Rappers Lil Uzi Vert and Nicki Minaj join forces on the remix for the single “The Way Life Goes.” The two MC’s compliment one another well on this bass heavy track.
Singer/songwriter Sevyn Streeter returns with “Anything You Want”, a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign and Jeremih. The track sways like a gentle breeze on a summer day.
Queen of Hip Hop Soul Mary J. Blige has released the inspirational and emotional single “Mighty River”, taken from the film “Mudbound.” The legendary singer showcases her acting chops in the Netflix film “Mundbound.” “Mudbound” tells the story of two impoverished families, one black, one white, who struggle to survive in the Mississippi Delta during World War 2. “Mudbound” also stars Jason Mitchell, Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan and Jonathan Banks. Singer Miguel collaborated with rapper J. Cole on his latest single, “Come Through And Chill”, taken from his highly anticipated forthcoming album “War & Leisure.” On “Come Through And Chill”, the crooner reveals his rolling stone mentality as he attempts to bed women in different area codes. J. Cole supports Miguel’s views, but also uses his appearance to address social injustice issues. “Come Through And Chill” follows the singles “Pineapple Skies”, “Sky Walker”, “Shockandawe” and “Told You So.” “War & Leisure” is due on Dec. 1. Hip hop leads the pack in Grammy award nominations, but R&B isn’t far behind. 21-time Grammy winner Jay Z leads the nominations with eight followed by Kendrick Lamar (7), Childish Gambino (5), and producer No I.D. (5). As for R&B/Soul, Bruno Mars leads the pack with six nominations, followed by Khalid and SZA, both of whom received 5 nods. This year’s nominees were selected from over 2,000 submissions across 84 categories. The Grammys are voted on by the Recording Academy’s membership body, who represent all genres and disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers and engineers. Final Grammy voting will take place on Dec. 7-21, 2017. The Grammy awards will air on Jan. 28, 2018 on CBS 7:30-11:00 pm EST/4:30-8:00 pm CT. One of the music industry’s hottest new stars will be hitting the road soon. Singer/songwriter Khalid has announced ‘The Roxy Tour”, his third North American tour. The trek will begin on Jan. 27 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and visit San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Philadelphia. The tour will conclude on Jun. 7 in Raleigh NC. Tickets for the tour will be available to the general public on Dec. 2. During the Soul Train Awards weekend, cable network BET launched the mini digital series “The State Of R&B.” The three episode panel discussion featured some of today’s R&B luminaries, including singer/songwriter Sevyn Streeter, singer/songwriter Elijah Blake, producer/songwriter LaShawn Daniels, English singer/songwriter Rachel Kerr and English singer/songwriter Harmony Samuels. During each episode, the group explores the cultural phenomenon of 90’s R&B, how technology has altered the music industry and finally, how music heals the soul. They also pay tribute to Brandy and Soul Train award honorees Toni Braxton and SWV. Fans who have been clamoring for the release of rapper Eminem’s “Revival” can rejoice. The album finally has an official release date. producer Dr. Dre, who executive produced Eminem’s forthcoming album, shared the date in a fake prescription drug commercial posted to his Instagram on Tuesday. In the clip, an actor named Trevor can be seen parodying a pharmaceutical advertisement. He later reveals that “Revival” is an album that will be released Dec. 15. Anticipation for new music from the Michigan native grew to a fever pitch after his scathing BET Hip Hop awards freestyle. Since then, he’s only released “Walk On Water”, his collaboration with singer Beyoncé. “Revival” will be Eminem’s first album since 2013’s “The Marshall Mathers LP 2.” Rap collective A$AP Ferg’s single “Mattress”, released in August, tells the story of how young Ferg wrote songs on the mattress that family members hid drugs and guns under. In the visual released today, Ferg and Rocky show the mattress who’s boss. Some of the footage looks grainy, as if it was shot during a school day sleep over years ago, and it actually looks like there was an A$AP Mob slumber party at the local Mattress Firm, but only Ferg and Rocky were invited. Well, money and women also. The two jump with glee on the sets mattresses, even one that’s been thrown outside in the snow and toss around dollar bills carelessly. The clip is worth watching.
Singer Luke James continues to solidify his position as one of the most exciting artist in the industry today. The single “Drip” finds the crooner delivering an amazing vocal performance.
The 2017 Soul Train Music Awards, presented by BET and hosted by singer/songwriter/producer/DJ Erykah Badu, aired last night on BET and BET HER. Singer Bruno Mars was the evening’s top winner, earning trophies for Best R&B/Soul Male Artist, Video of the Year, Album/Mixtape of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Dance Performance. SZA won Best New Artist and Best R&B/Soul Female Artist. The Soul Train Awards celebrated the best in Soul, R&B and Hip Hop. Artists were honored in 12 different categories, including rapper Cardi B. (Rhythm & Bars Award) for “Bodak Yellow”, Bell Biv DeVoe and Ledisi (Soul Train Certified Award), Lecrae (Best Gospel/Inspirational Award), Solange (Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award) for “Cranes In The Sky” and DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller (Best Collaboration) for “Wild Thoughts.” Legend Award honoree Toni Braxton wowed the crowd by performing a medley of her hits, including “Breathe Again”, “You’re Makin Me High” and “He Wasn’t Man Enough For Me.” Lady of Soul honorees SWV performed their hits “Weak”, “Right Here” and “I’m So Into You.” Legendary R&B 112 also rocked the house with a medley of their hits. Tamar Braxton, Faith Evans, Fantasia, Bilal, Mali Music, Ro James, Luke James, Jessie J. and Kirk Franklin also performed. Veteran R&B songstress Maya returns with the single “Ready, Pt. 2 (Bedroom Remix).” Utilizing the R. Kelly hit “It Seems Like You’re Ready”, Maya delivers sensual and seductive vocals perfect for any love making session. The singles “Ready For Whatever” and “Ready, Pt. 2 (Bedroom Remix)” follow the 2016 album “Smoove Jones.” Rapper Nicki Minaj took the time to respond to fans via Twitter yesterday. After a fan tweeted a photoshopped image of a pregnant Nicki, she responded with the shocking question of whether fans want her baby or an album. It’s rumored that the rapper has been dating fellow MC Nas. Although the pair have neither confirmed nor denied the claim, the two have been seen together on several occasions. The “Anaconda” rapper recently posted pictures of the Queens rapper on her Instagram. Although the photos didn’t include a caption, in the age of social media, many understand that posting photos of your significant other epitomizes exclusivity. After Nicki’s split with long time boyfriend Safaree Samuels, Nas revealed his feelings. Nas played Nicki’s love interest in the visual for the Chris Brown single “Right By Your Side.” While the two were only acting, Nas apparently saw the future. As for the ultimatum, it appears that fans are evenly split. They’ve opted for both new music and Nicki’s unborn child.
Singer/songwriter/producer Daron Jones delivers a gorgeous cover of the Donny Hathaway classic “Giving Up. ” The track is included on the EP “The Unofficial Diary Of Daron Jones Vol. 2.” Additionally, Jones is one fourth of the R&B group 112. The group released their first album in twelve years, “Q, Mike, Slim, Daron” in October.