R&B
What Was the Best ‘Verzuz’ Battle of All Time? Vote!
If there’s one thing that has gotten hip-hop and R&B fans through the pandemic, it’s been Verzuz. What started as a friendly face-off on Instagram Live between Swizz Beatz and Timbaland has steadily grown into a cultural phenomenon over the last two years, as Verzuz has brought together rivals and contemporaries of all kinds to put their discographies on the line and battle it out for bragging rights — from T-Pain vs. Lil Jon and Ryan Tedder vs. Benny Blanco to Nelly vs. Ludacris and Ashanti vs. Keyshia Cole. So with Season 3 kicking off Tuesday (Feb. 15) with a battle between Anthony Hamilton and Musiq Soulchild, Billboard wants to know: Which Verzuz battle do you consider to be the all-time greatest? Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Are yo...
Nick Cannon Sings About How He Wants Mariah Carey Back on New Song ‘Alone’: Listen
Nick Cannon unveiled his new song “Alone” on Monday (Feb. 14), and it features a surprise declaration to his ex-wife Mariah Carey. “This is for anybody else who is #ALONE on Valentines Day… I had to come Raw from the heart on this one,” he captioned the post introducing the track on Instagram, adding the hashtags “#Broken #Shattered #Toxic #RAW&B #Alone.” However, the biggest shock came when fans hit play on the track, and the first voice they heard wasn’t Cannon’s, but Carey’s. The song flips her iconic 1990 single “Love Takes Time” into a quavering, ghostly sample that hangs over the proceedings. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news And though he doesn’t mention her by name, the talk-show host’s lyrics seem to point to him pining for the way t...
Silk Sonic Share Smooth Cover of “Love’s Train” for Valentine’s Day: Stream
Not content with releasing an album’s worth of Valentine’s Day jams last year, Silk Sonic have returned with their new single “Love’s Train.” Stream it below. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s latest soundtrack for… ahem, adult activities is the dynamic duo’s rendition of a 1983 classic by R&B and funk band Con Funk Shun. “We love this song so much we wanted to sing it for y’all,” they wrote on Twitter. Staying true to the original version, Mars and .Paak easily slip into their seductive roles. “I’m down on my knee, I wanna please you, baby,” Mars sings. “Ooh, I’ll be your righteous lover.” Interestingly, “Love’s Train” was inspired by a situation in which two members of Con Funk Shun were unknowingly chasing the same woman. Advertisement Related Video “A tall pretty young lady...
Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige Perform 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show: Watch
Midway through a match-up between the Los Angeles Rams and upstart Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium, Dr. Dre brought out a championship team of his own for the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Joining the G-funk pioneer on stage were some of his closest collaborators: Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, and surprise guests 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak. By the time the 15-minute performance came to an end, it easily ranked among the most thrilling halftime shows in history. Dr. Dre and his longtime creative partner, Snoop Dogg, kicked off the evening by performing “The Next Episode” and “California Love,” which doubled as a tribute to fellow West Coast hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur. 50 Cent’s surprise performance followed, as the one-time Dr. Dre protege waxed nostalgic...
Ibeyi Announce New Album Spell 31, Share “Sister 2 Sister”: Stream
Ibeyi have announced the coming release of their latest album Spell 31, out May 6th via XL Recordings. The duo also shared the new single “Sister 2 Sister” as a preview. The studio set will be the third album from the soul-R&B act, made up of Afro-French Cuban twins Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz, following their 2015 self-titled debut and 2017 follow-up Ash. The 10-track LP features collaborations with the likes of Jorja Smith (“Lavender & Red Roses”) and BERWYN (“Rise Above”), as well as Pa Salieu on the previously-released lead single “Made of Gold.” On the joyful “Sister 2 Sister,” the fraternal twins celebrate their bond, name-dropping Shakira and spelling out the pronunciation of their stage name (which means “twins” in Yoruba, the language of the siblings’ West African ancestors...
Silk Sonic Slide Into Fortnite ‘Icon Series’ With Outfits, Radio Station
Silk Sonic joined the world of Fortnite on Thursday (Feb. 3) when the Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak-led duo announced that they’ve signed a deal to bring their smooth stylings to the virtual universe. The partnership between Atlantic Records and Fornite on the latest “Icon Series” will include in-game outfits for players, a new in-game “Icon Radio” station and an upcoming “Silk Sonic Cup” player tournament. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “When Fortnite asked me if I wanted to create an outfit for the game, I asked, ‘Are CGI muscles off the table?’ They said ‘no.’ I said ‘deal.’ I”ll see you on the Island,” Mars said in a statement, with .Paak cheekily adding, “When Fortnite agreed to give Bruno CGI muscles, I said, ‘I’m in. He could use ...
Obongjayar Announces Debut Album Some Nights I Dream of Doors, Shares “Try”: Stream
Nigerian-British musician Obongjayar has announced his debut album, Some Nights I Dream of Doors, out May 13th via September Recordings. As the latest preview, he’s shared the motivational new single, “Try.” Some Nights I Dream of Doors spans 12 tracks and blends traditional Nigerian sounds with jazz, R&B, alternative, and pop music. Along with the diverse sonic palette, the album also addresses a number of personal and political topics. Preorders are ongoing. The rousing “Try” was produced by Barney Lister and serves as a wake-up call from Obongjayar. “You always thought you knew/ Just the thing to do,” he sings. “Always thought this world would change its course for you/ Don’t be discouraged my dear if the doors don’t swing/ Hold on, keep on pushing.” Watch the accompanying video bel...
Arlo Parks Drops New Single “Softly”: Stream
One of 2021’s breakout stars, Arlo Parks has returned with “Softly,” her first song of 2022. “‘Softly’ is a song about yearning, about how fragile you feel in the dying days of a relationship when you’re still desperately in love,” Arlo Parks said of the track in a statement. “The song is about how it feels to brace yourself before the blow of a break up and reminisce about the days where it all felt luminous.” “Softly” starts out (you guessed it) softly, as Arlo Parks begs a soon-to-be ex to let her down easy while piano twinkles over a quick-moving beat. Once the chorus rolls around, however, the singer-songwriter reaches a volume we haven’t seen from her before. “Break it to me softly/ I don’t want no one else,” she repeats, banging out low chords. In the accompanying music video, Arlo ...
The Weeknd Watches Himself Watching Himself in ‘Gasoline’ Behind-The-Scenes Video
At this point only The Weeknd really understands the emerging storyline behind his No. 1 album Dawn FM. But thanks to a new behind-the-scenes video that takes fans inside the filming of the dramatic visual for the album single, “Gasoline,” we get a glimpse of the intricate machinations that went into the climactic scene where present-day Abel fights an aged-up version of himself. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The clip — tagged as the “XO Vision” — opens with a make-up artists applying the aging wrinkles around the singer’s eye as he stands still amid a room full of writhing bodies in a club scene. Soon enough, 2022 Weeknd pops in, sitting in a director’s chair watching footage on a monitor while getting a touch-up on his hair before we’re back to old man Abel standing still as...
R.I.P. Fred Parris, “In the Still of the Night” Songwriter Dead at 85
Fred Parris, bandleader of The Five Satins, a doo-wop group known for their smash hit “In the Still of the Night,” died Thursday at the age of 85. “Fred’s classic song ‘In the Still of the Night’ has been recognized as one of the greatest love songs of all time and the number one requested song of the doo-wop era,” Parris’ family wrote on his Facebook page. “Fred also wrote several other classic songs and his gorgeous voice enthralled audiences world-wide for decades. The Five Satins family is devastated by this loss but appreciative of having shared Fred’s music with thousands of fans and friends.” Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Parris discovered R&B music while digging through his family’s records and spent his youth singing in local groups. He wrote “In the Still of the Night” whil...
FKA twigs Unveils New Mixtape CAPRISONGS: Stream
FKA twigs has released her new mixtape CAPRISONGS via Young/Atlantic Records. Stream it below on Apple Music and Spotify. The 19-track project was preceded by lead single “Tears in the Club” with The Weeknd, as well as with the Rema-assisted “Jealousy.” The tracklist also includes collaborations with Pa Salieu (“Honda”), Daniel Caesar (“Careless”), Jorja Smith and Unknown T (“Darjeeling”), and more. twigs herself executive produced CAPRISONGS with El Guincho, working with producers like Mike Dean, Cirkut, and Warren Ellis. Announcing CAPRISONGS on Twitter last week, the British singer-songwriter called the mixtape, “my journey back to myself through my amazing collaborators and friends,” while also pointing to her own astrological chart as part of the project’s inspiration. ...
FKA twigs’ 10 Best Songs
FKA twigs, born Tahliah Barnett, made a name for herself as a proponent of the avant garde. She’s a true multi-hyphenate — she’s a vocalist, she writes her music, she’s an incredible dancer, and a large part of her music video repertoire is self-directed. Regardless of the type of track she releases, FKA twigs has managed to find a way to ensure that a listener can immediately identify a piece of her work. She’s not afraid to explore genres and sounds, and her discography so far could be described as R&B, electronic, hyperpop, and trippy — and all of those categorizations would be true. This Friday (January 14th), she’ll be releasing a new collection of music in the form of a mixtape called CAPRISONGS. To celebrate, we’ve rounded up ten of her best tracks so far. Advertisement Check ou...
