Welcome to The State of R&B, ESSENCE’s look at the past, present and future of rhythm and blues. In this piece, writer Jaelani Turner-Williams addresses claims that today’s R&B is too sexual. R&B’s ...

The rising singer-songwriter talks about wanting to provide a "safe space" for listeners with her vulnerable and open music.

R&B music was never dead and is currently doing just fine according to Usher. The veteran singer took time from preparing for his highly anticipated halftime show at Super Bowl LVIII to talk to ...

If your playlist has long been anchored by the timeless harmonies of New Edition, the smooth vocals of Aaliyah, and the genre-bending genius of Frank Ocean, you might be wondering what’s next. In 2026 ...

Sometimes, we’re blessed with talents that feel like they were sent directly from God—the kind of gifts that don’t need to be forced because greatness just lives in them naturally. What makes it hurt ...

THE WEEK'S MOST POPULAR STREAMED R&B/HIP-HOP SONGS (AUDIO AND VIDEO) ON LEADING DIGITAL MUSIC SERVICES, AS COMPILED BY LUMINATE. click to see more Gains In Performance J.D.Bieber, D.Chetrit, D.Duenas, ...

Leading up to the Grammy nominations on Nov. 10, Rolling Stone is breaking down 16 different categories. For each, we’re predicting the nominees, as well as who will (and who should) win on Grammy ...

NEW YORK (AP) — Tank was nervous after sending his manager a preview of “When We” — he’d never released a song that explicit. “He’s like, ‘You’re crazy, but it’s jammin’!’” the R&B singer recalled.

The idea of music itself is all-encompassing, but genres were created to differentiate between sounds and styles. Looking back into the history of music, there aren't many genres that have grown as ...

Many contemporary albums arrive with less than a week’s notice, but Jhene Aiko started to roll-out her new full-length, Chilombo, months ago. She released four different tracks to stoke anticipation, ...