Shatter the Standards

Shatter the Standards

Home
Album Reviews
BLAST
Blackpolitan
Lists
Milestones
NWSPRNT
Soulpolitan
Wednesday Roundups

June 2025

Reviewing 2025’s Black Music Month Tiny Desk Album Anniversaries Tribute at NPR Music
After nine acts and countless moments of magic, NPR’s Black Music Month showcase proved to be more than just a nostalgia exercise.
 • 
Blackpolitan
The Ten Songs That Joe Thomas Wrote for Other Artists
Joe Thomas’ résumé behind the microphone is well-known, yet his pen is just as formidable. A close read to show what makes his writing persuasive, and…
 • 
Imani Raven
3
June 2025 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month
With releases from Little Simz to McKinley Dixon, here are notable releases in April that stood out to us as the best albums of the month.
The Best R&B Mixtapes You Might’ve Missed In the 2010s
The 2010s produced a quiet flood of R&B tapes that redirected the genre through bedrooms, label boardrooms, and avant-garde club basements. Let’s see if…
 • 
Jill Wannasa
New Music Drops: June 27, 2025
Here’s your upcoming rundown of albums/singles releasing on June 27th, featuring Bruce Springsteen, Lorde, Blood Orange, UMI, and many others.
Wednesday Roundups #107: 25 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time
With Yaya Bey, kwn, Loyle Carner, Samara Cyn, Nick Grant, Terrace Martin/Kenyon Dixon, Maxo, Ché Noir, Bas/The Hics, Nyah Grace, and others, hit play on…
Album Review: I Took It Personal by Nick Grant
Nick Grant opens up about his time in the major-label system, reflecting on the industry's pitfalls, but makes it clear that he hasn’t forgotten where…
 • 
Harry Brown
Billboard Played In People’s Faces During Black Music Month
No list will ever satisfy everyone, of course. R&B is a sprawling genre spanning many eras and styles, narrowing it down to a ranked 75 is an exercise…
 • 
Blackpolitan
 and 
Imani Raven
Album Review: Come As You Are by Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon
Come As You Are succeeds in painting the sonic portrait it set out to create. It’s an album that invites you to experience the full breadth of what…
 • 
Phil
Album Review: Hopefully ! by Loyle Carner
On his fourth album, Loyle Carner introduces a warm, introspective space defined by personal growth and cautious optimism. It glows with raw humanity…
 • 
Murffey Zavier
Album Review: Do It Afraid by Yaya Bey
Yaya Bey has delivered one of her most compelling projects yet, proving that sometimes the bravest thing an artist can do is embrace all facets of life…
 • 
Tai Lawson
© 2025 Shatter the Standards, LLC.
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture