R&B
Items in this hypelist
Music
Brent Faiyaz
Artist
Music
Frank Ocean
Artist
Music
SZA
Artist
Music
PARTYNEXTDOOR
Artist
Tory Lanez
Artist
Bryson Tiller
Artist
Miguel
Artist
Music
Jhené Aiko
Artist
Summer Walker
Artist
H.E.R.
Artist
Music
Sonder
Artist
Music
Cigarettes After Sex
Artist
Ten years ago Greg Gonzalez was having a really rough Valentine’s Day. Freshly heartbroken with no hope of reconciliation, he spent two hours driving from his hometown El Paso to play a show, and he listened to Sade’s “By Your Side” on repeat both ways. “The experience that day stuck in my bones—it was an idea that I couldn’t forget,” says Gonzalez, the frontman of Cigarettes After Sex. “I thought, how do I make a record that feels like that?” With each record—the initial 2012 EP, 2017’s eponymous debut album, and 2019’s Cry— Gonzalez has been faithful to his muse: love. In raw, imagistic vignettes set to entrancing, slow-burn pop songs, Gonzalez captures every emotion a romantic arc inspires. But where previous albums have drawn from an amalgam of relationships, for the most part, their third, eagerly anticipated LP, X’s, centralises on just one relationship that spanned four years.
Music
Don Toliver
Artist
Music
GIVĒON
Artist
Uncategorized
J. Cole
Artist
Daniel Caesar
Artist
21 Savage
Artist
An Atlanta-based rapper who kicked off his career with the crew Slaughtergang, MC 21 Savage hit as a solo artist with his 2014 single "Picky." First single "Picky" launched his solo career in 2014, and his debut mixtape, The Slaughter Tape, dropped in 2015. The Free Guwop EP, with <a href="spotify:artist:655963AgkTZeYUvCyodCIL" data-name="Sonny Digital">Sonny Digital</a>, landed that same year, as did a second solo mixtape, Slaughter King. In 2016 he joined <a href="spotify:artist:0iEtIxbK0KxaSlF7G42ZOp" data-name="Metro Boomin">Metro Boomin</a> for the collaborative EP Savage Mode, which climbed into the Top 25 of the Billboard 200 and peaked at number seven on the Rap Albums chart. Savage's debut full-length arrived in the summer of 2017. Issa Album (/) featured production by <a href="spotify:artist:0iEtIxbK0KxaSlF7G42ZOp" data-name="Metro Boomin">Metro Boomin</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0WZKfnDZopX1oMUi8gPSHt" data-name="Southside">Southside</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1mceaxtjWdEmwoDVAlkC41" data-name="Zaytoven">Zaytoven</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0YinUQ50QDB7ZxSCLyQ40k" data-name="DJ Mustard">DJ Mustard</a>, as well as an appearance by <a href="spotify:artist:50co4Is1HCEo8bhOyUWKpn" data-name="Young Thug">Young Thug</a> on "Whole Lot." ~ David Jeffries
Travis Scott
Artist
Houston-born rapper and producer Travis Scott's psychedelic trap style makes him one of the more distinctive talents to have risen to the height of mainstream commercial popularity. His heavily processed, half-sung/half-rapped style set him apart early on, and he grew from affiliations with <a href="spotify:artist:5K4W6rqBFWDnAN6FQUkS6x">Kanye West</a>'s GOOD Music and <a href="spotify:artist:4OBJLual30L7gRl5UkeRcT">T.I.</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Grand+Hustle%22">Grand Hustle</a> in the early 2010s to chart-dominating popularity before the close of the decade. After his first studio album, 2015's Rodeo, debuted in the number three position, Scott followed with a pair of number one full-lengths, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016) and Astroworld (2018), all the while assisting on platinum singles headlined by the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:5pKCCKE2ajJHZ9KAiaK11H">Rihanna</a> ("Bitch Better Have My Money"), <a href="spotify:artist:7tYKF4w9nC0nq9CsPZTHyP">SZA</a> ("Love Galore"), and <a href="spotify:artist:3TVXtAsR1Inumwj472S9r4">Drake</a> ("Portland"), and working extensively with <a href="spotify:artist:0VRj0yCOv2FXJNP47XQnx5">Quavo</a> as <a href="spotify:artist:6extd4B6hl8VTmnlhpl2bY">Huncho Jack</a>. Whether leading or supporting, Scott's presence was unmistakable, and he quickly accumulated Grammys, endorsement deals, and appearances in more than 80 charting songs. By the 2020s, Scott was one of the most successful living artists on the planet. This level of fame played into both extreme success and profound tragedy, with Scott being at the center of controversy surrounding the deaths and injuries of hundreds of fans at his 2021 Astroworld festival before debuting his genre-crossing, Grammy-nominated fourth album, 2023's UTOPIA. He was then featured on a variety of tracks with <a href="spotify:artist:1URnnhqYAYcrqrcwql10ft">21 Savage</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0iEtIxbK0KxaSlF7G42ZOp">Metro Boomin</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3a1tBryiczPAZpgoZN9Rzg">Asake</a>, and others. Born Jacques Webster, Travis Scott grew up in a suburb of Houston and began making music as a teenager. He formed a duo called the Graduates with Chris Holloway, and they released an EP in 2009. The following year, he formed another duo, the Classmates, with OG Chess. Scott produced the pair's two full-lengths, Buddy Rich and Cruis'n USA, but they broke up near the end of 2011. After dropping out of college, Scott moved to Los Angeles and began recording music on his own. He met <a href="spotify:artist:4OBJLual30L7gRl5UkeRcT">T.I.</a> and eventually <a href="spotify:artist:5K4W6rqBFWDnAN6FQUkS6x">Kanye West</a>. Scott was hired as an in-house producer for GOOD Music, and appeared on the label's Cruel Summer compilation in 2012. Scott's debut, Owl Pharaoh, was originally scheduled to be released as a free mixtape in 2012, but as his profile grew (including a placement in XXL Magazine's Freshman Class of 2013), and sample clearance issues, the album wasn't released until May 2013. Featuring guest appearances by <a href="spotify:artist:4OBJLual30L7gRl5UkeRcT">T.I.</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:17lzZA2AlOHwCwFALHttmp">2 Chainz</a> (on the single "Upper Echelon") as well as <a href="spotify:artist:6O4EGCCb6DoIiR6B1QCQgp">Toro y Moi</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:13rHmjtJmlIJ2aDyJc7CLV">Justin Vernon</a> of <a href="spotify:artist:4LEiUm1SRbFMgfqnQTwUbQ">Bon Iver</a>, Owl Pharaoh eventually garnered a nomination for Best Mixtape at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards. The buildup to Scott's first proper studio album involved the Days Before Rodeo mixtape, promoted with the singles "Don't Play" and "Mamacita," and the March 2015 U.S. Rodeo Tour, headlined by Scott and supported by <a href="spotify:artist:50co4Is1HCEo8bhOyUWKpn">Young Thug</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0iEtIxbK0KxaSlF7G42ZOp">Metro Boomin</a>. Several of the dates sold out. The same month, <a href="spotify:artist:5pKCCKE2ajJHZ9KAiaK11H">Rihanna</a>'s Scott-produced hit single "Bitch Better Have My Money" was released. "3500" and "Antidote" were issued ahead of Rodeo, Scott's second full-length, which followed in September on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Grand+Hustle%22">Grand Hustle</a>/Epic and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. Toward the end of the year, "Antidote" peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100 and became Scott's first platinum single. Chatter regarding a follow-up, along with numerous delays, ensued throughout much of 2016. Meanwhile, Scott extended his commercial presence with featured spots on <a href="spotify:artist:137W8MRPWKqSmrBGDBFSop">Wiz Khalifa</a>'s "Bake Sale," <a href="spotify:artist:5pKCCKE2ajJHZ9KAiaK11H">Rihanna</a>'s "Woo," and <a href="spotify:artist:5K4W6rqBFWDnAN6FQUkS6x">Kanye West</a>'s "FML," as well as a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:50co4Is1HCEo8bhOyUWKpn">Young Thug</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0VRj0yCOv2FXJNP47XQnx5">Quavo</a>, "Pick Up the Phone," a mid-year hit issued as the lead single of <a href="spotify:artist:50co4Is1HCEo8bhOyUWKpn">Young Thug</a>'s JEFFERY. Three months later, after "Bitch Better Have My Money" earned platinum certification, Scott's second proper album arrived. Titled Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight after one of <a href="spotify:artist:0VRj0yCOv2FXJNP47XQnx5">Quavo</a>'s lines in "Pick Up the Phone," the woozy, mostly midtempo set featured that hit and contributions from the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:74V3dE1a51skRkdII8y2C6">André 3000</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0fA0VVWsXO9YnASrzqfmYu">Kid Cudi</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2YZyLoL8N0Wb9xBt1NhZWg">Kendrick Lamar</a>. It went straight to the top of the Billboard 200. Leading up to his third LP, Scott was featured on a slew of tracks, including platinum singles headlined by <a href="spotify:artist:7tYKF4w9nC0nq9CsPZTHyP">SZA</a> ("Love Galore"), <a href="spotify:artist:3TVXtAsR1Inumwj472S9r4">Drake</a> ("Portland"), <a href="spotify:artist:360IAlyVv4PCEVjgyMZrxK">Miguel</a> ("Sky Walker"), <a href="spotify:artist:17lzZA2AlOHwCwFALHttmp">2 Chainz</a> ("4 AM"), and <a href="spotify:artist:6Xgp2XMz1fhVYe7i6yNAax">Trippie Redd</a> ("Dark Knight Dummo"). Scott's own "Butterfly Effect" arrived during this torrent of hits in May 2017 and promptly went platinum as well. Seven months later, Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho, a collaborative full-length with <a href="spotify:artist:0VRj0yCOv2FXJNP47XQnx5">Quavo</a>, entered the Billboard 200 at number three. The following May, Scott released "Watch," a non-album track featuring <a href="spotify:artist:5K4W6rqBFWDnAN6FQUkS6x">Kanye West</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4O15NlyKLIASxsJ0PrXPfz">Lil Uzi Vert</a>, and within three months released Astroworld, which he considered the true follow-up to Rodeo. Featuring "Butterfly Effect," the album -- named after a demolished Houston amusement park -- debuted at number one and was supported with a second single, "Sicko Mode." Scott closed out 2018 by appearing on multiple tracks of <a href="spotify:artist:0iEtIxbK0KxaSlF7G42ZOp">Metro Boomin</a>'s Not All Heroes Wear Capes album. After collaborating with <a href="spotify:artist:50co4Is1HCEo8bhOyUWKpn">Young Thug</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6l3HvQ5sa6mXTsMTB19rO5">J. Cole</a> on 2019's "The London" and being featured on <a href="spotify:artist:6eUKZXaKkcviH0Ku9w2n3V">Ed Sheeran</a>'s "Antisocial," Scott issued his own solo single, "Highest in the Room." JackBoys, a brief compilation showcasing artists from Scott's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Cactus+Jack+Records%22">Cactus Jack Records</a> label, appeared at the end of the year. The release subsequently became the first number one album of the 2020s. Another <a href="spotify:artist:50co4Is1HCEo8bhOyUWKpn">Young Thug</a> collaboration, "Franchise," also featuring <a href="spotify:artist:0QJIPDAEDILuo8AIq3pMuU">M.I.A.</a>, debuted in September 2020 on top of the Billboard 200. In January 2021, Spanish DJ <a href="spotify:artist:2o08sCWF5yyo2G4DCiT7T9">HVME</a> released a deep house reworking of Scott and <a href="spotify:artist:2YZyLoL8N0Wb9xBt1NhZWg">Kendrick Lamar</a>'s song "Goosebumps," eventually topping Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart. Two more tracks appeared that November, with both "Escape Plan" and "Mafia" arriving concurrently and hitting the Top Ten of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On November 5, 2021, there was a fatal crowd crush during Scott's performance at his third annual Astroworld Festival in Houston, Texas. The event resulted in the death of 10 people with over 300 being treated for injuries. The rapper apologized and the rest of the festival was canceled. Scott and others involved in the festival were investigated, though a Texas grand jury ultimately declined to indict them. In May 2022, Scott performed at the Billboard Music Awards, his first live appearance since the Astroworld Festival tragedy. He also contributed to four tracks on <a href="spotify:artist:0iEtIxbK0KxaSlF7G42ZOp">Metro Boomin</a>'s Heroes & Villains album. In July 2023, he released his fourth studio album, UTOPIA. An ambitious, genre-crossing concept album in the vein of <a href="spotify:artist:5K4W6rqBFWDnAN6FQUkS6x">Kanye West</a>'s Yeezus, it featured a bevy of producers, including Scott, <a href="spotify:artist:53KwLdlmrlCelAZMaLVZqU">James Blake</a>, WondaGurl, and others. Also featured were many guests, such as <a href="spotify:artist:4q3ewBCX7sLwd24euuV69X">Bad Bunny</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1Xyo4u8uXC1ZmMpatF05PJ">the Weeknd</a> on the lead single, "K-pop," and <a href="spotify:artist:6vWDO969PvNqNYHIOW5v0m">Beyoncé</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4LEiUm1SRbFMgfqnQTwUbQ">Bon Iver</a> on "Delresto (Echoes)." UTOPIA topped both the Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. Scott's work throughout much of 2024 largely consisted of features on records by <a href="spotify:artist:1URnnhqYAYcrqrcwql10ft">21 Savage</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1RyvyyTE3xzB2ZywiAwp0i">Future</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0iEtIxbK0KxaSlF7G42ZOp">Metro Boomin</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0YinUQ50QDB7ZxSCLyQ40k">Mustard</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3a1tBryiczPAZpgoZN9Rzg">Asake</a>. ~ Paul Simpson & Andy Kellman, Rovi
Metro Boomin
Artist
Within five years of his first output with Future, producer Leland Wayne amassed well over a dozen Top 20 R&B/hip-hop hits and a similar quantity of gold and platinum RIAA certifications. The St. Louis, Missouri native did it with a low-gloss, jet-black sound sufficiently reflected in his alias, Metro Boomin. Wayne got into production during his early teens and also rapped, though he eventually opted to devote all his energy to beatmaking. He connected with artists through social media, and prior to graduating high school, he'd logged thousands of miles on round trips to Atlanta, where he worked with the likes of OJ da Juiceman and eventually, Gucci Mane and Future. Wayne fulfilled his mother's dream with his acceptance to the conveniently located Morehouse College, but he dropped out and invested more in making music than in studying business management. In 2013, Wayne's name was on Billboard charts for the first time as the producer of Future's "Karate Chop" and "Honest." Just after the latter single was officially released, Wayne self-released 19 & Boomin. Once iLoveMakonnen's "Tuesday," another early triumph, hit the R&B/hip-hop Top Ten the following year, Wayne was a constant presence near the top of that chart. Drake and Future's "Jumpman" and Future's "Low Life" were among the early 2016 hits, followed later in the year by "X" -- taken from Savage Mode, his self-released EP made with 21 Savage -- and Migos' "Bad and Boujee," which eventually topped the R&B/hip-hop and pop charts. Among Wayne's subsequent hits throughout a notable 2017 were Big Sean's "Bounce Back," Post Malone's "Congratulations," Kodak Black's "Tunnel Vision," and Future's "Mask Off." The year remained a busy one, as Wayne later released a trio of collaborative mixtapes, including Perfect Timing, with Canadian rapper NAV; Without Warning, with Offset and 21 Savage; and Double or Nothing with Big Sean. The following year brought even more career peaks, not only for his input on notable albums by Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne, but also for his own project, Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Arriving in late 2018, the album featured guests Travis Scott, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, and many more. Also, in addition to topping the Billboard 200, R&B/Hip-Hop, and Rap charts upon release, seven of the album's thirteen tracks charted on the Hot 100. ~ Andy Kellman
