R&B

This year’s Black Music Month kicked off with nominations for the 2022 BET Awards. Leading the R&B pack in three categories is Ari Lennox, who received four nods. The Washington, D.C. native’s hit single “Pressure” scored two acknowledgments, including Video of the Year and Bet Her. She is a two-time nominee in the latter field,

Festival season continues to shift in full throttle as the weather heats up. Even though events such as the Lovers and Friends Festival, Smokin’ Grooves, and R&B Only Fest have already passed, there are still plenty of options for R&B lovers. Here’s a roundup of R&B festivals happening around the U.S. in 2022 (in order

Kaash Paige wants a girl who’s not into wasting time. On her Lil Tjay-assisted single, “24 Hrs,” the emerging singer looks forward to being entangled with a young lady who makes her interludes back home in Dallas memorable. “I’m up till 3 in the morning / Calling ’cause you know that I want it /

Almost seven years after releasing his East Hollywood EP, Marc E. Bassy releases the second installment. Unlike his previous effort, which was loaded with several stars such as Ty Dolla $ign and G-Eazy, the sequel is feature free. “I made this project with my friends in my house over the course of 10 sessions. All

Caleb McLaughlin could not have timed his return to music more perfectly. After taking a woozy stroll through the “Neighborhood” on his debut single, the emerging singer/actor has shared “Soul Travel.” It arrived ahead of the season four premiere of Netflix‘s Stranger Things, in which he stars as Lucas Sinclair. On “Soul Travel,” produced by

After a seven-year hiatus, Natalie La Rose has returned with her new single, “Tables.”  On the D’Mile-produced track, La Rose dismisses her unfaithful lover, who thinks he can creep around without her noticing. Luckily for La Rose, she is hip to his game and gets the last laugh as she entertains her other options.  “I’ll

Front + Center is Rated R&B’s artist discovery series, putting new and emerging R&B singers at the center of your attention. Honesty is a two-way street. How upfront someone is at the beginning of any situation can influence the initial emotions of the person on the receiving end, whether that be for good or bad.

Kehlani’s video for “Melt” is inspired by a romantic interlude to Brazil with their partner 070 Shake.   Co-directed by Kehlani and 070 Shake, the video begins with Kehlani taking travel photos in the vivid streets of Brazil. Kehlani takes time away from photography to grab a drink at a nearby bar, where they siren a

Ella Mai visited the Vevo studios in London to perform “Leave You Alone” and “Feels Like.” Both songs are from her sophomore album, Heart On My Sleeve. Mai wore an oversized crinkled eggshell-colored windbreaker and matching pants in both sets. The Grammy winner performed each song with tons of heart and fun as she worked

UMI is a breath of fresh air and a thoughtful freshman act whose soft soul paraphrases self-reflection, love, and existence with such delight. What comes out of all this is Forest in the City, her debut album and third project overall for Keep Cool/RCA Records.  As ever, UMI’s downy voice is beautiful and lulling, a

Arin Ray‘s first album of new material in four years has a title, official cover artwork, and release date. Hello Poison will release June 3 via Interscope Records. It is the follow-up to the rising singer’s debut album, Platinum Fire, which was released in March 2018 and later upgraded to a deluxe suite that December.

As one of the world’s most popular rappers, Lil Baby uses his credibility and star power to endorse an R&B upstart destined for big things. R&B newcomer Chalynn has signed to the Grammy winner’s label, 4PF (Four Pockets Full), and is the first R&B act on the roster.  Following her signing, Chalynn has released her debut

T-Pain and Kehlani share a gold award from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). “I Like Dat,” released as a standalone collaboration last May, has been certified gold with more than 500,000 equivalent units sold.  The achievement marked a couple of notable firsts for the rapper-turnt-sanga. It’s T-Pain’s first certified release under his imprint, Nappy Boy

K. Michelle’s current single “Scooch” has checked in at No. 10 on the R&B radio chart. The make-out jam is the singer-songwriter’s first song to fill a top 10 position since the New Edition-inspired “The Rain” in February 2020. Released days ahead of Valentine’s Day, “Scooch” marked a direct yearning in K. Michelle’s voice that

Mahalia is back. The Grammy-nominated singer has released her new EP, Letter To Ur Ex, via Atlantic Records. The five-track project includes the previously released songs “Whatever Simon Says,” “In The Club” and the title track. On “Forever,” produced by GRADES, Mahalia shows how devoted she is when she’s in a relationship but isn’t interested in

Ravyn Lenae’s moment is now. The emerging singer-songwriter has released her debut album, Hypnos, her first project since 2018’s Crush EP. Hypnos is left-field R&B at its best, consisting of 16 songs, four of which have cameos from other artists of the same caliber. Those upstarts include Steve Lacy, Fousheé, Smino and Mereba. The first featured

You can count on one hand how many albums Maxwell has released in his faithful music tenure, which is now in its fourth decade. Think back to April 2, 1996. The irony of a 23-year-old Maxwell releasing Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, his glorious debut album, on the birthday of one of his biggest influences Marvin

Mary J. Blige continues to collect her well-deserved flowers in 2022. The reigning Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is featured on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022 list. She joins a range of prominent public figures, including Issa Rae, Jazmine Sullivan, Oprah Winfrey, Quinta Brunson and Zendaya.  Edward Felsenthal, TIME’s editor-in-chief and CEO, said, “Our

Fousheé is determined to convince herself that all is well. The extreme volume of chaotic rock roars planted in between the half-whispered vocals and lines of deception on her new single “I’m Fine” would beg to differ. She softly sings, “I am fine / I swear I don’t mind / Sticks and stones to curb

Iman Omari may be breaking some male code on his new song “All They Wanna Do,” co-written and produced by K, Le Maestro. It begins with a thick bass before Omari anxiously awaits to jump into like a game of double-dutch to present his case on why he’s not like other men. He asserts that