Category: Hip Hop

Mariah Carey is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her fan favorite 2001 LP Glitter.

Order the 25th anniversary editions of Mariah Carey’s Glitter here.

Glitter is set to return to vinyl for the first time since it was first released. Other editions of the reissue include an expanded Digital Deluxe Edition featuring 15 additional tracks, including rare and previously unreleased recordings. Glitter (25th Anniversary Edition) will arrive on October 30 via Def Jam Records/UMe.

Carey’s eighth studio album and the soundtrack to the film of the same name, Glitter includes singles like “Loverboy,” “Never Too Far,” and “Don’t Stop (Funkin’ 4 Jamaica).” Other artists featured on the LP include Eric Benét, Ludacris, Da Brat, Busta Rhymes, Fabolous, and Ja Rule.

Among the bonus material, there’s a newly reimagined version of “Didn’t Mean To Turn You On” featuring acclaimed British-Canadian singer/songwriter Rochelle Jordan and produced by KLSH.

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Regarding the reissue, Carey shared: “If someone had told me back in 2001 that I’d one day be unironically celebrating Glitter‘s 25th anniversary, I never would have believed them. I made this album with so much love and care, so it was devastating to watch it become a punchline. I’m endlessly grateful to my fans who kept championing it all these years, and I hope even more people can finally hear it for what it is. We found a few recordings buried in the vault that I am really looking forward to sharing with you in October!”

Earlier this year, Carey joined Andrea Bocelli in a performance at the Opening Ceremonies of the Milan Cortina Olympic Games. Carey offered up a stunning performance of the Italian staple “Volare” and her 2025 hit “Nothing Is Impossible.”

Order the 25th anniversary editions of Mariah Carey’s Glitter here.

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Singer-songwriter Genia has released her new EP Intense Lover via Def Jam Recordings. The project focuses its attention on Genia’s experiences with love, desire, independence, and emotional vulnerability.

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Two previously released singles showcase that range perfectly. “Can’t Wait” finds Genia directly expressing desire and asserting what she wants, while “Miss Your Touch” focuses on the difficulty of denying a connection she genuinely needs. The songs approach intimacy from different positions: one is built around certainty and pursuit, while the other acknowledges the emotional cost of trying to keep your distance. Together, they establish the tension at the center of Intense Lover, where being open to another person does not require surrendering a sense of independence.

The EP follows a run of singles Genia released earlier in 2026, including “Baby Ima Star,” “Downfall,” “Doomsday,” and “Toastyyy,” the latter featuring Timbaland. The releases introduced several sides of the sound and writing that led into the new project. “Toastyyy” leaned into a more futuristic rhythmic direction, while “Downfall” centered a more vulnerable emotional perspective. “Baby Ima Star” took a more declarative approach, placing Genia squarely in the spotlight. Across the four releases, the changes in tempo and tone established a broader palette around Genia’s work rather than tying the run to a single mood. Last year, meanwhile, one of Genia’s biggest highlights was her return to the fan favorite “Give.” A new version of the song featuring Monaleo was released. Among many heralding its release, Global Grind included the Monaleo version of “Give” in its weekly “New Music Roundup” upon its release.

Listen to Intense Lover here.

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Jae Stephens has released the video for her new song “Sugar Trap” via Def Jam Recordings and RAEDIO. The Dallas Caton-produced track is the latest preview of Stephens’ forthcoming debut album AUDACITY, which is due September 25.

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Built around heavy bass and bouncy percussion, “Sugar Trap” uses candy-coated hooks and innuendo to frame flirtation. In the video, she takes over a dive-bar setting with an all-female crew and her JaeBaes, serving drinks and dancing as the room turns into her own stage. The visual draws on the bar-room energy of the 2000 film Coyote Ugly, while its concept centers on the contrast between desire and earning Stephens’ attention. Stephens said the song is about “knowing your power and how to use it,” adding that she wrote it as a reminder for women not to place their value in someone else’s hands.

AUDACITY follows Stephens’ run of SELLOUT releases, including SELLOUT, SELLOUT II, and TOTAL SELLOUT THE DELUXE. Across those projects, her music drew coverage from Billboard, Rolling Stone, Clash Magazine, and more. SPIN named SELLOUT II among its Best EPs of 2025, while Stephens later appeared on the November cover of NME and received the Popheads 2025 Best New Artist Award.

In 2025, Stephens opened for FLO on the U.S. leg of the “AAA Tour” before launching her own SELLOUT tour in October, with initial dates in Los Angeles, New York City, and London selling out within 24 hours. She expanded the SELLOUT tour into additional North American cities in 2026. Stephens also recently performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago. Later this year, Stephens is scheduled to join Khalid on the European leg of his “It’s Always Summer Somewhere” tour.

Listen to Jae Stephens’ “Sugar Trap” here.

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Masicka has released a new single titled “Spend.” The Jamaican recording artist also has a new album, Forever Reign, arriving worldwide on August 14 via Def Jam Recordings. One day later, Masicka will make his debut performance at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center as the headliner of Reggae Fest.

The album announcement and Barclays Center booking were first reported by Billboard, according to a press release. “This album represents growth, elevation, and the next chapter of my journey,” Masicka said in the announcement.

“It’s his time,” Reggae Fest founder & CEO CJ Milan told Billboard of the occasion. “Masicka is in his prime right now; ‘Slip & Slide’ [on Di Genius’ ‘Hill & Gully’ riddim] is big; he’s definitely one of the hottest [artists right now]. And he’s also just an amazing person. I’ve worked with him before, and I just think he’s ready.”

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The announcement follows Masicka’s Her Name Is Love EP, which was released in December via Def Jam and recently picked up a dancehall album of the year nomination at the 2026 Caribbean Music Awards.

“Her Name Is Love is really me tapping into another dimension of who I am, not stepping away from the grit, but showing that there’s more to the man behind the music,” Masicka told Billboard. “The ladies always support my work, and I wanted to create something that speaks directly to them… their stories, their strength, their emotions and the energy they bring to the culture. This EP is about connection, emotion and the different forms love can take.”

His 17-track album Generation of Kings arrived in 2023 and marked his first full-length project for Def Jam. His 2021 album 438, meanwhile, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, the same peak later matched by Generation of Kings. In March 2026, the government of Antigua and Barbuda approved Masicka’s appointment as Cultural Ambassador for Youth Talent Development and Creative Industries Collaboration.

Listen Masicka’s “Spend” here.

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6LACK has unveiled the music video for “I Guess,” featured on his celebrated new LP Love is the New Gangsta.

Directed by Cameron Dean, the music video features the Atlanta-raised crooner singing on an ornately decorated set, surrounded by beautiful flowers and white walls with no decorations outside of his lyrics graffiti’d in black spray paint. The backdrop shifts from this aforementioned set to a cloud-covered field and a simple blue set design. The clip also features a guest appearance from a rather massive brown bear.

“I Guess” features production from Dos Dias, Childish Major, Trey Lander, and Justin Cho, and includes some of 6LACK’s most provocative lyricism on Love is the New Gangsta. Recalling a relationship gone wrong, he croons: “Baby, it’s me, open the gate/ She opened the door, the weapon was raised.”

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The music video for “I Guess” joins a potent collection of visuals from Love is the New Gangsta tracks, including “On Me,” which features R&B singer Odeal; “RUNNING LATE FREESTYLE”; “All That Matters” featuring AZ Chike and Leon Thomas; and the 2 Chainz-assisted “Sunday Again.”

6LACK is gearing up to bring Love is the New Gangsta on the road. In September, he’ll embark on the European stretch of his 10 Years of 6LACK Tour. The run begins on September 8 in Oslo, Norway.

The headlining run will find the artist hitting venues in cities like Copenhagen, Berlin, Frankfurt, Brussels, Paris, Manchester, Dublin, London, and more. From there, 6LACK will head to North America, where he’ll visit cities like Portland, Los Angeles, Austin, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto, and Brooklyn.

Love is the New Gangsta features some of 6LACK’s most emotional songwriting to date. Many of the songs were inspired by conversations he was having with Childish Major. He explained to Rolling Stone: “I just started to vent and have open conversations about what I was going through, and we just knew we had to make an album about it. It was like this ongoing session of therapy, accountability, and being creative.”

Listen to 6LACK’s “I Guess” here.

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Ari Lennox has released a new single titled “Hookah Baby.”

The song is co-written by Lennox and Alivia Blue, with production from Tommy Brown “TBHits” (“Twin Flame,” Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next,” and more) and Leather Jacket (GloRilla’s “Typa,” Ciara’s “Ecstasy,” and more).

The track arrives as Grammy-nominated R&B singer prepares to release Vacancy: Late Checkout, the deluxe edition of her critically acclaimed record. Its artwork also serves as the newly revealed cover for the forthcoming deluxe LP.

In January, Lennox released her third studio album, Vacancy. Singles include “Under The Moon,” “Vacancy,” “Soft Girl Era,” and “Twin Flame,” which she performed live on The Jennifer Hudson Show.

“There’s a space—a void—that I would love for someone to fill but the reality is, people be in and out like a gosh darn hotel,” Lennox said of the album’s title during an interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show. An essential part of the new era, Lennox shared, is that she has been practicing sobriety. “I feel a lot clearer. I can’t imagine going back… I just feel a lot more in control.”

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Vacancy is Lennox’s followup to 2022’s age/sex/location. She made her full-length debut in 2019 with Shea Butter Baby, which featured collaborations with JID and J. Cole.

In June, Ari performed a rendition of “Really Love” during a star-studded tribute to the late D’Angelo at the 2026 BET Awards, where she was also nominated for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist.

Lennox recently concluded her 31-city North American tour in support of Vacancy. During a hometown stop in Maryland, Sen. Nick Charles presented her with a proclamation honoring her soulful artistry, authenticity, and powerful voice. Lennox will appear live in concert throughout the remainder of the year, including at London’s The Jazz Cafe on Sunday, August 2, and V-103’s 50th Anniversary Concert in Atlanta on September 6.

Listen to “Hookah Baby” here.

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Lamont Landers has just released “Lonely Girl,” through Lucille Records, producer Dave Cobb’s imprint under MCA.

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“Lonely Girl” begins with Landers in a measured register before he moves into a fuller delivery as the track builds. The lyric is framed as a promise: the narrator tells its subject that he intends to be the person who does not let her down.

Chris Stapleton and Jesse Frasure wrote the track, which draws on Landers’ mix of soul, Southern rock, and R&B. The Decatur, Alabama, singer and guitarist began playing guitar as a teenager and has recorded covers of Bill Withers, Otis Redding, and D’Angelo alongside original songs. Landers will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on Tuesday, August 4, at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Questlove personally invited him to appear. The Opry performance follows Landers’ earlier appearance on Showtime at the Apollo. Artists who have appeared on both stages include James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mavis Staples, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Elvis Costello, and Darius Rucker.

Last year, Landers released Introducing… Lamont Landers in September. Dave Cobb produced the seven-track project, whose songs include “America,” “Golden Skies,” “Devil Is Alive And Well,” “How Long (Until The Rain Is Gone),” “Love’s Got The Best Of Us,” and “Lotta Love.” In March 2026, “Lotta Love” appeared during the Season 10 finale of Netflix’s Love Is Blind. His 2026 schedule continues September 10 at The Sanctuary on 25th in Tuscaloosa and September 24 at The Burl in Lexington. Additional 2026 dates include September 25 at Rumba Cafe in Columbus, October 2 at The Merry Widow in Mobile, and October 3 at Duling Hall in Jackson.

Listen to Lamont Landers’ “Lonely Girl” here.

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ivri has just released the EP evidence of you through Mercury Records, accompanied by the official music video for “THE GOLDEN RECORD.” The Florida-born alternative artist will also make her Lollapalooza debut on the BMI Stage from 4:30 to 5:10 p.m. in Chicago today.

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Frequent collaborator TK The Architect served as executive producer on evidence of you. The project draws on shoegaze and neo-psychedelia while using recurring images of space and light to address relationships, identity, and divisions within the artist’s sense of self. “Coming directly after my album the theory of you, my project evidence of you explores a separation in myself that extends across all of my projects,” ivri said. In “THE GOLDEN RECORD,” a celestial visual carries the project’s space imagery into the video.

The EP follows the 2026 singles “NOISE” and “WHOEVER U WANT ME TO BE (NOTHING MORE),” both released as attention continued around “tower of memories.” A press release states that “tower of memories” has surpassed 9.6 billion TikTok views and 250 million streams across digital platforms. The track also peaked at No. 30 on Alternative Rock radio.

On March 30, 2026, ivri gave a live set at the BMI and Spotify EQUAL songwriter mixer in New York. In spring 2026, she completed her first European headline run, “The Theory of You Tour Part 2,” with stops in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, London, and Amsterdam. A 26-date North American itinerary spans September and October 2026. It begins September 18 at Louder Than Life in Louisville and ends October 27 at Gramercy Theatre in New York City.

Listen to ivri’s “Evidence Of You” here.

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Melbourne singer-songwriter Jael has released her debut EP Mama Says on July 31, 2026, via Capitol Records. The five-track project pairs R&B balladry with personal songwriting and understated production, keeping the focus on Jael’s voice. Across the record, she writes about romantic attachment, unresolved loss, letting someone back in, and advice handed down within a family.

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The opening track, “Prisoner of Love,” sets out the tension between devotion and pain through a classic R&B ballad. “DUI,” written with producer and songwriter Eg White, examines the cycle of returning to someone despite knowing the relationship should end. White, whose credits include Adele, Sam Smith, and Florence + The Machine, also co-wrote “Hallowed Ground.” Drawn from a personal experience, the song addresses grief that has not been resolved and the effort required to keep living with an absence.

“Don’t Make Me Like You Again” turns to the conflict between guarding against further hurt and allowing someone back into your life. The closing title track shifts toward guidance shared across generations about choosing a partner, bringing the project back to family. Jael wrote “Mama Says” with Kurisu and said she felt attached to the song from the moment they completed it. “The first time I played it to my mum she burst into tears,” she said. Jael called the EP “the start of my life adventure” and thanked the relatives and creative team who supported her through a year that included moving to the other side of the world.

Jael represented Australia with “Champion” at the 2018 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, finishing third overall. In 2025, she returned to Carols in the Domain after earlier performances at Centre Court during the Australian Open and the Opening Ceremony of the Australian Grand Prix. Jael released “Prisoner of Love” on February 27, 2026, following stripped-back online previews of a song she first wrote in 2022. This was followed by “DUI” on May 8, 2026, when Capitol Records announced Mama Says.

Listen to Jael’s Mama Says here.

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Jae Stephens has announced her debut studio album, AUDACITY, which will arrive September 25 through Def Jam Recordings and RAEDIO. The 11-track release will be available across digital platforms, with one additional song reserved for the vinyl edition. Stephens describes the project as a coming-of-power story that examines several sides of modern femininity, including softness and strength, vulnerability and command, and intimacy and independence.

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Dallas Caton produced the album, while MNEK, whose credits include Zara Larsson, Beyoncé and Dua Lipa, contributed writing support. Creative director Cass Meyers, known for work with SZA and Megan Thee Stallion, helped shape Auda City, an imagined setting that links the record’s music and visuals. “AUDACITY is me daring to take up as much space as I want in a world that has tried to box me in both personally and professionally,” Stephens said. She said the songs also expose her ambitious, aggressive and avoidant tendencies, even when they cast her as the villain in her own account.

The album’s first single, “Attaboy!,” finds Stephens answering a self-described bad boy by setting the terms for how he should behave as her partner. She followed it with “Sugar Trap,” which uses candy imagery and double meanings to describe a woman who knows what she wants and will not lower her standards. The two tracks approach desire, control and self-definition from different angles.

Before AUDACITY, Stephens released the EPs SELLOUT, SELLOUT II and TOTAL SELLOUT THE DELUXE, then opened the U.S. leg of FLO‘s AAA Tour. Her own SELLOUT tour began in October 2025, and its first dates in Los Angeles, New York and London sold out within 24 hours. The itinerary later expanded to sold-out shows in Houston, Atlanta, Washington, Toronto, Santa Ana and Boston. SPIN included SELLOUT II on its Best EPs of 2025 list, while Reddit’s Popheads community named Stephens its 2025 Best New Artist. She is scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 1 before joining Khalid’s European It’s Always Summer Somewhere tour in October. Stephens made her festival debut at the WeHo Pride Festival in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Order Jae Stephens’s Audacity here.

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