Urban AC

Disney/Randy Holmes A Doechii and Issa Rae collab might not have been on our bingo cards for 2024, but it’s here. Doechii performed her song “Denial Is a River” for Genius’ Open Mic series, and she tapped Issa to help her with the conversation that’s part of the song.  “I had this crazy idea while listening to Doechii’s […]

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images The Recording Academy has announced the honorees receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony in February, naming the late Frankie Beverly, gospel vocalist and radio host Dr. Bobby Jones, blues musician Taj Mahal, Prince and hip-hop’s Roxanne Shante among the 2025 group. They’ll be receiving the […]

Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage SZA‘s Lana album has not yet dropped, but she’s released a new music video to hold fans over. The visual for “Drive” appears to be a full clip of the teaser with Ben Stiller that she previously released.  Much like the trailer, Ben is seen singing the lyrics to the song as he drives […]

NBCUniversal Questlove is adding to his list of documentaries, now taking on one that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. He directed Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music alongside Emmy Award winner Oz Rodriguez. The three-hour special will feature never-before-heard stories about the performances, sketches and cameos on SNL from the […]

Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images Alicia Keys‘ influence and reach go beyond music into film, beauty and even some philanthropy, which is why she’s been named the recipient of the Black Music Collective’s Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. She’ll receive the honor at the fourth annual Recording Academy Honors, taking place Jan. 30 in Los Angeles. […]

SZA‘s bug-like mask on her Hot Ones episode this year was seemingly a tease of her upcoming album, Lana. She shared on Wednesday the cover art of the project: a full-body photo of her in the woods wearing the bug prosthetic, as well as a mustard yellow jacket and matching cargo pants. Lana, out Friday, […]

Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Rae Sremmurd and other musicians are accused of using the money they received from a pandemic payout on themselves, parties and other unrelated expenses. A detailed report from The Business Insider alleges they applied for grants through the Shuttered Venue Operations Grant government program, intended to assist financially struggling, independent […]

EZMNY Records and Motown. Leon Thomas has topped Billboard‘s year-end chart for the 10 Best R&B albums of the year with his album Mutt. Staff writer K.D. praised the way the album “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 […]