone who is experiencing hardship.  “Give all your tears to me / If you and you try and nothing works / Baby you don’t have to hurt,”

Jon B. has released his new single “Natural Drug.”  On the self-written and self-produced track, the R&B veteran sings about being hooked to his woman’s love like a narcotic. “Every time I always get reminded / When I pull to you close from behind it’s / Like we on a natural drug / ‘Cause you

R&B duo Koffee Brown is back with their new single “Simple Things.”  The euphoric groove was produced by their longtime collaborator KayGee Gist of the hip-hop trio Naughty by Nature. The irresistible track hears Koffee Brown basking in the wonders of love.  “I’m steady loving you / You bring me back to life / With

Jack Freeman is spreading holiday joy this season. The emerging R&B heartthrob has released his festive EP, The Gift, via Bryan-Michael Cox‘s Illustrate New Ideas. The five-track set includes Freeman’s rendition of “The Christmas Song” and original tracks such as “Feels Like Christmas,” which Freeman co-wrote with Cox.  On the latter velvety track, Freeman sings about

Usher‘s ninth album, Coming Home, secures him his first nomination in the Best R&B Album category for the 67th Grammy Awards in 2025. Coming Home is also Usher’s first independently released album considered for a Grammy. The album, released in February via Usher’s mega imprint in partnership with gamma., belongs to a category that includes

Monica and Brandy captured the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Grammy in 1999 for “The Boy Is Mine.” The Darkchild and Dallas Austin-produced duet, featured on Brandy’s Never Say Never and Monica’s album of the same name spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In June,

FLO is set to release their debut album, Access All Areas, on Nov. 15. Today (Nov. 10), the rising group has revealed the official tracklist. Access All Areas consists of 16 tracks, including the previously shared “AAA,” “Walk Like This,” “Check,” “Bending My Rules,” and “Caught Up.”  The album will feature appearances from singer and actress Cynthia

In a June interview with Rated R&B, Marsha Ambrosius recalled telling Dr. Dre she was ready to end her recording career. He urged her to rethink this decision, believing she still had one more album to share with the world. Casablanco turned out to be that album, which arrived via Aftermath Records/Interscope Records. The Dr.

Twenty years after his debut, John Legend is still reaching new heights. The singer, songwriter and musician’s album My Favorite Dream has been nominated for Best Children’s Music Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards. It’s Legend’s first nomination in this category. Here are the nominees for Best Children’s Music Album at the 2025 Grammys: Brillo,

Amerie is returning to music, announcing on social media that she is recording new tracks with renowned producer Troy Taylor. On Friday (Nov. 8), the two shared a collaborative post on Instagram featuring a video of them jamming to an unreleased song titled “Undeniable.” With Taylor’s encouragement, Amerie shared insights about their collaboration, stating they

It’s undeniably a season of ‘gratitude’ for Mary J. Blige. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul joins the relatively long list of new holiday titles with her latest song, “Christmas Without You.” Blige teams up with her longtime collaborator, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, for the track. Jerkins is known for his work with Blige on acclaimed albums

Alt-R&B singer Corinne Bailey Rae has won favor with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), recently securing her second award of the year within just two months. “Like A Star,” the opening track from her self-titled debut album, has been certified platinum, with over one million equivalent units sold. It’s her second song release

Queen Naija bears her heartbroken soul following a tragic loss on her new single, “Missing You,” produced by OG Parker, Mike Woods, and G. Ry. As an admirer of the ’90s music, the singer’s latest “Missing You” is noteworthy alone for its opening, which features a pitched-up bridge from Faith Evans‘ “Never Gonna Let You