Music
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If Snoop Dogg Gets His Way, the Next Verzuz Battle We'll See Will Involve Him vs. Jay-Z
With all of us trapped in the house, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s Instagram series, Verzuz, has become a full-fledged, whole-ass pop culture phenomenon with millions of viewers and billions of impressions to its credit. Yet for all of the love that it’s rained down on some of our favorite hip-hop and R&B artists, it has…
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Melanie Fiona Will Portray Chaka Khan on Season 2 Of American Soul
Melanie Fiona has landed the coveted role of music icon Chaka Khan for the second season of American Soul, which tells the behind-the-scenes story of Don Cornelius’ hit show, Soul Train. Season 2 premieres on May 27 on BET. The Grammy Award-winning R&B singer announced the exciting news on her Instagram page and wrote about…
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Yo, 2000 Was a Really Good Year for Soul Music
If you are reading this, there’s probably a better than 50 percent chance—and probably closer to 75 or 80 percent, really—that you were one of the, apparently, 8 trillion (Swizz’s math might be a little hyperbolic) people who tuned into the Jill Scott versus Erykah Badu Verzuz on Instagram Live on Saturday evening. Topping out…
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Charlie Wilson Becomes 1st Artist to Score No. 1 Hits In Each of The Last Three Decades
As much as we love all things Charlie Wilson, one thing we don’t give him enough credit for is his longevity. Since The Gap Band’s arrival on the scene in the early 70s, he’s blessed us with hit after hit for decades. And with his latest single, “Forever Valentine,” Billboard reports that Uncle Charlie has…
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The Root Jams Weekly Playlist (5/8/2020): 'Bring Me Peace'
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in honor of that fact, the playlists this month will all be dedicated to it. Our first one, titled “Bring Me Peace,” is a list of songs from staffers of TheRoot.com that are used to bring a peaceful mental state. “Bring Me Peace” (5/8/2020) Panama Jackson Maxwell “Ascension…
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Here’s How You Can Score 3 Months of TIDAL’s Premium Subscription for Free While You’re Staying Home
Most of us may not know the privilege of fame or wealth, but there is a certain privilege in having a TIDAL subscription, especially if you’re a fan of Jay-Z and Beyoncé. When either of the two drops a project, TIDAL typically gets first dibs, and subscribers happily indulge while the rest of us scramble…
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'My Boy Lollipop' Singer Millie Small Dead at 72
Millie Small, the Jamaican singer best known for recording the chart-topping smash “My Boy Lollipop” as a teenager in 1964, died yesterday after suffering a stroke. She was 72. Billboard and BBC News report that her death was confirmed by Island Records. The label remembers her as “a sweet person… really special” and “a true…
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Teddy Riley Says Bobby Brown Stormed Out During Recording of 'My Prerogative'
Bobby Brown’s hit song “My Prerogative” was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 24 weeks in 1989 and was also nominated for a Grammy Award for the Best R&B Urban Contemporary Single category. Despite the song’s accolades and commercial success, the recording process was apparently not peaches and cream. Just ask the…
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Monica Is Open to a Brandy 'Verzuz' Match-Up…But There Are Conditions
With the first-ever female Verzuz battle between Erykah Badu and Jill Scott happening this weekend, a few other talented women’s names are being tossed around for potential battles in the future. Fans are clamoring for a possible matchup of R&B superstars and longtime rivals, Brandy and Monica. Last week, Brandy’s brother Ray J told Wendy…
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Replay, Revisit, Reject: For Last Week's New Music, R&B Prevails While Hip-Hop Features Fail
We get it: With everything going on in the world, it can be difficult to carve out time to discover new music. Industry-pushed tunes that you may not even bang with like that could also get in the way of you finding something that tingles your consumer taste buds. While new tunes are usually released…