R&B/Hip-Hop

Brown, who will celebrate his 20^th anniversary in music next year, remains at the top of his game – and the proof is in the listening. Aided by an infectious fusion of R&B, pop, Afrobeats and dancehall, the 22-track original version of Brown’s 11^th studio album featured last year’s Grammy-nominated “Summer Too Hot” and current Grammy nominee “Sensational” with Davido and Lojay. Then, the prolific Brown gifted fans with 13 more tracks for this cohesive, Grammy-nominated deluxe package, which showcases his still-formidable vocal agility and versatility — whether in collaboration with guests such as Bryson Tiller or alone as on Brown’s latest hit “Residuals.” — GAIL MITCHELL

Nine years ago, Bryson Tiller had the R&B game in the cobra clutch when he strung together his magnum opus, Trapsoul. That lauded album’s gift and curse paralyzed the embattled singer for years, after diminishing returns with 2017’s True 2 Self and 2020’s Anniversary. Undeterred by the naysayers, Tiller roped his way back into stardom when he crafted his Hot 100 top 20 anthem, “Whatever She Wants.” Tiller’s penchant for sugary earworms wasn’t merely a fluke, as he stayed dialed in on the 19-track effort, with “Ciao” and “Rich Boy,” paying homage to the Alabama rapper behind the ‘00s classic “Throw Some D’s” on the latter cut.  – CARL LAMARRE

When Kedar Massenburg popularized the term “neo-soul” in the early ‘90s, albums like Marsha Ambrosius’s ambitious, marvelous Casablanco must be what he was envisioning. With Dr. Dre on the boards, and a seemingly endless budget, Marsha pulls from a deep well of hip-hop and soul samples to craft one of the most lush and beguiling R&B albums of the past 25 years. As you flow through the dreamy soundscape, you hear hints of rap classics like Nas’s “NY State of Mind” and Outkast’s “Spottieottiedopaliscious.” Marsha’s vocals transmogrify to squeeze and stretch itself to suit the mood of each track. Whether talking about forbidden love (“Self Care / Right Wrong”) or the expansive appreciation she has for all of music (“Music of My Mind”) Marsha delivers on every song on Casablanco. It’s a feat of a project, one we may never quite see again. – DAMIEN SCOTT

Why Lawd? gives instant flashbacks of Al Pacino talking about The 14 Fists of McCluskey in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: What a record. “KeepHer” featuring Thundercat remains a favorite, growing inescapable since its June release. “Daydreaming” is another highlight, and its entrancing production could give any listener pause. On top of that, Rae Khalil’s raspy-yet-buttery contributions to the tracks “OutTheWay” and “WalkOnBy” give the already-stout project an extra lift and also feature a stellar verse from Earl Sweatshirt, making this album a good pair with some ice-cold Henny on a summer night. – ANGEL DIAZ

Laila!’s Gap Year! was one of the best surprises of the year. After going viral not once, but twice, when her songs “Like That!” and “Not My Problem” took over TikTok, the Brooklyn-born “Baby Genius” showed she was way more talented than any of us expected. She wrote, produced, and performed every single track on this 17-song debut album, proving why Gap Year! is one of the most original records of 2024 – A.D.

After shying away from the spotlight for the last four years, alternative R&B auteur PARTYNEXTDOOR reemerged impressively on his aptly titled fourth album PARTYNEXTDOOR 4. The NSFW cover strongly suggests PARTY’s up to his usual salacious and selfish schemes, from not retiring the f—kboy antics on the downbeat “Stuck In My Ways” to keeping his girl waiting for him at home on “Sorry, But I’m Outside.” But the Mississauga-born multihyphenate resharpens his creative tools, like sampling DMX’s 2000 hit “Party Up (Up in Here)” on the threesome testimonial “Lose My Mind” and getting back in his Caribbean bag for the sweltering club track “For Certain.” PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 earned PND his third Billboard 200 top 10 project, proof that staying tucked away in the studio paid off. – HERAN MAMO

Ravyn Lenae has been your favorite R&B head’s favorite R&B artist for years – and Bird’s Eye is further proof of why. Executive produced by DJ Dahi, Lenae’s sophomore effort finds her slinking into pure pop spaces while still maintaining a remarkably earnest and soulful R&B foundation. Her voice – still as piercing and as sweet as ever – soars across the project, infusing the ethereal “Pilot” with the freedom of trusting the process and raising the flirtatious stakes of the reggae-inflected “Candy.” The pop sheen that lead single “Love Me Not” promised isn’t incredibly overbearing, which is helped by winning duets with Childish Gambino (“One Wish”) and Ty Dolla $ign (“Dream Girl”) that introduce new characters and textures to round out Lenae’s kaleidoscopic soundscape. Bird’s Eye has a strikingly alchemic quality – Lenae’s already innate ability to spin gold out of seemingly discordant elements has only gotten stronger and more self-assured with each new project. – KYLE DENIS

Long’s Revenge boasts three hits — “Made for Me,” “Make Me Forget” and “Ruined Me” — and four nominations in the upcoming Grammy derby, including best R&B song (“Ruined Me”) and best R&B album. But even without the chart wins and award nods, Long’s sophomore set is hands down one of this year’s outstanding R&B projects. That’s because of her relatable storytelling, vocal raw emotion and sharp intuition when it comes to love and relationships. This 14-track album — or “one big diary entry,” as Long puts it — is chock full of strong cuts that demand replay value, including opening anthem “Superpowers” and the empowering title track.   — G.M.

The Nigerian star finds her footing in the global spotlight and stands firmly in her purpose on her dazzling debut album Born in the Wild. She opens up about surviving her mental wilderness and learning to thrive in it on the opening acoustic ballad that shares the album’s title. And on the mid-tempo standout “Burning,” Tems confronts the trappings of her newfound stardom but finds comfort in the collective struggle. As someone who’s studied Céline Dion, Destiny’s Child and Mariah Carey and dreamt of making soul-stirring songs that send people into their feelings, Tems succeeded with aplomb.  Born in the Wild became her highest-charting project on Top R&B Albums (reaching No. 5) and marked her career-first entry on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 56. And while Born in the Wild and “Love Me JeJe” earned Tems 2025 Grammy nominations for best global music album and best African music performance, respectively, her best R&B song nod for “Burning” further reinforced the rich diversity of her music–  and the notion that African artists like Tems cannot be bound to the catchall “Afrobeats” term, as their music has traveled well past the borders of the continent. – H.M.

Where do you go after winning a Grammy alongside Babyface and SZA for co-writing one of the defining R&B songs of the decade’s first half (“Snooze”)? If you’re Leon Thomas, deeper into the sounds and styles that soundtracked your childhood. Dialing up the bluesy rock ‘n’ roll influences he established with tracks like 2014’s “Aquarius,” Thomas spends most of Mutt paying homage to both his Black Rock Coalition-approved parents and the Black Sabbath he was rocking to during his psychedelic-fueled creative process. 

While the title track – and lead single – is as tantalizing as ever, it’s the way Leon strings together old-school balladry (“Answer Your Phone”), delectable bites of contemporary R&B (“Yes It Is”), and guitar-shredding rock (“Dancing With Demons”) that truly flaunts his eye-popping range and versatility. At the center of it all is his voice; Leon can rip through a breakneck riff as easily as he can assume the staccato cadence of a melodic rapper. Through his thorough examination of romance in the social media age, singlehood, and the vast expanse of Black music, Leon Thomas’ Mutt stands as the most stunning R&B album of 2024. – K.D.