R&B
Memphis Street to be Named For Last Surviving Member of Bar-Kays
James Alexander, the last surviving member of The Bar-Kays band that backed soul music star Otis Redding, will have a street renamed after him in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, Stax Museum said. Located near the Stax Records studios where the the soul-funk collective recorded, Stafford Avenue in Memphis is scheduled to get a new name on April 24: James E. Alexander Avenue. The bassist is the founder and last living member of the Bar-Kays. Four band members and Redding died when their plane crashed into an icy lake in Wisconsin on Dec. 10, 1967. They were headed to a show in Madison when the plane went down. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news One band member, trumpeter Ben Cauley, survived the crash. Alexander was not on the flight. He...
2022 Grammys: Silk Sonic Perform “777” : Watch
Silk Sonic opened the 2022 Grammy Awards on Sunday, appropriately taking the stage to play the Las Vegas-themed “777.” Watch the replay below. Anderson .Paak donned a short wig for the performance, which saw him and Bruno Mars clothed in rhinestoned jumpsuits. Tonight actually wasn’t Silk Sonic’s first performance at the Grammys. Last year, they played “Leave the Door Open” and participated in a tribute to the late Little Richard with a performance of “Good Golly Miss Molly.” Thanks to the aforementioned “Leave the Door Open,” Mars and .Paak earned nominations for four Grammys: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song. It was a clean sweep for the dynamic duo, who tied with Jazmine Sullivan’s “Pick Up Your Feelings” for Best R&B Pe...
Song of the Week: Summer Walker, SZA and Cardi B Sizzle on Extended Version of “No Love”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Summer Walker, SZA, and Cardi B heat things up with an extended version of “No Love.” We still have a ways to go before Season 2 of Hot Vaxxed Summer is officially here, but it’s never too early to start planning. Summer Walker, SZA, and Cardi B are thankfully here to provide some inspo and light the path in the meantime with their simmering new extended version of Walker’s “No Love.” The original version of the song, which also features SZA, has already proven itself to be a hit, racking up more than 70 millio...
Beyonce Basically Queen of ‘Jeopardy’ After ‘Single Ladies’ Lyrics Used in 3 Categories
It’s one of the most iconic lyrics (and hand gestures) of the early 2000s and on Thursday night (March 24) it popped up more than once on Jeopardy. For starters, three adjacent categories on the episode were titled “If You Liked It,” “Then You Should Have” and “Put a ‘Ring’ On It,” an obvious reference that even a junior member of the Beyhive would realize pointed to Beyoncé‘s beloved 2008 smash “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” Explore See latest videos, charts and news And while just one of the clues in the category was about Bey, the night’s big winner, Univ. of Maryland student Ciara Donegan, had no problem coming up with a quick answer to the “If You Liked It” clue that read “Appropriately, for the board, this singer was the people’s choice as the top animated movie star of 2019 for...
Syd Announces Sophomore Album Broken Hearts Club, Shares “CYBAH” with Lucky Daye: Stream
Syd has unveiled her new single “CYBAH” featuring Lucky Daye. The track will appear on the singer’s upcoming sophomore solo album, Broken Hearts Club, which she announced will arrive April 8th via Columbia Records. Stream the track below. The new studio set will mark The Internet vocalist’s first solo foray since her 2017 album Fin. It features previously-released singles “Missing Out”, “Fast Car”, and the Smino-assisted “Right Track”, as well as an as-yet-unheard collaboration with Kehlani (“Out Loud”). “The album is about a relationship I had that ended in my first real broken heart,” Syd revealed in a statement. “It almost felt like I joined a club because all of my friends went through similar experiences. It was like a rite of passage. I started writing the album on the relations...
The Weeknd Set to Appear in Upcoming Simpsons Episode
The Weeknd is making his return to animated television. In an episode of The Simpsons airing on March 20th called “Bart the Cool Kid,” he’ll voice a character named Orion Hughes. Also making a cameo is Michael Rapaport as Mike Wegman. According to a press release from FOX, the episode centers around Homer leading “a rebellion of loser dads” after Bart befriends “a famous kid influencer who owns an ultra-cool skatewear brand.” Fans of The Weeknd will recall the R&B singer born Abel Tesfaye co-wrote and starred in an episode of Seth MacFarlane’s American Dad back in May 2020. During the guest appearance, he performed a new song titled “I’m a Virgin” written specifically for the show. He also voiced three characters in the Robot Chicken episode “Endgame” that aired in July 2020....
xiv and biosphere Share Origins of New Song “BLASTOFF!” with koven wei: Exclusive
With Origins, artists get the chance to share insights on their latest release. Today, xiv and biosphere share the inspiration behind their collaboration with Toronto-based artist koven wei. xiv and biosphere are getting intergalactic. Their joint project, Calamity (available to stream today, March 1st) is a 10-track journey that feels less like a cross between a concept album and an atmospheric mixtape, complete with star-crossed lovers and plenty of longing. Vocalist xiv and producer biosphere released track “On You” in October of 2021 before recruiting fellow Canadian up-and-coming artist koven wei for this next single. It’s no surprise that xiv mentions South Korean artist collective Dream Perfect Regime (DPR) as an influence — the extremely successful group has set the stage for...
James Brown Documentary from Mick Jagger and Questlove in the Works
A new James Brown documentary, produced by fellow musical legends Mick Jagger and Questlove, is set to premiere on A&E. Dubbed James Brown: Say It Loud, Jagger and Questlove will be joined by Black Thought in making the four-part documentary, which is directed by Deborah Riley Draper. The project is set to arrive in 2023 and will explore Brown’s legacy through never-before-seen archival footage and interviews with friends, family, and collaborators. Jagger said he was “thrilled” to produce the documentary in a statement, calling Brown “a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement. I have always admired James and learned so much from him.” Advertisement Related Video “The life of James Brown is significant not only t...
5 Best Moments From New Edition, Charlie Wilson & Jodeci’s Culture Tour Concert in New York
The R&B, soul and funk vibes were draped all over New York City on Saturday night (Feb. 26), when the New Edition: The Culture Tour with Charlie Wilson + Jodeci took over Madison Square Garden. In collaboration with the Black Promoters Collection, who organized the tour, R&B legends New Edition, Wilson and Jodeci intended to give fans a night to remember, and they did just that as concert-goers went home with more than they expected. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Fans of all ages filled up the iconic halls of MSG to get a feel of some vintage energy that was brought upon by some of the best R&B acts ever to grace the stage. Jodeci kicked things off right on time, running through their hits while Wilson blew the roof off the joint ...
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Kick Off Silk Sonic Las Vegas Residency: Recap + Setlist
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) began their Las Vegas residency on Friday (February 25th), transforming the Dolby Live theater at Park MGM into a seventies disco. The superduo — whose live appearances have thus far been limited to awards shows — threw what might just be the sexiest dance party Sin City has ever seen. The mood for “An Evening With Silk Sonic” was set from the get-go, as wisps of fog spilled out from under a red velvet curtain while guests settled into their seats. When the venue went dark, signaling the start of the show, the crowd roared in unison. Two screens on opposite sides of the stage flashed images of Silk Sonic sipping cocktails in a tropical setting with flowery button-up shirts, while a giant disco ball hung high above the seats. As the curtain lifted,...
Robert Glasper Unveils Black Radio III: Stream
Ten years since he kicked off his award-winning Black Radio series, Robert Glasper has returned with Black Radio III. Listen to the album below. With a star-studded list of guest contributors including Killer Mike, Ty Dolla $ign, H.E.R., D Smoke, Q-Tip, Esperanza Spalding, Jennifer Hudson, Common, and more, Black Radio III continues in Glasper’s tradition of celebrating Black talent with sophisticated, genre-bending music. H.E.R and Meshell Ndgeocello guest in the Grammy-winning single “Better Than I Imagined,” while Q-Tip and Esperanza Spalding contribute vocals to “Why We Speak.” Beyond slinky hip-hop beats and Glasper’s jazz piano, the album even nods to new wave, when Lalah Hathaway and Common offer a soulful rendition of the Tears for Fears classic “Everybody Wants to Rule t...
Cincinnati Music Festival Announces Return With Janet Jackson, Charlie Wilson, Anthony Hamilton & More
After canceling two editions due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the beloved Cincinnati Music Festival is planning a major comeback this summer with a stacked lineup that dropped on Wednesday (Feb. 16). The July 21-23 event that balances R&B from the past, present and future will be top-lined by BJ the Chicago Kid on its opening night, followed by Charlie Wilson and Anthony Hamilton on night two and Janet Jackson and the O’Jays on the final evening. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The fest will once again take place at Paul Brown Stadium — home of this year’s Super Bowl LVI competitors the Cincinnati Bengals — with a new venue added into the mix for the Thursday night kick-off party with BJ (and an artist to be announced soon): the new And...
