Category: Hip Hop

After the independent release of 1994’s Passion Play, Teena Marie spent much of the decade performing in smaller clubs, nurturing her core fan base. She also began working on a new album, Black Rain, giving occasional updates on her website. She shopped the album to major labels, sold t-shirts with the album’s cover image at performances, and even performed one of the songs in a guest appearance on a TV show. Despite the intense hustle, she did not secure a deal until 2002 when she joined Cash Money Records as the premiere artist on their Classics imprint.

There was a problem, though: Black Rain had leaked to the public during the years she’d spent shopping it. Copies circulated among fans on CD-Rs and cassettes, so when the deal was signed she began re-imagining the album. In October 2003, she cryptically posted “What do you do when the rain has stopped” on her website, signaling that some changes were afoot.

Listen to Teena Marie’s La Doña now.

In March of 2004, the long-awaited first single from the re-titled album, La Doña, “Still In Love,” hit the airwaves. Co-produced by Cash Money’s Mannie Fresh, “Still In Love,” which peaked at #23 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, was based on an Al Green sample, but the lyric and melody were classic Lady T with coy references to Curtis Mayfield, Gamble & Huff, and herself.

She maintained Passion Play’s romantic fervor with sexy tracks like “Honey Call,” “My Body’s Hungry,” and “I’m On Fire,” and catered to younger listeners with the hip-hop infused “Off The Chain,” and the role-playing “The Mackin’ Game” with MC Lyte and Medusa. She reunited with Rick James on “I Got U,” and duetted with Gerald Levert on “A Rose By Any Other Name,” but it was the jazz, blues, and funk of “Black Rain,” “Baby I’m Yo Fiend,” and “Hit Me Where I Live,” however, that delivered what Teena’s fans loved most. Tunes like “Makaveli Never Lied,” and “Recycle Hate to Love” spoke to her spiritual, political, and cultural concerns: global warming, capitalism, drug abuse, gun violence, and the loss of human connection.

“They call me La Doña and I sing like a thunder,” she proclaimed in the liner notes’ signature poem, dramatically reclaiming her position in the world of R&B. The album brought her highest placement on the Billboard 200 at #6, a gold certification, and the last Grammy nomination of her career for “Still In Love.”

Listen to Teena Marie’s La Doña now.

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Looking for Mother’s Day songs for your playlist? We’ve got you covered. There’s never a bad time to celebrate mothers – and the songs that have celebrated them. Mothers take all kinds of different forms, so we’ve included songs from different perspectives, but – generally speaking – there’s plenty of evidence here that nothing makes a tough rocker or rapper get sentimental more than songs about moms.

Brandi Carlile: The Mother

For Mother’s Day, Brandi Carlisle gave the world a song that was both personal and universal. It’s specifically about her daughter Evangeline, whose name and personal details are right there in the lyrics, but women everywhere will likely recognize the experiences she sings about, starting with “The first things that she took from me were selfishness and sleep.”

Kacey Musgraves: Mother

One of the sweetest songs ever written on acid (by Kacey Musgraves’ own admission), “Mother” is simple as it gets – voice, piano, revealing lyric – and it’s less about mothers than about one of those vulnerable moments when only one person could understand. A perfect Mother’s Day song, even if you don’t know the backstory.

Justin Bieber: Turn to Me (Mother’s Day Dedication)

This stand-alone single was part of Justin Bieber’s transition from teen idol to grown-up hitmaker, and the lyric salutes his mother in grown-up terms: The lyric notes that he’s the same age she was when she had him, old enough to understand the sacrifices she made.

The Backstreet Boys: The Perfect Fan

The Backstreet Boys closed out their smash Millennium album by thanking their mothers who got them to where they are. The words are warm and sentimental, and the music pulls out all the stops, with its gospel choir and hand-clapping finale. On an album full of splashy hit ballads, they made sure Mom got the splashiest.

The Lonely Island: Motherlover

Consisting of cast members and staff writers from much-loved U.S. late night variety show Saturday Night Live, The Lonely Island first collaborated with Justin Timberlake on the spoof Christmas song “Dick In A Box” in 2006. Four years later, the two parties again worked together on “Motherlover”: one of the more controversial songs on this list which imagines Timberlake and The Lonely Island’s Andy Shamberg celebrating Mother’s Day by (ahem) sharing intimacies with each other’s mothers (played by Patricia Clarkson and Susan Sarandon in the song’s surreal promo video).

Sugarland: Mother

Despite its obvious Mother’s Day associations, Sugarland’s “Mother” wasn’t chosen as a single from country duo Sugarland’s recent album, 2018’s Bigger. Nonetheless, it remains a plaintive and beautifully-executed ode to maternal love (“There’s nothing she won’t do for you/As long as she’s alive you’re not alone”) and its inclusion is surely mandatory here.

Queen Naija: Mama’s Hand

Celebrating the unique unconditional state of a mother’s love, Queen Naija’s “Mama’s Hand” was written directly in tribute to her son. Holding nothing back, this emotive ballad – a highlight of Queen Naija’s self-titled 2018 EP – finds the Michigan-born singer pledging to give her boy “everything I have” and urges him to think big as “there’s not a dream in this world you can’t accomplish or grasp.”

Will.i.am: I Got It From My Mama

“I Got It From My Mama” was first released as the trailer single from ex-Black Eyed Peas’ mainstay Will.i.am’s third solo album, 2007’s Songs About Girls. In effect a tribute to the way good looks can often be handed down to a girl from her mother’s genetics (“Tell me where you got your body from?/I got it from my mama!”), this funky, feisty and suggestive song celebrates both motherhood and the eternal beauty of the female form.

Florence + The Machine: Mother

After the big, widescreen productions dominating her band’s first two albums, Lungs and Ceremonials, Florence Welch stripped her music back on 2015’s How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful: a confessional record dealing with personal conflicts and struggles. Typical of its material, the cathartic “Mother” finds Welch seeking the guidance only a mom can provide and imploring “Mother make me a bird of prey/So I can rise above this, let it fall away.”

Listen to the best Mother’s Day songs on our celebratory playlist.

Scissor Sisters: Take Your Mama

A song capturing a mother’s unconditional love from a different angle, Scissor Sisters’ 2004 hit “Take Your Mama” was inspired by frontman Jake Shears coming out as gay to his mother, with whom he was always especially close. Shears’ lyric documents him introducing his mom to the activities of gay nightlife as part of their bonding process following his coming out (“Take your mama out all night/Show her what it’s all about”), but the music’s Rolling Stones-esque groove and upbeat feel-good factor mean “Take Your Mama” is simply a great rock song however the listener chooses to interpret it.

Etta James: Tell Mama

“Tell Mama” was originally titled “Tell Daddy” and became a Billboard R&B Chart hit for one of its co-writers, Clarence Carter. However, it connected with a much wider audience when its gender was reversed and Etta James recorded it as the maternally-inclined “Tell Mama” for the album of the same name in 1968. The song went on to provide James with her biggest-ever Billboard chart hit (No. 23) and that’s wholly appropriate for she puts her very heart and soul into this Southern soul stunner which will always rank among her greatest performances.

Tracy Bonham: Mother Mother

A feisty, Liz Phair-esque workout from her 1996 debut The Burdens Of Being Upright, Tracy Bonham’s signature hit “Mother Mother” has often been misconstrued as an angry, anti-maternal song. However, despite her vocal delivery (which rises to a scream as the song’s chorus kicks in), Bonham has stressed the song is simply an empathetic discourse about the awkward phone calls home most young people make when they try to persuade their moms that life is working out fine – often when it isn’t in reality. In an interview with Songfacts, she said “”It’s not an angry, ‘I hate you, Mom’ song, which a lot of people misunderstood it to be. It was just like, ‘Yeah, Mom, life is hard.’”

Reba McEntire: He Gets That From Me

Reba McEntire’s wistful “He Gets That From Me” initially captures a mother describing her own traits she sees in her son (“His curly hair and his knobby knees/The way the sun brings those freckles out”). However, it has a sting in the tail, as its latter verses describe the traits the boy’s late father – who it transpires has passed away – has also passed down to him. Tender and touching, “He Gets That From Me” stayed on Billboard’s Country Chart for 30 weeks straight and that’s no surprise as it can melt the hardest of hearts.

Donna Murphy: Mother Knows Best

While Rapunzel’s mother in Tangled was quite the villain, “Mother Knows Best” is all about moms knowing what their child deserves. Though the fairytale princess didn’t listen to Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), the song is perfect for the “told you so” moment that mothers experience with their children. – Jacklyn Krol

Lenny Kravitz: Always on the Run

Lenny Kravitz’s mother appears to be a regular well of good advice. In this funky tune, she tells him to get home early, never take more than your share and, by the way, don’t do heroin.

Meghan Trainor featuring Kelli Trainor: Mom

While all these artists sang to their mothers, Meghan Trainor went the extra mile and put hers on the record – not singing but chatting on the phone. On the recording, Kelli Trainor sounds every bit as wonderful as the song claims she is, and it was enough to give her a few moments of internet stardom.

Jamie O’Neal: Somebody’s Hero

This 2005 hit isn’t about the singer’s own family, but a salute to the mothers of the world – especially the ones who sacrifice big dreams to raise daughters. Jamie O’Neil sings of the mother’s heroic moment in letting go of her daughter when she gets married, and then the daughter’s own heroism in tending to her mother when she’s aged. That’s a lot of real-life detail to fit into a three-minute country song.

Taylor Swift: The Best Day

Even on her early albums, Taylor Swift was especially good at grabbing those little details that tell a bigger story. This Fearless track explores the mother-daughter bond through a couple of strong memories, including mom’s consolation after a tough day at school. The recent “Taylor’s version”: adds some new resonance by telling the story in her deeper adult voice.

Martina McBride: In My Daughter’s Eyes

Country music is full of loving odes to mom, but none can match the deep sentiments of this one from a mom to her daughter (and a dad to his, since James Slater wrote it). No mother-daughter squabbles here, just the singer’s testimony on the transforming power of her daughter’s love. McBride’s heartfelt vocal made this a rare country smash with no guitars or drums.

The Spice Girls: Mama

Behind the Spice Girls’ usual exuberance is a grown-up song about motherhood, with the singers admitting that they also fought with their moms in younger days, but came to respect them as mentors and friends. Girl power at its finest.

Ismael Miranda: Madre

This mid-70s salsa classic shows how intense the lyrics could get behind those ebullient grooves. If you didn’t speak Spanish or have a translation at hand, you’d figure he was just declaring his love for his mother. But he’s really despairing over her having passed away, and saying he’d give up his life if it meant he could see her again.

Bob Seger: Momma

True to form, Bob Seger’s song about moms is honest and unvarnished; this track (from his pre-Night Moves stardom days) allows that their relationship wasn’t smooth. But it comes back to the chorus of “Momma, she never told me a lie,” making that the highest praise you can give.

Blake Shelton: The Baby

If the Martina McBride song doesn’t get you tearing up, this one will. It’s the twist at the end that does it, as the singer rushes to meet his dying mom and cries like a baby when he doesn’t make it. This one had the whole country weeping when it topped the country charts in 2003.

Goldie: Mother

Not all songs about moms are warm and fuzzy, some people need time to get their feelings out. Goldie’s ode to his missing mom (who turned him over to foster care when he was young) runs a full hour and takes up most of the first CD of his controversially epic Saturnz Return. It practically takes in the entire history of music from classical to jungle, with the drums not entering for 20 minutes.

Sufjan Stevens: Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!

You wouldn’t expect a straightforward Mother’s Day song on Sufjan Stevens’ surreal journey through his Illinois album. What you get is this delightfully hummable tune full of rhymes and narrative twists, starting with the lyric’s mentioning “our” stepmom, not “yours.” You do however learn that you’ll regret hating your stepmother the minute you see her getting carried away by kangaroos.

Liz Phair: Little Digger

Liz Phair’s self-titled fourth album includes her most honest song about motherhood – specifically about her son’s conflicted reaction when she starts dating post-divorce. The chorus hook, “My mother is mine,” is one of her most haunting.

Betty Noyes – Baby Mine

Betty Noyes’ “Baby Mine” from Dubmo simply showcases what mothers feel for their babies. Its powerful message and performance earned it a place on the AFI list of greatest songs in film. In 2019, meanwhile, Arcade Fire gave the song an exciting update for the live-action version of the movie. – Jacklyn Krol

Christina Aguilera: Oh Mother

Christina Aguilera’s “Oh Mother” ventures into riskier territory, dealing with her own memories of growing up with an abusive father. It celebrates her mother having the strength to walk out after realizing she deserved better and bears out the stronger mother-daughter bond that resulted. Aguilera emotes the song for all it’s worth, delivering what may be the strongest performance on the jazz-infused Back to Basics album.

Beyoncé: Ring Off

Modern pop’s other great divorced-mother song. Unlike Xtina’s song, the marriage here isn’t abusive – it’s just gone south, and now the mom holds out for a love that isn’t being returned. She decided she’s had enough, off goes the ring and daughter Beyoncé celebrates with a hot dance track. The shouts of “so sexy!” suggest mom has more good times ahead.

Genesis: Mama

Let’s get the most dysfunctional Mother’s Day song out of the way first. In this stellar bit of pop- noir, a young man works through some deep-seated Oedipal issues through his relationship with a prostitute. It’s possibly the most dramatic vocal Phil Collins ever cut for Genesis.

Carole King & Louise Goffin: Where You Lead

This key Tapestry track wasn’t originally a mother-daughter song, but the producers of television’s Gilmore Girls heard it that way. Carole King was glad to oblige and called in original collaborator Toni Stern to revise the lyrics and enlisted her daughter Louise Goffin (also an established singer-songwriter) to do the duet. It remains a timeless song of devotion, whoever it’s sung to.

Drake: You & The 6

Drake wrote two songs dedicated to his mother: “You & The 6” and “Look What You’ve Done,” which both make the same point: He may be a bad boy, but he’d be much worse if his mother hadn’t kept him relatively on the straight and narrow. The rapper puts it all out there – owning up to his vices of booze, women, and other perks of stardom – but not to worry because “you and the six (a reference to his Toronto roots) raised me right.”

Lauren Alaina: Like My Mother Does

Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of country songs about moms that aren’t tearjerker. “Like My Mother Doges” got Lauren Alaina a runner-up slot on American Idol and launched her recording career. The uplifting song was actually first recorded by season seven American Idol contestant Kristy Lee Cook for her 2008 album, Why Wait, making it an Idol favorite.

Bruce Springsteen: The Wish

Bruce Springsteen repurposed several greatest hits for Springsteen on Broadway, but its emotional centerpiece was this deep cut that got largely overlooked on the Tracks box set. After saluting the sacrifices his mother made and her ultimate gift of a cheap guitar, Springsteen makes the wish that he could just take her dancing to a great rock’n’roll band.

Boyz II Men: A Song for Mama

While some of the songs on this list call for mom to have specialized tastes (or a sense of humor), here’s one anyone can sing to their mother and know she’ll be touched. Nothing but love on this Boyz II Men cut with lines like, “Your love is like tears from the stars…lovin’ you is like food to my soul,” to show your filial devotion.

Carrie Underwood: Mama’s Song

Carrie Underwood said a big goodbye to her mom, not once but twice: In 2006’s “Don’t Forget to Remember Me,” she’s leaving the house and going on her own after graduation. Four years later, this tune asks her mom to accept that she’s getting married, and not to worry, the guy’s great and will take good care of her.

The Jackson 5: Mama’s Pearl

Mama doesn’t fare too well in this Jackson 5 classic since she always told her daughter to stay away from guys and these guys are telling her just the opposite. ‘Mama’s Pearl’ still comes out sounding fairly wholesome, but this was the last J5 hit to have that lively kiddie sound; the mature ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ would soon follow.

Flo & Eddie: Mama, Open Up

This Flo & Eddie single is the ex-Turtles team at their dark-humored best, seeking some immediate shelter from the trials of the music biz: “Mama open up, I’m coming back in!” You decide whether they just want to come back home, or whether they’re taking the Oedipal thing to extremes.

BB King: Nobody Loves Me But My Mother

As originally recorded by BB King, “Nobody Loves Me But My Mother” was originally an album-opening fragment with just one verse of lyric (he’d later grow it into a full song onstage) but it contains one of the most quotable lines in King’s catalog, if not the entire blues canon: “Nobody loves me but my mother…and she could be jiving too”.

Ozzy Osbourne: Mama, I’m Coming Home

Ozzy’s biggest power ballad essentially follows Flo & Eddie’s concept without the laughs (and with some wonderful Beach Boys-type harmonies). Co-written by fellow sensitive soul Lemmy Kilmister, it’s about returning to a place where you know you’re loved. He apparently wrote it about his wife Sharon (at least she says so), but it struck a chord for mothers and sons everywhere.

James Brown: Mother Popcorn

Only James Brown could record a classic song about moms that doubles as a dance craze hit. During the song, the Godfather of Soul looks up from his dancing to note that there are lots of great mothers out there, but he prefers them tall and proud. A perfect Mother’s Day song for all the moms that love a bit of funk.

David Peel & the Lower East Side: Happy Mother’s Day

Not all songs about moms are sentimental, including this 1968 single about a teenage runaway by NYC outfit David Peel & the Lower East Side off their debut album Have A Marijuana. And what does this model son do to celebrate his newfound freedom? “Living on the East Side, always getting stoned/ Always getting high, I’m glad I’m not at home!”

The Beatles: Julia

This “White Album” track was such an exquisite love song that many fans overlooked the fact that John Lennon was singing about his late mother. This celebrated the tender side of their relationship, while the later solo tune “Mother,” addressed the underlying tension.

The Beatles: Let It Be

If you’re so inclined, the Paul McCartney line “When I find myself in times of trouble/Mother Mary comes to me/Speaking words of wisdom/Let it be” has plenty of religious connotations. For those ready to tweak the lyrics just a little bit, it becomes a simple tribute to the knowledge that only a mother can have.

Kate Bush: Mother Stands for Comfort

Though this is the sparest song on Hounds of Love, it’s also one of the most haunting, and nobody did strange beauty better than Kate Bush in 1985. Lyrically it’s about a murderer who turns to mother for solace – call it “Bohemian Rhapsody” without the opera.

Thin Lizzy: Philomena (1974)

Phil Lynott did his mom the ultimate compliment of putting her name in the song title, one of the most traditional Irish-sounding tracks of Thin Lizzy’s heyday. It’s a brilliant song, even if Lynott doesn’t come off as the most attentive son in the world: “Tell her that I love her, and I’ll try to write sometime.”

Johnny Guitar Watson: A Real Mother For Ya

So maybe this song is really about rising gas prices and the like, and the title is just a radio-friendly way of saying something else. But if your mother is at all funky, she’ll be able to relate to this gritty classic.

Glen Campbell: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

If you’re going to get sentimental about Mom, you might as well go all the way. Though it was recorded well into the 80s, this Glen Campbell tune (a duet with Steve Wariner) is one of the ultimate old-fashioned songs about moms, saying that “There ought to be a hall of fame for mamas/Creation’s most unique and precious pearls/And heaven help us always to remember/That the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”

Dolly Parton: Coat of Many Colors

In this masterful bit of storytelling, the mother from a poor family shows her love by knitting her daughter a coat like Joseph’s coat in the Bible. But instead of going for a tearjerker finale, Parton reveals the daughter gets laughed at by the richer kids at school. The lesson? “Now I know we had no money / But I was rich as I could be / In my coat of many colors / My momma made for me.”

Tupac Shakur: Dear Mama

This landmark rap song was brutally honest, acknowledging the things that Tupac’s mother did wrong. But Tupac couches all of this in a simple fact: A single mother on welfare doesn’t have many options. By choosing truth over fiction, it’s all the more powerful.

Various – Remember Me

While “Remember Me” from Coco is about any family member that you miss, you’ll find this tune on countless “Mother’s Day” playlists for good reason. The song’s sweet sentiment of remembering a departed loved one has cemented itself as a song that children can turn to if they’re missing their mother. – Jacklyn Krol

Danzig: Mother

In this corner, you have the well-meaning parents of the world. And in the other corner, Glenn Danzig, the corruptor of sons and daughters. Supposedly inspired by the PMRC hearings, this metal classic allowed Danzig to riff on eternal generation-gap themes.

Madonna – Promise To Try

This tender ballad from Madonna’s Like a Prayer marks a sharp contrast from the provocative early singles. But, in case anyone forgot, Madonna made a simple declaration in the liner notes: “This album is dedicated to my mother, who taught me how to pray.”

The Rolling Stones: Mother’s Little Helper

Along with The Who’s far kinkier “I’m a Boy,” this Rolling Stones’ song was one of the first songs to acknowledge that parents had rock’n’roll vices of their own. As Jagger’s generation would learn in time, truer words than “What a drag it is getting old,” were never sung.

Fountains of Wayne: Stacy’s Mom

Nothing’s more all-American than a song about loving your mother unless, of course, it’s one about a crush on somebody else’s mom. A teenaged slice of life, and one of the many pop gems that Adam Schlesinger left us.

Rare Earth: Ma

When it comes to songs about moms, 70s soul delivers (sorry) the motherlode. This epic Norman Whitfield production devotes a whole side to singing the praises of a tough contemporary mom who fights all of society’s obstacles to do right by her kids.

Elvis Presley: Mama Liked the Roses

One of the most heartfelt performances in Elvis Presley’s catalog, “Mama Liked The Roses” was recorded in 1970 when his voice was arguably at an all-time peak. Elvis’s love for his mother Gladys was legendary and though this tribute song was recorded 12 years after her death, you can still hear him fighting back tears during the spoken part. Though only a B-side at the time, it’s since become one of the iconic Elvis tracks.

Merle Haggard: Mama Tried

As Merle Haggard pointed out in this signature song (also done memorably by the Grateful Dead three years later), you can have a saintly mother and still wind up in the slammer. Though he recorded “Mama Tried” quite a few years later, the song was likely conceived when Haggard himself did time himself. Though, unlike the song’s hero who got life without parole, he only served short sentences for robbery.

The Shirelles: Mama Said

“Mama Said” is one of the first and greatest songs about moms in rock’n’roll, in which the singer responds to first love by realizing Mama told her there’d be days like this. It was a classic bit of wisdom that was later borrowed by everyone from John Lennon (“Nobody Told Me”) to Van Morrison (“Days Like This”). It also spawned a long string of songs about motherly advice, including the next three on this list.

Three Dog Night: Mama Told Me Not to Come

Mama knew best in this case, warning her rather messed-up son that he’d freak out if he went to that wild party. It was written, of course, by Randy Newman, but Three Dog Night had the hit, and lead singer Cory Wells gave it that perfect paranoid reading. Could this be the first hit song about agoraphobia?

The Supremes: You Can’t Hurry Love

In the Shirelles song, Mama knew all about the glories of love. But she also knew that it didn’t always work out, which led to one of the wisest (and ultimately reassuring) songs in the Motown catalog. It’s arguably the best performance of Diana Ross’ life, a timeless sentiment, and one of the best basslines in music history.

Kathryn Beaumont – Your Mother and Mine

On “Your Mother and Mine” from Peter Pan, Wendy Darling (Kathryn Beaumont) explains to Peter Pan and The Lost Boys what the love of a mother means. The tender lullaby perfectly sums up a mother’s angelic qualities and describes her as having an unbreakable bond with her children. – Jacklyn Krol

LL Cool J: Mama Said Knock You Out

Mom doesn’t really turn up much in the lyrics to this hip-hop classic, we just know that LL Cool J is knocking out every other DJ because his mother told him to. And since he did indeed knock out the competition with this track, he can probably thank Mama for bailing him out. A perfect Mother’s Day song for moms who love old-school hip-hop.

The Intruders: I’ll Always Love My Mama

Nothing serenades your mom better than vintage Philly soul, and no Gamble & Huff song was ever sweeter than this pledge of love: “She’s my favorite girl!” It opens their hearts without getting sappy and, like all Philly soul records, it’s also great to dance to.

ABBA: Mamma Mia

One of the greatest hits from the Swedish pop supergroup ABBA, this song’s lyrics reveal that it doesn’t have much to do with Mother’s Day exactly, but if you focus on the title when you’re singing it, we’re sure your Mamma won’t mind.

Alicia Keys: Superwoman

What is a mom, if not a superwoman? With lyrics like, “Even when I’m a mess/I still put on a vest/With an S on my chest/Oh yes,” Alicia Keys’ empowering anthem is perfect for you to play for that special woman in your life on this very special day.

Think we’ve missed any of the best Mother’s Day songs? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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After the success of their debut album Access All Areas, Flo is gearing up for their sophomore album. The British pop/R&B trio have officially announced the new album Therapy at the Club will debut on July 24, 2026, and have shared the title track from the album as its second single. “Therapy At The Club” is available to purchase and stream now, while the album is officially available for preorder.

“We’re incredibly proud to finally share Therapy at the Club, our sophomore album with the world. It’s a body of work that feels super personal to us, it’s been a labour of love. For us, the club is more than just a night out, it’s like therapy. I mean, where else do you feel more understood than in a girls bathroom on a night out…that’s the vibe!” say Flo about their new album. “We’ve been very hands on with the writing and creation of this project alongside our very special collaborators, and that’s made it even more meaningful to us. This album represents where we are right now – honest, evolving, and unafraid to feel everything. We really hope you love it!”

Flo first shared a taste of Therapy at the Club with the lead single “Leak It,” which debuted in March. That track takes the best elements of a Y2K-era club banger and gives it a pulsing update brimming with Flo’s tight harmonies. “Leak It” and “Therapy in the Club,” which shows the group in a more soulful balladic mode, introduce what promises to be a processing of difficult emotions on the dance floor. The group has also enlisted an all-star group of collaborators for the project, including Amy Allen, Steph Jones (both of whom have recently worked with Sabrina Carpenter), Julian Bunetta, and Boy Matthews.

Access All Areas earned a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album, making Flo the first British girl group nominated for a Grammy in 20 years. That album features hits like “Walk Like This,” “In My Bag” with Glorilla, and “Check.”

Order Flo’s Therapy at the Club now.

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Only two years after captivating listeners with his debut album, Aijuswanaseing, Philadelphia native Musiq Soulchild returned with a masterpiece in 2002’s Juslisten. The LP not only solidified Soulchild’s popularity, it also showcased just how versatile and timeless neo-soul could be. Decades on, fans still connect to these tunes that took him to the top of the Billboard 200 and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.

Listen to Musiq Soulchild’s Juslisen on Apple Music or Spotify.

Released at a moment when the “gangsta” lifestyle was heavily glorified and the sounds of The South were beginning to make noise, Juslisen had something for everyone. It was a melting pot of musical genres, with R&B, hip hop, funk, and gospel all thrown into the mix. Hit single, “Halfcrazy” led the way, sampling a 1960s French soundtrack for its delicate guitar. The song works so well because it never quite gives a clear resolution. In a 2021 interview for Vibe, Soulchild reflected on this style of songwriting: “That’s the space that I like to work in. Most people like to do the black or the white, like to do the up or the down, or the good or the bad. I’ve never really been interested in the extremes. I want to talk about the gray. So much gray that no one likes to talk about.”

Musiq Soulchild’s smooth, yet rugged, technique, always stood out amongst his peers. But there were clear antecedents. In that same Vibe interview, he singles out D’Angelo’s impact as a huge reason for his own success. “There wouldn’t have been a lane, there wouldn’t have been context, there wouldn’t have been a reference, there wouldn’t have been the interest if he wasn’t a thing… There wouldn’t have been somebody saying, ‘Maybe, let’s take a chance on this kid from Philly that’s doing this whole neo-soul thing.’”

What makes Juslisen so exceptional is the subject matter that Musiq Soulchild took on in such a candid way. Few contemporary artists were dealing with the same issues. You need to look back at artists like Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and Marvin Gaye to hear someone so gorgeously depicting the honeymoon phase of catching feelings for someone, as Musiq does on “Newness.” The bold vulnerability to linger on topics like falling for someone that isn’t completely reciprocating – or is simply guarded due to past heartbreaks – was unique at the moment that Juslisen was released.

Perhaps more importantly, they’re topics that continue to resonate. When asked about what makes for a timeless love song, Musiq once said: “I think that it has to be something connected to something real. I had people say it to me all the time. ‘You’re speaking my life, you’re talking… You stalking me? You spying on me?’” Juslisen has plenty of those moments because timeless music has no expiration date.

Listen to Musiq Soulchild’s Juslisen on Apple Music or Spotify.

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Jessie Reyez has confirmed that her fourth studio album, A LITTLE VENGEANCE, will be released on June 12 via FMLY/Island Records.

The news continues a new era for Reyez, who has been consistently releasing music in 2026. Last week, she recruited Muni Long for “AIN’T U TIRED?” Earlier in April, she dropped “N.Y.F.F.,” alongside the surprise $TILL PAID EP.

On “AIN’T U TIRED?,” both Reyez and Long take aim at partners who took advantage of them. The former employs a half-rapped, half-sung flow as she takes a former flame to task: “Upper echelon, I’m the one in charge/ Hair and money long, you do what you want/ Wanna sleep, wanna sleep, wanna sleep on me, I dare you,” Reyez sings.

A LITTLE VENGEANCE and the $TILL PAID EP follow the Canadian songwriter’s 2025 LP, PAID IN MEMORIES. That album featured cover art that displayed a questionnaire Reyez answered as an eighth grader. In a section titled favorite hobbies, she wrote: “Rapping/singing/dancing.” This passion still informs her artistry. She discussed this drive in a 2025 interview with Clash, reflecting on how her music mirrors the world she wants to live in.

She said, “So ultimately I just want to live a good life. I want to continue to do that and when times come in life where heavier s**t goes left, I just want to be able to have more elasticity to be able to come back with equanimity and not be in the low for too long. To make the world a better place is the nice little pageant queen answer, but I believe it [laughs]. I abide by it and I think it’s a beautiful thing that I want to make sure I do. Like when I die, I want to make sure I’m leaving the world in a better place than when I found it. I want to help the people I can, love the same people I love wholeheartedly, and just be.”

Order A Little Vengeance here.

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“Next Lifetime,” the second single from Erykah Badu’s debut album Baduizm, is a sweeping love story where the stakes of losing the “one that got away” hinges on transmigration. Why get caught up in the missed opportunities of this plane when there are infinite lifetimes to explore a connection? The song’s cinematic music video takes this prompt and expands it even further. Starting in what looks like an African village, we find Badu greeting elders, carrying baskets, and finding love while fetching water. She locks eyes with another villager (played by Pete Rock), but the timing is bad, her husband (played by then-boyfriend Andre 3000) appears with a baby on his back as she looks wistfully across the pond at what could have been.

A kiss on her ankh tattoo transports us to another century, or another lifetime, in 1968, where in the heat of Black Power she encounters the second coming of her missed connection from the rural village – except this time he’s a spirited activist. They fall into a relationship only for fate to play another trick. In this century, though she’s found her lost love, a character played by Method Man catches her eye, sending her back down the spiral of longing.

A near-death encounter where Method Man’s character seems to save her life sends us barrelling into another century, another lifetime, where her previous life’s savior is her new lover in a place called Motherland 3037. In this futuristic landscape which is highlighted by neon colors and references to African tribal ceremonies, Badu is the queen to Method Man’s king but of course, as fate would have it, there’s another love to be had in the ensuing lifetime. This time, in a full circle moment, it is again with Andre 3000.

Ever the teacher, Badu uses a love story to situate herself in the past, present, and ever-expanding future of Black folk. From the motherland of the past to the motherland of the future, the video transcends mere romance between two people and instead spells out a love for the people. It is a love that is buoyed by a deep, rich history and anchored in the belief of the cyclical nature of the world, of reincarnation, and of community. The song reached number one on the R&B and hip-hop airplay chart in May of 1997, but it remains a fan favorite today and will likely remain so for lifetimes to come.

Listen to Erykah Badu’s “Next Lifetime” from Baduizm on Apple Music and Spotify.

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The-Dream has released “Bring That Body,” his first official solo single in more than a decade. The track, out now via RadioKilla Records and Republic Records, also serves as the first preview of Love Hate II, the sequel to his 2007 debut Love Hate.

The new single opens with The-Dream’s “Radio Killa” tag and centers on his call, “Bring that body over here.” The release marks the beginning of a new chapter for the nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer, who has written or produced records for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, and Justin Bieber.

The-Dream said Love Hate II explores relationships and romance in the present day. “I want to make a record about where love is now,” he said. “Relationships became cheapened. People used to fight for their love.” Variety previously reported that the project is expected to include contributions from T.I., Rick Ross, Usher, Pharrell Williams, Mike Dean, Swizz Beatz, and additional artists.

The single follows recent recognition from The New York Times, which named The-Dream one of “The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters.” The publication cited his work on Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body,” and Justin Bieber’s “Baby.” In 2025, The-Dream won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for his contributions to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. The announcement also follows recent credits on Clipse’s “All Things Considered,” Rosalía’s “Sauvignon Blanc,” and Summer Walker’s “Allegedly.”

Listen to “Bring That Body” here.

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Jessie Reyez has released “Ain’t U Tired?,” a new single featuring Muni Long, via FMLY/Island Records. The Grammy-nominated, six-time Juno-winning singer-songwriter also shared an official visualizer for the collaboration, which is out now.

“Ain’t U Tired?” brings Reyez and Long together on a love song built around direct, emotional vocals and piano. The accompanying visualizer places the two artists in a tropical setting with palm trees, sandy swings, and a camper van in the background. The video was released alongside the single, giving the track a visual counterpart on the day of release.

The new song follows Reyez’s April single “N.Y.F.F.,” a rap-sung track about ending a relationship with an unfaithful ex. In March, Reyez released $TILL PAID, a five-track EP marking one year since her 2025 album PAID IN MEMORIES. The EP included a remix with British rapper Stormzy and arrived after Reyez completed her sold-out PAID IN MEMORIES headline world tour in 2025.

PAID IN MEMORIES featured more than 20 tracks and collaborations with Ari Lennox, Big Sean, Miguel, Lil Yachty, 6LACK, Lil Wayne, and Deyaz. The album included “GOLIATH,” “NYB,” “PSILOCYBIN & DAISIES,” and “COULDN’T B ME.” In 2024, Reyez received Billboard Canada’s Women in Music Trailblazer Award and was recognized as a TikTok Visionary Voice for Latin Heritage Month. Also in 2024, she performed at Lollapalooza in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, played Corona Capital in Mexico City, and joined U.S. arena dates on Jhené Aiko’s The Magic Hour Tour. Her song “Imported” featuring 6LACK recently reached RIAA 2x Platinum certification, while “Figures” is also certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA.

Listen to “AIN’T U TIRED?” here.

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Toosii has released his new single “Proud of Me” and its music video via South Coast Music Group/Capitol Records. The song arrived May 1, 2026, as the multi-platinum artist prepares to enroll at Louisiana State University and join the school’s football program.

The “Proud of Me” video was directed by City James and shot in Baton Rouge, where Toosii’s next chapter is set to begin. The clip places the song in the city that now connects his music, education, and football ambitions. Toosii will also donate a percentage of proceeds from “Proud of Me” to youth organizations in Baton Rouge.

The song follows weeks of fan anticipation online and centers on Toosii’s path from early doubts to the next stage of his career. Its autobiographical theme matches the timing of his LSU move, which brings him back to football after years focused on recording and touring. Toosii played wide receiver in high school before his music career became his primary focus.

The release follows JADED, the project Toosii issued on October 4, 2024, featuring Gunna, Kehlani, and Muni Long. The 2024 project included “Fuk U Mean” and “Champs Élysées,” a Gunna collaboration. In October 2024, Toosii joined Rod Wave’s Last Lap Tour as a special guest, with Moneybagg Yo, Lil Poppa, and Dess Dior also on the bill. In 2025, Toosii released “Even Then” and joined YoungBoy Never Broke Again on “Please Don’t Go.” In 2025, Toosii also supported YoungBoy Never Broke Again on the MASA Tour, which grossed more than $75 million. Toosii’s 2023 album NAUJOUR included “Favorite Song,” which reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 2023 single was one of Toosii’s defining crossover moments before he began publicly pursuing a return to college football.

Listen to “Proud Of Me” here.

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If one were to name James Brown as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and beyond, there are few reasonable people who would argue. Born in 1933 in Barnwell, South Carolina, and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Brown grew up singing in gospel quartets and performing throughout the South. When he joined The Famous Flames, a powerful rhythm and blues ensemble fronted by his friend Bobby Byrd, Brown’s journey to stardom would begin.

An electric performer and tireless innovator, Brown’s catalog is one of the most diverse in the history of recorded music. From his emotive ballads in the 1950s, the fiery R&B sides of the 60s, the deeply funky and socially conscious workouts of the 70s, or his pop-soul hits of the 1980s, James Brown didn’t just weather the stylistic changes that shaped popular music. Most of the time, he was a major initiator of those changes.

Listen to the best James Brown songs on Apple Music or Spotify.

When the cultural revolution of hip-hop exploded onto mainstream consciousness in the 80s, sampling arose as a new and radical musical innovation. Hungry for hypnotic grooves, pounding drum breaks, dynamic vocals, and horn riffs, hip-hop producers and DJs naturally gravitated to the Godfather of Soul. Since then, countless DJs and producers have taken bits of James Brown’s best songs to use in their own new creations, thus allowing Brown’s musical DNA to continue to spread far and wide.

With dozens of studio albums, live albums, and compilations as well as the numerous hits that Brown produced for associated acts like Lyn Collins, The J.B.s, Vicki Anderson, Bobby Byrd, and others, there is no list that could fully encompass James Brown’s prodigious musical output. That being said, these 20 best songs are a great introduction to his incredible career.

The ballads

(Try Me; Please, Please, Please; Bewildered; I Love You, Yes I Do)

Rooted in the traditions of gospel and blues, one of the greatest weapons James Brown’s arsenal is his ability to pour deep emotion into a soulful ballad. While some of his best songs like “Try Me” and “Please, Please, Please” were hits and undeniable classics, Brown brought that same ecstatic energy to ballads like “Bewildered” and “I Love You, Yes I Do.” With his strained, gravely voice, Brown was able to add a rough edge and sense of pleading urgency to these songs, a balladeer who could blur the lines between pain and pleasure, love and loss.

The origins of funk

(I Got You (I Feel Good); Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag; I Got The Feelin’; Cold Sweat; Superbad Pt. 1&2; Ain’t It Funky Now; Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine; Get Up Offa That Thang)

For James Brown, the mid-to-late 60s were an incredibly prolific and innovative period. Not only did Brown produce several of his best songs in this period with cuts like “I Got You (I Feel Good),” “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag,” “I Got The Feelin’,” he would ultimately change the course of music history by introducing a new rhythmic concept and compositional matrix into the fold. With 1967’s “Cold Sweat,” Brown placed heavy emphasis on the first beat of a song’s measure and repurposed melodic instruments into agents of rhythm. With this set of daring innovations, what we know today as funk was born. Whether it as the driving, hypnotic grooves of “Superbad Pt. 1&2” and “Ain’t It Funky Now” or flamboyant anthems like “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine” and “Get Up Offa That Thang,” Brown would consistently prove that he was not only the inventor of the funk, but its chief innovator.

James Brown songs with a message

(Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud; It’s a Man’s Man’s World; The Payback)

As fate would have it, the peak of James Brown’s popularity, as well as his creative prime, would coincide with (and in many ways inspire) both the Civil Rights era and the Black Power Movement. As with many of the United States’ great musicians, Brown also sought to express the frustrations and hopes of the people by injecting socially conscious messages into his music. “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” emphasized Black pride in a white-dominated world, while “It’s a Man’s Man’s World” celebrated the contributions of women. Oftentimes, Brown would just rap to the brothers and sisters on the street with cuts like “The Payback,” lending his voice to articulate the Black, working-class experience.

Hip-hop’s DNA

(Funky Drummer; Give It Up or Turn It Loose; Blues And Pants; Mind Power; Papa Don’t Take No Mess)

When hip-hop first emerged in the early 70s, DJs utilized the funky grooves and pounding drum breaks of James Brown and the legions of bands that his best songs inspired. As sampling technology evolved, producers would once again turn to Brown, extracting snippets of horn riffs, basslines, screams, guitar licks, and drums to build entirely new collages of sound. The hypnotic, extended grooves of “Give It Up or Turn it Loose,” “Blues And Pants,” “Mind Power,” and “Papa Don’t Take No Mess” have all been sampled famously. “Funky Drummer,” however, is perhaps Brown’s greatest contribution to sampling culture. Showing up in hundreds if not thousands of songs, “Funky Drummer” has helped to shape the future of music to this day.

Browse James Brown’s music on limited edition vinyl and CDs here.

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