While not as realized or surprising as Kendrick's 'Black Panther' album, Mike WiLL Made-It still delivers a largely enjoyable album that will surely push more collaborations between Hollywood and hip-hop.
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Maybe it's true they say distance makes things grow fonder because after not hearing Ne-Yo's type of music/musical sensibilities in a long time, 'Good Man' felt like a breath of fresh air in the overly serious climate R&B finds itself in.
Starboy isn't so much of a reinvention as it is a readjustment. Easing up on some of the seediness and dark narratives have made this his safest work to date, but it's still a highly entertaining listen and shows why he's still leaps and bounds ahead of his many imitators.
Dynamic duo The Royalty Page drop their new single, "Breaking Point," a fresh blend of hip-hop/R&B that effortlessly weaves the two together.
A.CHAL showed great growth on this project as he expanded his musical reach and really tapped into the latin aspect of his music - leading to some legit dance hits. He's poised to be next up.
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'Divine’ presents Amanie Illfated as an artist whom we will certainly hear more from in the future.
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Tuxedo is a more than admirable throwback to the disco/funk golden era of yesteryear without feeling like a cheap imitation. Their second go around improves on their formula in every way possible and begs for you to just throw it on and groove out the whole way through.
Chicago's Chess Records stands behind some of the best blues, R&B, and jazz recordings of all-time, and now it's coming back.
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Swae Lee just solidified the claim that he's the most talented out of Rae Sremmurd with a project full of lush cruising music and pop/R&B experimentation that paid off far more than one might imagine. Out of all 3 offerings, "Swaecation" is by and far the real standout of the bunch.
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Despite the clear similarities to Amy Winehouse, Kali Uchis' music stands on it's own and it's a brilliant exploration of blues, funk, soul, R&B, and latin sounds, which she maneuvers through with impressive ease. Isolation is a breathtaking debut and a statement piece that shows she might just be music's next big thing.
Check out some of this weeks most talked about and interesting music videos from Future, Rae Sremmurd, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, and more.
8.7
out of 10
This is the third solo offering from The Internet, and while it's the shortest of the trio it might show the most potential. At only 18 years of age, Steve Lacy shows a command and understanding of funk and soul well beyond his years. He is as equally strong in front of the boards as he is behind them; giving us glimpses of what might be the next big thing.
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On 'We're All Going Down," Cass Clayton and her band deliver a potent blues/southern soul combination for modern times.
6
out of 10
American Teen is an interesting first effort from the up and comer. It has a really unique retro feel to it that sets it apart from his peers, but at times it can come off as too forced. If hipster had a sound, this might be it. But I can see why so many are excited about his potential. He's like a lesser, male American Lorde.
London based artist JUDVH, has released, "Fall for You", a soulful R&B song that draws inspiration from legendary musical icons.
Our thoughts, opinions, and live reaction to the latest album from Don Toliver, 'Love Sick.'
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This slow-burning, mid-tempo R&B ballad puts the '"Main Focus" on Lauren G as a singer and songwriter.
Pioneering prog-R&B outfit Issues have broken their nearly four-year silence to share a farewell statement to their fans and announce a string of three final shows this January.
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Describing male falsetto as soulful may be like describing chocolate as chocolaty, but Desmond Myers' singing and his "Playing with Fire" epitomize that.
After four long years, Blond is an interesting dive as an art project, but as a music album the abstractness and sparsity of actual music go too far at times.
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Jorja Smith's debut shows just how wildly talented she is and why she has to potential to be a transformative force in music. A must listen.
Talos delivers an incredibly rich and cinematic album that crafts an almost perfect blend of soulful production, synths, and impressive vocals.
For the first half of '1UP', T-Pain delivers some strong, classic material, but the problem is that warm feeling of nostalgia fades fast leaving a project that, once again, feels tired and too stuck to his ways.
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Overall, Platinum Fire is just a really smooth, vibe heavy listen throughout and although it doesn't stray too far from typical R&B tropes, it's a really impressive debut that warrants people's attention and has made Arin Ray a name I'll be looking out for in the future.
