Until J.I.D. releases his forthcoming album “The Forever Story”, fans will have to settle for his new video “Surround Sound.” When the year began, the rapper promised new music, and he delivered. The video “Surround Sound”, which was directed by Mac Grant and Chad Tennies, features fellow Georgia natives 21 Savage and Baby Tate and it shows all three artist performing in a garage. The video begins with J.I.D. jumping inside an empty old school car and once the engine starts, the party begins. The inside of the car is suddenly filled with people and has music blasting. Besides turning up the whip, J.I.D turns up with a few ladies while he’s rapping as well. 21 Savage follows up by rapping his verse standing next to J.I.D. and Baby Tate sings her vocals while laying on top of the car. After Baby Tate’s verse, “Surround Sound” transitions into part two of the video. Mac Grant and Chad Tennies shot the second part in black and white, and J.I.D. is just spitting bars all throughout a weird looking house. Again, although J.I.D. is yet to release the highly anticipated “The Forever Story”, we can still expect a lot from the Dreamville artist this year. He recently announced that he will appear at the Coachella Music Festival, and now new music. Watch the “Surround Sound” video below.

This song is the property of Dreamville/Interscope Records.

Eve, Nautri Naughton, Nadine Velazquez and Brandy star in the new ABC sitcom Queens, which is about four hip hop legends in their 40s who reunite for a chance to reclaim their reputation. The “Queens” just released two music videos, “Best Of Me” and “Lady Z Strikes Back”, which features Remy Ma, a new cast member. Remy Ma will have a recurring role on the show. All of the original music in “Queens”, which was created by Zahir McGee, is performed by the cast under the direction of executive music producer Swizz Beatz. Queens follows a fractured girl group living in the shadows of their once prominent hip hop dynasty. After their popularity skyrocketed with the success of their chart topping single “Nasty Girl”, they were once regarded as one of the greatest girl groups of their generation. Watch the “Best Of Me” video below.

This song is the property of Atlantic Recording Corporation.

Cordae Armani Dunston, known professionally as Cordae, is an American rapper/singer/songwriter. Dunston first gained popularity by releasing remixes of such songs as “My Name Is” by Eminem and “Old Niggas”, which was a response to the song “1985” by J. Cole. Videos of both remixes were uploaded to WorldStarHipHop’s You Tube channel, which led to an immense and immediate positive response from both mainstream media and the online rap community. His debut album, “The Lost Boy”, was released on July 26, 2019 to widespread acclaim and received two nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for the single “Bad Idea” at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards. Dunston was a member of the YBN collective until he left the group in 2020.

This song is the property of Bright Vision Entertainment.

Bey Bright is an American singer/songwriter/music executive/consultant/producer/entrepreneur who recently released the single “More Than Friends.” “More Than Friends” is a collaboration with singer Ezinne. The song finds Bright wanting to change the terms of a relationship with a woman who is a dear friend. The track has that slow groove bass line that is a throwback to the funk filled ballads of the 1970s and 80s. And whether Bright and Ezinne are speaking their separate realities or singing in harmony, they give voice to those who decide to say the quiet part out loud. Listen and enjoy.

Happy Birthday

Rapper Rick “Slick Rick” Walters 57

Rapper/actor James Todd “LL Cool J” Smith 54

Singer Clarence Carter 86

R&B singer Harold “Nasti Musiq” Peevy just released the single “Without You.” This smooth R&B jam talks about regrets following the end of a relationship. “Without You”, with its upbeat but relaxed tempo opens with a smooth guitar riff and the mellow tones Of Nasti Musiq. “Without You” is the follow up to his collaboration with Tylee, “Ready”, which turned out to be one of 2021’s hottest , grown and sexy R&B slow jams. Listen to “Without You” below.

This song is the property of 826373 Records DK.

When it comes to talent and influence in multiple genres, they didn’t get much bigger than James Mtume. As musician, producer and songwriter, he was responsible for all-time classics in both soul and jazz. Today we say a sad goodbye to Mtume, who has died at age 76.

Born in Philadelphia the son of jazz saxman Jimmy Heath, Mtume changed his surname in college from Forman (his stepfather’s name) to Mtume, which means “messenger” in Swahili, and he certainly followed with a career as a messenger supreme. He was a world class swimmer, but his real love was music, and he excelled at it from an early age.

Mtume recorded two early 70s albums that expressed his intended melding of jazz and black identity, and he quickly established himself as an artist worth watching. A multi-instrumentalist, over the course of the 70s, Mtume worked with many of the jazz greats of the time, from Miles Davis to Gato Barbieri to McCoy Tyner.

But Mtume’s fame increased dramatically when he began to focus more on songwriting and production for R&B artists, alongside frequent collaborator Reggie Lucas (d. 2018). Their song “Never Knew Love Like This Before” was a monster for Stephanie Mills, and opened the door for production work for The Spinners, Phyllis Hyman, Teddy Pendergrass and many more. It also won a Grammy Award.

Another Mtume/Lucas product, 1977’s “The Closer I Get To You,” turned into a #1 smash for Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, becoming Hathaway’s last big hit. Mtume continued to be in demand as a producer through the end of the 90s, with credits including hits from Mary J. Blige, K-Ci and Jojo and R. Kelly.

Mtume also created a series of hit albums as a bandleader of his eponymously named act, which also included noted singer Tawatha Agee. The group’s biggest album was 1983’s Juicy Fruit, a tasty melding of adult soul and jazz, the title track of which became a #1 hit, but they also won over fans with the popular albums In Search of The Rainbow Seekers, Theater of The Mind, and the top 5 You, Me and He.

In his later years, Mtume became a frequent public speaker, and hosted a popular radio show in New York that touched on important issues of the day.

A musician’s musician and a true intellectual, Mtume garnered respect from every quarter, and his loss to the music world is immense. Rest in peace, sir.

Cordae revealed the tracklist for his forthcoming album “From A Bird’s Eye View”on Monday, and it’s filled to the brim with features. The 14-track project, which is due out tomorrow via Atlantic Records, features collaborations with Eminem, Roddy Rich, Gunna, Lil Wayne, Stevie Wonder, Freddie Gibbs and Nas. Ahead of the album’s release, the one time YBN rapper appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, where he performed the tracks “Sinister” and “Chronicles” and sat down for an interview with the late night host. “From A Bird’s Eye View” will serve as the follow up to Cordae’s 2021 holdover EP “Just Until” as well as his first studio set since launching his own record label Hi Level back in June. Check out the full tracklist for the album below.

Fans of Eric Bellinger and Sammie will get to see the two in concert beginning in March, thanks to their just announced Vibes On Vibes Tour. During an Instagram post, Bellinger expressed his excitement at performing for fans amid the pandemic. Sammie expressed similar sentiments as well. The 27-city tour is set to begin in Atlanta on March 11. After stops in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, New Orleans and New York, Grammy nominated Bellinger’s Vibes On Vibes Tour will conclude in Birmingham, Al. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. The tour comes in celebration of Bellinger’s Grammy nominated album “New Light.” The 15-track project is nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album. Led by the singles “Shine On The World”, “Go Get It” and “What About Us” featuring Sevyn Streeter, it also includes special guest appearances by Brandy, Teedra Moses, The Game, Kierra Sheard, and Dom Kennedy. Also ahead of the Vibes On Vibes Tour, Bellinger made his television debut on the CW’s The Black Pack. Bellinger also made his daytime television talk show debut on the Kelly Clarkson Show, where he performed the fan favorite “What About Us.” Sammie is the hitmaker behind such hits as “You Should Be My Girl”, “Come With Me” and “Kiss Me Through The Phone.” He also released such collaborative hits as “Times 10” featuring Lil Baby and “Good Life” featuring Rick Ross. See Vibes On Vibes Tour dates below.