Is Billboard’s list of 75 top R&B artists accurate?

Philadelphia’s Bahamadia has connected with Canadian producers Potatohead People and their fellow countryman, singer-rapper Slippery Elm for “Up Close.” The ’90s underground legend’s flow is still smooth and unbothered after all these years. She maps out the plan for an intimate relationship with each step explained verse by verse. The vibe of “Up Close” is very similar to Slum Village’s flavor and Slippery Elm even enunciates like Young RJ. The single is included on Potatohead People’s Emerald Tablet album that comes out on July 11th. 

LL Cool J has new visuals from his native New York City in the video for “30 Decembers,” featuring The Overlordian. He takes a tour of the subway, Queens, and Manhattan and realizes how much things have changed literally over the time span of 30 Decembers. The subway no longer uses tokens and people no longer read newspapers because they are playing with their smartphones. He can walk around freely because he has on a mask. This is the latest video from The FORCE that was released in 2024 and is exclusively produced by Q-Tip and one of the best albums of LL’s career. 

Erykah Badu has released her first new single in six years with “Next To You,” which is produced by The Alchemist. The boom-bap-styled cut recycles the beat The Alchemist used on Mobb Deep’s “The Realest.” Badu riffs about wanting to spend time with her special person doing things like smoking blunts. The song has an AI generated visual and The Alchemist revealed that the single will appear on Badu’s first album in more than a decade, titled Abi & Alan. Badu just gave a concert in her Dallas hometown to celebrate Juneteenth.