R&B

With just two weeks until her sophomore album Pieces of Me arrives, Lady Wray enters an appreciably toxic territory with her most recent single, “Joy & Pain.”   Co-written with Leon Michels, who also produced the record, Wray’s latest finds her putting on one of her most affecting vocal performances. She lists off the unique elements

This year, K. Michelle is determined to deliver the best possible R&B album of her career, using the genre’s golden era as a template.  In recent tweets, the Memphis native responded to fans on Twitter who had videos where she shared snippets of tunes recorded for the next album, currently titled I’m the Problem.  K.

Now that The Weeknd has released a new album, more videos are rolling out. The latest visual is for “Sacrifice,” a standout among Dawn FM.  Directed by Cliqua, the video follows The Weeknd under the command of high authority, guiding him to a white radiance or seemingly a transition between life and death. But before that, he wakes

Rising singer-songwriter KIRBY has released a new track titled “Black Leaves.” The powerful tune also serves as the theme song for ABC’s limited series Women of the Movement, which is based on the true story of Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley.  “Black leaves on the Mississippi land / And we’ve got God and cotton /

Dixson’s name became increasingly more known in 2021. That’s largely thanks to his co-songwriting and co-production placement on the King Richard soundtrack for “Be Alive,” a reassuring anthem made from the hard-won sacrifice and resilience of Black ancestors in which Beyoncé performed. The song is now nominated for Best Original Song art the 79th Annual

Givēon received his first new award of 2022 from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).  “Heartbreak Anniversary,” the Long Beach, California, native’s second most popular song on Spotify, is now certified 3X multi-platinum. It follows his trio of gold plaques from last October.  Released in February 2020, the emotive tune, produced by Sevn Thomas and Maneesh,

Nivea kicks off the new year with a brand new track titled “Virginia.”  On the somber tune, Nivea sings about yearning for a love that seems to be fading away.  “I’m left in the dark / Don’t know how to feel / Tell me you gon’ fix it / But you just up and leave

SZA has shared a visualizer for her recent single “I Hate U.” It was directed by Jack Begert and stars LaKeith Stanfield.   The visualizer follows Stanfield in a beach parking lot, having a seemingly raised-voiced conversation with a lover in his vintage BMW Turbo.  He gets out of the car and continues to express his side of the story before

The Weeknd has released his fifth studio album, Dawn FM, via XO/Republic Records. The 16-track sonic experience includes guest appearances from Quincy Jones, Lil Wayne, Tyler, the Creator, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Jim Carrey. In an interview with Billboard, The Weeknd described his vision for Dawn FM. “Picture the album being like the listener is dead. And they’re

The 2022 Urban One Honors recipients have been announced. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Timbaland, Gamble and Huff, and Jennifer Hudson will be honored. Songwriting and production duo Jam & Lewis will receive the Lifetime Achievement award for their decade-spanning career. Producer Timbaland will be presented with the Music Innovation award, while Jennifer Hudson will

Brandy is responsible for one of the most pivotal albums in music history. Resurfacing nearly four years after her sophomore LP, Never Say Never, Brandy strengthened her hold as a stylistic template with Full Moon, a pioneering masterpiece, celebrating 20 years this March. Working to refine and expand her brand of contemporary R&B music, she paired

The 64th Grammy Awards have been postponed due to concerns about the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. A new date hasn’t been announced yet. The Recording Academy issued a statement about its decision to reschedule the ceremony, which was originally set to air on Monday, Jan. 31. “After careful consideration and analysis with city and

Otis Kane is one of many artists to participate in SoundCloud’s inaugural narrative film, The Day Ones.  The Los Angeles native’s contribution included performances of songs from his debut album Purple Blue, which released in June 2021. Kane offered live renditions of “Lost” and “Sweet Sensation,” both early tracks.  Released before year-end, The Day Ones, produced as part of The First SoundCloud,

August Alsina has ended his music sabbatical with a remix of Muni Long‘s current viral single “Hrs and Hrs.”  Everything about this slow and steamy track stays intact until Alsina adds a new verse, insisting that he gains supernatural abilities from his boo’s love box.  “I wish the day was more than 24 hours /

The Weeknd’s fifth studio album, Dawn FM, will release this Friday, Jan. 7. The R&B-pop superstar announced the news on Monday morning. His announcement was accompanied by a one-minute trailer, which provided more details about the highly anticipated project. The album is described as “a new sonic universe from the mind of The Weeknd.” It will

Chris Brown is gearing up to launch his new era of music. To celebrate the new year, the Grammy-winning singer announced that his new single “iFFY” will release on January 14. Brown shared a cinematic trailer for what appears to be the official music video. “BREEZY SEASON COMING! 2022 🎥 NEW ERA UNLOCKED. PRESAVE LINK

Alicia Keys has unveiled the cover for her upcoming young adult graphic novel, Girl on Fire, which is named after the title track of her fifth studio album. The book will release on March 1.  The coming-of-age novel, co-written by Andrew Weiner and illustrated by Brittney Williams, follows a young girl named Lolo Wright who discovers telekinetic powers.

An extended trailer for Janet Jackson’s highly anticipated documentary, JANET, has been released. Part one of the two-hour special event will air on Friday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime and A&E. The three-minute clip opens with several high-profile entertainers, such as Ciara, Mariah Carey, Regina King and Samuel L. Jackson, praising Jackson and

H.E.R. has achieved the first number-one single of 2022 on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart, as her Chris Brown-assisted track “Come Through” moves from 3-1. The newest addition to her list of leaders on this airplay-driven chart becomes the Oscar and Grammy winner’s fifth for collaboration and seventh overall.  H.E.R. topped the Adult R&B

Alicia Keys is on a roll promoting her latest album, KEYS, which she spoke candidly about with Rated R&B.  As a bonus to fans enjoying the new release, the multi-awarded musician tells more of the story behind it with a 13-minute featurette titled KEYS: A Short Film. It is divided into three chapters, one of