She possessed a rich strong voice that shone largely under the radar for more than two decades before driving right to the top on her #1 smash single, “Can’t Fake The Feeling.” Today we say a sad goodbye to singer Geraldine Hunt, who has died at age 77. The news was reported on social media by her son, singer Freddie James.

The St. Louis-born, Chicago-raised Hunt discovered her musical talent, even as she navigated the hardscrabble South side of Chicago. She began performing publicly in high school, and released several unsuccessful singles in the late 60s.

1970 brought Hunt’s first national success on the beautifully soulful duet ballad “You and I” with Charles Hodges, which hit the Top 50. She charted again with a Stax-ified cover of the Four Tops’ “Baby I Need Your Loving.” Hunt’s career really took off after she relocated to Montreal in the late 70s, recording her first full albums. A dance track from her second LP, 1980’s “Can’t Fake The Feeling,” shot to the top of charts around the world and became her signature song. It also opened up television performances for her, including syndicated hit Solid Gold.

Hunt’s recording career stalled after her first big hit album, and she battled over royalties with the Prism Records label. She stayed active writing for and producing other artists, including her teenage son Freddie James (the Juno Award nominated “Get Up And Boogie”) and the duo Cheri (“Murphy’s Law”), and occasionally released singles of her own independently.

For our money, while Geraldine Hunt had only a brief moment on top, we will forever remember her as a talented singer who got us moving and grooving during the golden age of dance music.

After a two-year wait, SZA gifted fans her long-awaited single “Shirt.” The song is accompanied by the Dave Meyers-helmed visual, which features actor Lakeith Stanfield.

“Bloodstain on my shirt/New bitch on my nerves/Old n—a got curved/Going back on my word/Damn, bitch, you like thirty,” she sings on the chorus. “Stealing all of my worth/Still question my affection/Let you all in my mental/Got me lookin’ so desperate.

After teasing fans with the song’s snippet in late 2020, “Shirt” later found its way onto TikTok, where a viral challenge began. At the top of 2021, the CTRL singer caught wind of the social craze and said she was “finalizing” the record. She again tantalized fans when she placed the song at the outro of her “Good Days” video. Her July 2022 performance at the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid also raised antennas when she hinted that Doja Cat would appear on the upcoming track.

“Want to know a secret? You all want to know who’s on this song? It’ll be like our secret, right?” she revealed to the crowd. “The hint is we already have a song together. Her name starts with a ‘D,’ and it rhymes with Soulja.” Last month, TDE’s Punch debunked those claims in SZA’s Complex cover story. Then, this week, SZA released a flirty trailer “Shirt” with Lakeith Stanfield alongside her.

“I appreciate [my fans] patience, but constantly trying to people-please and fulfill expectations instead of just thinking about what you need can deter you from your true path,” SZA said to Complex regarding her sophomore album. “And the next thing you know, you’re somebody that you never signed up to be. Even with this album, I just wanna be better than my last project to myself. I wanna be a better writer. I wanna be a better artist, musician… a better thinker. I just wanna do things that make myself proud and interested.”

In a brief interview with TMZ at LAX airport this month, SZA said she recorded 100 records for her forthcoming effort and that the project could drop “any day.” Watch the “Shirt” video below.

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St. Louis legend Smino is back with a new album, Luv 4 Rent. The album is Smino’s third release in a joint partnership between Motown Records and his independent label Zero Fatigue.

The Yute (Monte Booker, Groove, Phoelix, Smino), Kal Banx, Childish Major, and “The Luv Lord” all contributed to the production of Luv 4 Rent, which is narrated by “The Luv Lord” and act as an aural portrayal of the Black experience for millennials.

The album has “90 Proof” with J. Cole, and additional features include Doechii, Fatman Scoop, Cruza, Kal Banx, Phoelix, Lucky Daye, Ravyn Lenae, Cory Henry, Lil Uzi Vert, and Reggie. Check out the album artwork below.

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Rappers Lil Baby and Future collaborate on the single “From Now On.” Check out “From Now On.”

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Nanii Acosta is an R&B singer/songwriter who recently released her first EP, “Golden Hold Vol. 1.” A standout track on the album is “Dime (Tell Me).” Check out “Dime (Tell Me).”

Happy Birthday

Remembering bassist/songwriter/producer Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952-April 18, 1996-Chic)

Veteran R&B singer/songwriter/producer/musician Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds just released the album “Girls Night Out”, which is a spectacular assemblage of vocals and introspective personal stories from the female artists featured on the album. “Girls Night Out” contains a collective array of powerful, mature, and relevant subject matters as he collaborates with some of R&B and hip hop’s hot new artists, including Ella Mai, Ari Lennox, Queen Naija, Sevyn Streeter, Amaarae, Muni Long, Khelani, Tiana Major9, Coco Jones, Tink, Baby Tate, Doechii and Tkay Maidza. One of the album’s standout tracks, “Don’t Even Think About It”, should be included on every R&B fan’s playlist. Listen to “Don’t Even Think About It” below.

Chlöe Bailey and Latto have released their new single “For the Night” on Friday (Oct. 28) via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records.

The track, which is set to appear on the Chloe x Halle singer’s upcoming debut solo album, finds the rising R&B star singing, “You say you promise and promise, you’ll figure it out / But I can not wait, you’re teasing me, I back down” before tossing the mic to Latto for a guest assist.

Co-directed by Bailey and Shermay Joh, the official music video shows off Chlöe’s first-rate dancing skills. Latto joins in on the fun later in the piece, and has her say on Chlöe’s boy problems. The video also captures footage of Bailey performing at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Festival Daytime Stage.

Chlöe first teased the existence of the track back in May when she polled fans during an Instagram Live about which song she should release first in the wake of her single “Treat Me”: “For the Night” or its eventual predecessor “Surprise.” Listen to “For The Night” below.

This song is the property of Chloe Bailey.

G Rage, the latest album from Taylor Gang with Wiz Khalifa, was released today. Chevy Woods, Ty Dolla $ign, and other members of the Taylor Gang, as well as 6am, P Fire, and Lil Uzi Vert, are featured on the album, which was produced by Quadwoofer Bangz.

Soon after Wiz collaborated with Fedd the God (who is also a Taylor Gang artist) and Stixx to make a music video for their group’s single “Creatures,” Taylor Gang released this collaborative album. Listen to “Smokes Dip” below.

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The fifth studio album by Nigerian singer WizKid, “More Love, Less Ego”, will be released on Nov. 3 via Starboy/Sony Music International/RCA Records. With the release of the single and video “Money & Love”, WizKid has not only announced his new album, but he’s also giving fans another sneak peek at his new music. Prior to this, Wiz released “Bad To Me”, which was produced by P2J and is a declaration of lust in its purist form. It features sensual vibes over a percussion-driven beat that only heightens the tension. Wiz will record an Apple Music Live performance this season, and on November 16th, he will appear at Madison Square Garden for the first time. Listen to “Money & Love” below.