R&B

SZA had a breakout year in 2017 with Ctrl, her landmark debut album that referenced a buffet of genres and attributed to R&B’s progressive escalation. She covered sensitive themes that reflected her experience as a young Black woman finding her way through life and love of some form. Had SZA been in control, as the

Deciding to bet on yourself can be rich in satisfaction. Moreover, this sense of agency could reactivate aspirations of a thriving future that you once put aside based on the misguided direction of others, most notably men and women of the cloth. As someone who spent their childhood listening to many sermons framed in great

Legendary singer/songwriter/producer Babyface and Ella Mai have announced their new song, “Keeps on Fallin,” which will release on June 17. Babyface teased the upcoming collaboration, sharing footage from a March 2021 studio session. In the clip, Babyface complimented Mai on her melodies and voice before starting work on the soon-to-be-released duet. They broke down the

Tank has teamed up with his manager and occasional R&B singer J. Valentine for his new single “Slow” from his tenth and final album, R&B Money.  Backed by an alluring piano and shameless bass, the sensual groove hears both crooners tossing around enough explicit orders to set the fog up the bedroom windows.  The song’s

Chlöe Bailey has partnered with DoorDash to launch a custom hot sauce. Beginning June 9, the company’s DashPass members will add zing to their meals with “Make ‘Em Sweat,” a limited-edition sauce that is sweet but also packs some heat. According to Chlöe, the hot sauce aligns with her who she is as a person.

Rising singer Josh Levi has released his second project, Disc Two. The Houston, Texas, native’s new offering is the follow-up to Disc One, released in 2020. It features eight songs, including three previously-shared tracks, such as “NASA“ and “Vices.”  The latter track was one of the focus tracks for Disc Two. Levi exclusively told Rated R&B more about

Day N Vegas is returning to Las Vegas, Nevada for a third year. The three-day festival will be held from Friday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 4 at Las Vegas Festival Grounds. SZA will headline night one. The Grammy-winning singer recently released her Ctrl (Deluxe) to celebrate the fifth anniversary of her debut album, Ctrl. The album includes

Shelley FKA DRAM could have an Edible Arrangements jingle on his hands. His new single “Chocolate Covered Strawberries” contains culinary content as mouth-watering and sweet as the treats sold by the well-known company. His candied voice is rich in sincerity and love. The foundation of this digital serenade brilliantly draws memory to a super duo

Rotimi has jumped the broom on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. “I Do,” the current single from his debut album All or Nothing, has moved to No. 10 in its 25th chart week. It marks his first appearance in the top 10 of this chart. Additionally, the wedding-friendly jam is noted as the first song

R&B megastar Chris Brown is gearing up to release his tenth studio album, Breezy. It will mark his first proper album since 2019’s Indigo, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Indigo includes Brown’s Grammy-nominated hit single “No Guidance” featuring Drake. In 2020, Brown teamed up with rapper Young Thug for their joint

Rising singer Coco Jones has teamed with Amazon Music to release an original song titled “Love Is War” as part of the company’s “Credit the Culture” campaign, a celebration of Black Music Month. Over an orchestral backdrop, Jones uncovers some of love’s complexities. “Love is war / Me against you, I know you’ve got scars

“I’m just trying to create a world for people to experience and feel something,” Josh Levi tells Rated R&B over a video call one afternoon in April. The 23-year-old singer/actor is metaphorically speaking about his vision for creating a body of work, more specifically his new EP Disc Two, out June 9. The multi-dimensional entertainer

Anthony David and Algebra Blessett have teamed up to remake BeBe & CeCe Winan’s classic “Heaven.” Their superb cover of this late ’80s inspirational has no bells and whistles to fill out the production. It’s for a good reason. Blessett’s and David’s soul-searching vocals do the heavy lifting, mounting and descending at the right moments

No one should be surprised that T-Pain is still collecting certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). While on his Road to Wiscansin Tour, the rapper-turnt-sanga’s sophomore album Epiphany graduated to double-platinum status with more than two million equivalent units sold. It becomes his only album to climb over the multi-platinum level. Released

The 2022 Roots Picnic is happening on Saturday, June 4, and Sunday, June 5, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Hosted at The Mann at Fairmount Park, the two-day festival is headlined by Mary J. Blige and the Roots, and Summer Walker. Other performers on the star-studded lineup include Jazmine Sullivan; Summer Walker; Alex Isley; Tone Stith; Robert Glasper &

The last big song titled “Magic Stick” united Lil’ Kim and 50 Cent and occupied the number two spot on the Hot 100 without a video. None of that is intended to add pressure on Trè Samuels, the newest Warner Records signee who released his major-label debut single of the same title. Nothing about the

Arin Ray is back with his first studio album in four years. Hello Poison follows his 2018 debut album, Platinum Fire, which was expanded months later with a few bonus cuts.  Among the 15 songs on Ray’s sophomore album are the glistening “Gold” and “The Mood” featuring D Smoke. In between those two songs, he

Anderson .Paak does more than dominate the charts and win awards as one-half of Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars. The extraordinary musician makes style a patent priority of his brand, displaying it through his third collaborative collection with Vans. The Vans x Anderson .Paak Vanderson Collection features unique footwear and apparel made for the entire

Each year, the structure of the Recording Academy undergoes ambitious changes to showcase diversity and inclusion as well as the enthusiasms of qualified music influencers. Its National Board of Trustees team gets 19 new and familiar additions for its 2022-2023 term.  PJ Morton, whose new album Watch The Sun dropped in April, rejoins as a

It’s a Monday afternoon and Sir Darryl Farris, affectionately known as SiR, is sitting in his all-white room and is wearing a crisp white t-shirt accessorized by two gold chains. The Inglewood, California, native’s lunch order arrives just as our interview begins but he prefers to hold off. “It’s going to have to wait. It’s