Category: Hip Hop

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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Ne-Yo has been spending the past few months looking back on his origins as a recording artist while simultaneously pushing forward with new music. The hit-making singer-songwriter has celebrated the 20th anniversary of his debut album In My Own Words with special edition reissues and a performance of the album’s chart-topping hit “So Sick” for Apple Music’s “The One” series. Now, on the latest episode of The Zach Sang Show, Ne-Yo tells the stories behind the album as the jumpoff point for a far-reaching conversation about his career.

During the show, Ne-Yo spoke about his original chance meeting with Norwegian production team Stargate, which resulted in “So Sick,” and shared the stories behind several other indelible songs he wrote for himself and other artists. Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable,” for instance, was originally meant for himself before he and his collaborators realized it should be sung by a woman. “We shopped it around to a few different artists who will remain nameless,” Ne-Yo said. “There might have been six other female artists that heard it and turned it down before it got to Beyoncé.”

Ne-Yo talked with Sang about the influence of country music on “Irreplaceable” and some of his other songwriting successes, a thread he’s further explored on Highway 79, his new country-inspired album. “I’ve been a fan of country music for a long time,” he said, recalling his mother exposing him to a range of genres growing up in Las Vegas, including Reba McEntire’s “Fancy,” a song that “had me in a chokehold for like three years.” He spoke about his experiences writing in Nashville, including Highway 79 track “Ms. Tundra,” and performing at the Grand Ole Opry, country music’s storied institution.

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Elsewhere in the interview, Ne-Yo told more stories behind hits of his own, such as “Closer” and “Miss Independent,” and for other artists, such as Rihanna’s “Take A Bow.” He also talked about unreleased songs he wrote for Michael Jackson, being a father to seven kids, his thoughts on the changing definition of pop, and why he believes vulnerability has disappeared from the current R&B landscape. It’s a must-hear interview for Ne-Yo diehards and casual fans alike.

Shop Ne-Yo’s In My Own Words 20th anniversary releases here.

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R&B singer-songwriter Genia has returned with a new single, “Can’t Wait,” out now via Def Jam Recordings. An accompanying music video features Genia jamming to the track on the streets of Seoul alongside producer Dee Gomes.

“I can’t wait another moment / So just tell me how you want it / Ain’t no stopping, keep it going / I’ve been dreaming of tonight,” she sings on the first verse. Genia shared an Instagram post featuring the groovy new track with the quote “They said R&B is dead… I am reviving her.” The singer has been on a musical journey with the release of the singles “Miss Your Touch,” “Baby Ima Star,” “Downfall,” “Doomsday,” and “Toastyyy” feat. Timbaland.

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Def Jam describes the 24-year-old artist as “Fiery yet thoughtful with her pen,” embracing her vulnerabilities in her music. “I feel like I make music for everybody,” she shares. “But mainly for women to feel badass. That was kind of my thing: to make bad bitch music, but also vulnerable music, almost like somebody’s reading my diary.”

Genia hails from Victorville, CA. She first discovered her love for music when her grandmother exposed her to Prince’s Purple Rain, and was later inspired by Beyoncé and Rihanna. She was balancing shifts at Walmart when her cover of Deborah Cox’s “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” went viral on TikTok in November 2020. She has since released two EPs, 2024’s 4am In The Ville and 2023’s 4pm In The Ville, as well as numerous singles.

She has described her sound as a ‘melting pot’ of influences, and doesn’t want to feel tied to one genre. “I finally feel like I’ve found my voice in music,” she told Celeb Secrets. “I used to feel boxed in, but now I know exactly what I want to do — and I’m doing it.”

Listen to Genia’s “Can’t Wait” here.

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GRAMMY-nominated British R&B trio FLO has released “Remedied,” the fourth song from its second album, Therapy At The Club. The album is due August 7 through EMI Records and follows the previously shared tracks “Leak It,” “Don’t Break Her Heart,” and the title song. Renée Downer, Stella Quaresma, and Jorja Douglas first teased “Remedied” in an advertisement with Liquid I.V.

FLO wrote “Remedied” with Amy Allen, whose credits include Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Dean. The group described the song as a response to feeling stuck and deciding to reconnect with yourself. “Remedied is for anyone who’s been stuck in a rut,” FLO said. “Consider it your cure.” The track arrives after FLO shared Live From Vevo Studio performances of “Leak It” and “Therapy At The Club” the previous week.

Therapy At The Club frames a night out as a setting for confession, release, and self-possession, moving from the pregame through the following morning. The album also includes writing and production contributions from Steph Jones, Julian Bunetta, Boys Matthews, Skipz, Oak Felder, and Sevyn Streeter, alongside songwriting and production work from FLO. The title track was first performed during the trio’s NPR Tiny Desk appearance, while “Leak It” became the group’s highest-charting solo single in the United Kingdom to date.

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FLO began its Therapy In Session in-store tour in the United Kingdom in July 2026, with acoustic appearances scheduled in Bristol, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, London, and Manchester through August 7. The group will then take the Therapy At The Club Tour to Asia, beginning at Lalala Festival in Manila on August 21 and continuing through Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Osaka. FLO’s debut album, Access All Areas, reached No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album. In 2026, the trio won its first MOBO Award for Best R&B/Soul Act, following its 2023 BBC Sound poll and BRITs Rising Star Award wins. The group also completed the biggest U.S. headline tour by a British girl group in nearly two decades in 2025 and has surpassed 605 million global streams.

Listen to FLO’s “Remedied” here.

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Four-time Grammy nominee Fridayy has announced his third studio album, Tension, due August 14, 2026, through Def Jam Recordings. The singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has also released the project’s first single, “Haiku,” which is available now on streaming platforms.

Fridayy said the forthcoming record allowed him to explore a different part of his songwriting while retaining the emotional focus of his previous work. “Tension shows a different side to me. I followed what felt good and let the music take me somewhere new,” he said. “There’s still a lot of heart in these records, but there’s also this fun vibe to them. ‘Haiku’ sets the tone for everything that’s coming.” The album incorporates contemporary R&B with Caribbean-influenced rhythms and places a greater emphasis on rhythm-driven production.

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“Haiku” focuses on longing, regret, and the memory of a relationship that its narrator has struggled to leave behind. The lyrics find Fridayy setting his ego aside as he considers pursuing a second chance with someone he believes is worth fighting for.

Fridayy released Some Days I’m Good, Some Days I’m Not in February 2025, with guest appearances from Chris Brown, Kehlani, Wale, Meek Mill, and other collaborators. “Proud of Me,” his collaboration with Meek Mill from the album, earned a nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 2026 Grammy Awards, bringing Fridayy’s career nomination total to four. In December 2025, he followed the album with the surprise EP Everybody Got Somebody, which included six tracks and a guest appearance from Mariah The Scientist on “Death Do Us Part.”

Listen to Fridayy’s “Haiku” here.

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Black Eyed Peas’ hit track “My Humps” has reached a milestone of one billion views on YouTube.

Released in 2005, “My Humps” appeared on the group’s fourth studio album, Monkey Business. It was written by group member will.i.am and samples lines from Sexual Harassment’s 1983 single, “I Need a Freak,” written by Lynn Tolliver (a.k.a. David Payton).

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Originally written by will.i.am for the American girl group the Pussycat Dolls, the song features Fergie and will.i.am as the main vocalists on the song, while Taboo and apl.de.ap provide background vocals. The song is centered around Fergie flaunting her body as a means of power and control: “I drive these brothers crazy/I do it on the daily.”

Directed by Fatima Robinson and Malik Hassan Sayeed, the official music video for “My Humps” shows Fergie dancing with backup dancers amongst the luxury items apparently purchased for her by male suitors appear on the screen.

Monkey Business debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. “My Humps” became the Black Eyed Peas’ second single to reach the top three on the US Billboard Hot 100, and took home a Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.

Last year, the pop-rap group celebrated Monkey Business’ 20th anniversary with an expanded digital edition that features remixes and four songs available for streaming for the first time. They include “Shake Your Monkey,” “Bend Your Back,” “Make Them Hear You,” and a 2025 remix of “Shake Your Monkey” by will.i.am. Originally recorded during the album sessions, the “Shake Your Monkey” deep cut was previously only released as a bonus track on select international maxi-singles.

Another track off Monkey Business, “Pump It,” recently surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. It’s their fourth song to do so, joining hits like “I Gotta Feeling,” “Where Is The Love?” and “RITMO (Bad Boys For Life).”

Shop the Black Eyed Peas’ Monkey Business here.

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Black Eyed Peas are encouraging their fans to connect and share a positive message in a whole new way. Earlier this week, the group launched a “Where Is The Love?” microsite, named for their 2003 smash hit of the same name. On the site, fans can connect with other fans from all over the globe and engage with their content. Fans can make their own videos by using the official “Where Is The Love?” sound on TikTok and Instagram and by using the #wheresthelove tag. Once uploaded, fan videos are highlighted with location pins on an interactive globe, capturing the worldwide spread of the Black Eyed Peas’ message.

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In the more than 20 years since its release, “Where Is The Love?” has proved to be one of the Black Eyed Peas’ most enduring cuts. However, when the group went about writing and recording it, they didn’t intend to make a hit but to find a way to deal with “the stress, the anxiety and the pain of 9/11” and the tour that they had to continue in the aftermath. In creating the beat, Will.i.am said he was inspired by a human heart beat. “We were trying to articulate the emotion of that tour, and every single person that we came across with that tour,” Will.i.am later recalled in a 2018 interview with The Telegraph. “If there was a sonic occasion to our friendship, it would be that song.”

Upon release, “Where Is The Love?” was a success for the Black Eyed Peas, charting at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping charts in countries around the world, including in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The track also became the Peas’ first to be nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year—a feat they would later repeat in 2010 with “I Gotta Feeling”—and earned another nomination for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Visit the ‘Where Is The Love’ microsite here.

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