Sitemap - 2025 - Shatter the Standards

R&B Albums from the ‘90s That Deserve More Appreciation (Part One)

The 25 Best Live R&B and Soul Albums (with EPs)

Anniversaries: The Big Picture by Big L

Milestones: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… by Raekwon

New Music Drops: August 1, 2025

Wednesday Roundups #112: 20 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Anniversaries: Couldn’t Wait to Tell You... by Liv.e

How Labels/Artists Weaponize Incomplete Vinyl and CD Pressings

July 2025 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month

Anniversaries: B7 by Brandy

Milestones: Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 by Young Jeezy

Milestones: TP by Teddy Pendergrass

New Music Drops: July 25, 2025

Album Review: Alfredo 2 by Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Milestones: E. 1999 Eternal by Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony

Wednesday Roundups #111: 23 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Anniversaries: Woman by Jill Scott

The True R&B Songs of the Summer in 2025

Decoding 2025 Rap and R&B Album Rollouts

Album Review: Don’t Tap the Glass by Tyler, The Creator

Milestones: Teflon Don by Rick Ross

Anniversaries: Take a Look Around by Masta Ace

Anniversaries: Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 by Jill Scott

New Music Drops: July 18, 2025

Album Review: The Emperor’s New Clothes by Raekwon

Milestones: DS2 by Future

Wednesday Roundups #110: 22 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Anniversaries: The Show, The After-Party, The Hotel by Jodeci

Album Review: Beside Myself by DJ Haram

Anniversaries: Jazzmatazz, Vol. II: The New Reality by Guru

Anniversaries: Miss Thang by Monica

Clipse and Dismantling the Fallacy of Agism in Hip-Hop

Milestones: ‘Til Shiloh by Buju Banton

Album Review: JACKBOYS 2 by JACKBOYS

Anniversaries: Lianne La Havas by Lianne La Havas

Anniversaries: Miles: From an Interlude Called Life by Blu & Exile

Album Review: Swag by Justin Bieber

Anniversaries: Off the Hook by Xscape

New Music Drops: July 11, 2025

Album Review: Beloved by Giveon

Wednesday Roundups #109: 17 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Album Review: Let God Sort Em Out by Clipse

Anniversaries: Black Rose by Tyrese

What the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Verdict Reveals About Our Justice System

Anniversaries: Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty by Big Boi

Anniversaries: Irons in the Fire by Teena Marie

Album Review: Live and In Color by Juicy J & Logic

Album Review: My Face Hurts from Smiling by Lizzo

New Music Drops: July 4, 2025

Milestones: Brown Sugar by D’Angelo

Wednesday Roundups #108: 20 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Parallels Between Everything Is Everything and To Be Young, Gifted, and Black

Reviewing 2025’s Black Music Month Tiny Desk Album Anniversaries Tribute at NPR Music

The Ten Songs That Joe Thomas Wrote for Other Artists

June 2025 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month

The Best R&B Mixtapes You Might’ve Missed In the 2010s

New Music Drops: June 27, 2025

Wednesday Roundups #107: 25 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Album Review: I Took It Personal by Nick Grant

Billboard Played In People’s Faces During Black Music Month

Album Review: Come As You Are by Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon

Album Review: Hopefully ! by Loyle Carner

Album Review: Do It Afraid by Yaya Bey

New Music Drops: June 20, 2025

Sometimes You Gotta Pop Out and Show Niggas On Juneteenth

Wednesday Roundups #106: 22 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

R&B Groups That Never Came to Fruition

The Understated Influence of Three 6 Mafia

Album Review: Tether by Annahstasia

Milestones: Fantastic, Vol. 2 by Slum Village

Album Review: Victory by Slick Rick

New Music Drops: June 13, 2025

Chlöe x Halle Share Their Ungodly Hour, Heavenly Growth: From Halo to After-Hours

Anniversaries: Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

Our Tribute to Ananda Lewis (1973-2025)

Wednesday Roundups #105: 21 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Let’s Have an Unfiltered Dialogue About Black Music Award Shows

Our Tribute to Sly Stone (1943-2025)

Can R&B Artists Stop Hopping On the Afrobeats Wave?

Album Review: The Co-Star by Eric Benét

Milestones: The Heat Is On by The Isley Brothers

Album Review: Tha Carter VI by Lil Wayne

The 50 Best Albums of 2025 (So Far…)

New Music Drops: June 6, 2025

Album Review: Lotus by Little Simz

Wednesday Roundups #104: 19 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Best Rap Music of 2025 (So Far…)

Quiet Cuts, Loud Consequences for Black Music

The Best R&B Music of 2025 (So Far…)

The Handguide to ‘70s Funk Albums (Beginners Edition)

May 2025 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month

New Music Drops: May 30, 2025

Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist Created Alfredo With Pasta Sauce and Powder Residue

Wednesday Roundups #103: 20 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Kendrick Lamar & SZA Close SoFi Stadium Trilogy in 50-Plus Song Blaze (Concert Review)

How Sacha Jenkins Rewrote the Culture

Milestones: Be by Common

Milestones: The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem

Milestones: Lucy Pearl by Lucy Pearl

New Music Drops: May 23, 2025

Milestones: Adventures In Paradise by Minnie Riperton

Milestones: Diana by Diana Ross

Wednesday Roundups #102: 25 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Most Disrespected, Unprotected, and Neglected Person In America Is the Black Woman

Anniversaries: The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe

Anniversaries: Distant Relatives by Nas & Damian Marley

Album Review: Sincerely, by Kali Uchis

The Handguide to Backwoodz Studioz

New Music Drops: May 16, 2025

Joey Bada$$ Fires Back at Ray Vaughn On “The Finals”

Ray Vaughn Wasted No Time Getting at Joey Bada$$ With “Hoe Era”

Wednesday Roundups #101: 20 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Deciphering Big Sean, Joey Bada$$, and Ab-Soul’s Red Bull Spiral Freestyle

Album Review: Glockaveli by Key Glock

Kehlani Faces a Chorus of Censorship Over Gaza Stance

Deciphering King Los’ Justin Credible’s Freestyle Series (#193)

New Music Drops: May 9, 2025

Album Review: Golliwog by billy woods

Wednesday Roundups #100: 19 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

What Is the Black Panther?

Mo’ Love, Mo’ Problem, Mo’ Bashin’

New Music Drops: May 2, 2025

Wednesday Roundups #99: 23 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

April 2025 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month

Revisiting the Year 1978 in R&B

Album Review: The Crown by Ledisi

Album Review: The Good, The Bad & The Dollar Menu by Ray Vaughn

Milestones: The Infamous by Mobb Deep

New Music Drops: April 25, 2025

Album Review: Why Not More? by Coco Jones

Wednesday Roundups #98: 13 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Lineage of Miles Davis and Roy Ayers

R&B Albums That Basically Counts As Going to Therapy

Album Review: 10 by SAULT

Album Review: We Need to Talk: Love by Keri Hilson

New Music Drops: April 18, 2025

EP Review: When (EP) by Alex Isley

Wednesday Roundups #97: 20 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Lineage of Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, and Minnie Riperton

Album Review: Audience With the Queen by Galactic & Irma Thomas

Milestones: The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey

New Music Drops: April 11, 2025

Wednesday Roundups #96: 17 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Lineage of Roberta Flack, Nina Simone, and Billie Holiday

New Music Drops: April 4, 2025

Wednesday Roundups #95: 25 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Album Review: SILK&SORROW by Ray Lozano

The Handguide to the Ladies of Hip-Hop

I Came to Save a Thing Called Female Rap

March 2025 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month

Milestones: Like Water for Chocolate by Common

New Music Drops: March 28, 2025

Wednesday Roundups #94: 19 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Album Review: Can’t Lose My (Soul) by Annie & The Caldwells

The Era of Bad Bitches

New Music Drops: March 21, 2025

Album Review: Waiting On You by Jon B

Objectified Women With Stunts & Sovereigns

Wednesday Roundups #93: 9 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Album Review: From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID by Saba & No ID

Misogyny On the Mic

Milestones: Me Against the World by 2Pac

New Music Drops: March 14, 2025

Wednesday Roundups #92: 25 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Blues Pioneers

The Mother of Hip-Hop

Our Tribute to D’Wayne Wiggins (1961-2025)

The Handguide to Albums by Related Artists (‘80s Whitney)

New Music Drops: March 7, 2025

Album Review: Ruby by JENNIE

Album Review: Mayhem by Lady Gaga

Our Tribute to Roy Ayers (1940-2025)

Wednesday Roundups #91: 19 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Don’t You Know What That Means?

1967 — Early ‘70s Female Singer-Songwriters

The Beginning of the ‘I’ Era

Our Tribute to Angie Stone (1961-2025)

February 2025 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month

New Music Drops: February 28, 2025

The Middle Passage: Ship Ahoy

Our Tribute to Chris Jasper (1951-2025)

Wednesday Roundups #90: 20 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Lineage of Al Green and Bobby Womack

Our Tribute to Roberta Flack (1937-2025)

Milestones: Funkadelic by Funkadelic

150 Best R&B Albums of the 2020s So Far

Our Tribute to Gwen McCrae (1943-2025)

Our Tribute to Jerry Butler (1939-2025)

Anniversaries: Safe + Sound by DJ Quik

New Music Drops: February 21, 2025

The African Heritage: Going to My Roots

Wednesday Roundups #89: 25 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Lineage of Stevie Wonder

Album Review: Bloom by Durand Bernarr

Milestones: Whitney Houston by Whitney Houston

New Music Drops: February 14, 2025

Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: From Spirituals to Secular Song

Wednesday Roundups #88: 17 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Lineage of Donny Hathaway

The Message Has Arrived

Kendrick’s Personal Reckoning on The Blacker the Berry

Milestones: Supreme Clientele by Ghostface Killah

Milestones: Let’s Get Free by dead prez

The Handguide to Kendrick Lamar

Stepped Out the Swamp to the Grammy Stage

New Music Drops: February 7, 2025

Go Down, Moses: The Era of Colonialism and the African Diaspora

Wednesday Roundups #87: 21 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Lineage of Sly & The Family Stone, Funkadelic, Ohio Players, and Earth, Wind & Fire

Run-D.M.C. Were No Less Rock Than Your Favorite Band

Album Review: I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2) by Teddy Swims

Album Review: Can’t Rush Greatness by Central Cee

January 2025 Roundups: The Best Albums of the Month

Album Review: Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weeknd

New Music Drops: January 31, 2025

Wednesday Roundups #86: 17 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Lineage of Curtis Mayfield

The Handguide to Talkbox: An Oral History of Funk In 44 Songs

Album Review: Eusexua by FKA twigs

Milestones: Voodoo by D’Angelo

The Handguide to Ohio Players

New Music Drops: January 24, 2025

Wednesday Roundups #85: 14 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

The Lineage of Prince

Hush Sound In the Big City

Milestones: The Documentary by The Game

Album Review: WHAM by Lil Baby

Milestones: Do You Want More?!!!??! by The Roots

New Music Drops: January 17, 2025

Album Review: Balloonerism by Mac Miller

Wednesday Roundups #84: 8 Albums/EPs You Should Listen to In Your Spare Time

Album Review: The Human Fear by Franz Ferdinand

The Lineage of Marvin Gaye

Our Tribute to Sam Moore (1935-2025)

Album Review: Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny

Anniversaries: Reality Show by Jazmine Sullivan

The Handguide to D’Angelo

New Music Drops: January 10, 2025

The Best Hip-Hop Album, Every Year Since 1980

Rappers to Watch In 2025

The Best R&B Album, Every Year Since 1957

The Femininomenon

R&B Artists to Watch In 2025