Ranking the 5 Best Songs From Erykah Badu & The Alchemist’s ‘Before the World Blows’ Album This one was worth the wait. Check out our highlights from 'Before the World Blows.' featured August 31, 2026
Why Maryland Has Become Modern R&B’s Most Fertile Ground What do Brent Faiyaz, Dijon and Kelela have in common? Their Maryland roots and a musical ecosystem shaped by everything from church and local radio to Baltimore club and go-go. featured August 28, 2026
Ranking the 5 Best Songs on Rapsody’s ‘God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops’ Okayplayer takes a look at the best from Rapsody’s latest album. entertainment August 24, 2026
Rediscovered: Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ Ten years ago today, Frank Ocean dropped ‘Blonde,’ an album that cemented his status as a premature folk hero. featured August 21, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Rapsody, Mariah Carey with Rochelle Jordan, Tobe Nwigwe, Denzel Curry, French Montana, Jorja Smith and More This week’s new music Friday also features Coco Jones, Ice-T, Miles Caton, Lucky Daye & Leon Thomas, Bossman Dlow, Romeo Miller and Chaka Khan. featured August 21, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Erykah Badu & The Alchemist, Nipsey Hussle, Shabazz Palaces, Arya Starr, October London, Flo Milli and More This week’s new music Friday also features Tinashe, Rakim with Kurupt and Masta Killa, Denzel Curry, Kash Doll, Busta Rhymes and J Dilla. featured August 14, 2026
Hip-Hop’s Most Iconic Regional Sounds Have Some Surprising Origins As hip-hop turns 53, we’re tracing the unexpected musical histories behind the sounds that came out of Detroit, California, Chicago, New Orleans and more, with the Bronx’s influence behind it all. featured August 11, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Beyoncé & JAY-Z, Pooh Shiesty, T.I., Benny The Butcher and More This week’s new music Friday also features Lalah Hathaway, Meshell Ndegeocello, Inspectah Deck, Busta Rhymes & J Dilla, Jay Worthy and George Clinton. featured August 7, 2026
At Yankee Stadium, JAY-Z Made History. Then He Remixed It Pulling from his past and present, JAY-Z delivered an all-time performance at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. featured July 13, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Ken Carson, Rico Nasty, Nipsey Hussle & Bino Rideaux, Jorja Smith with WizKid, Larry June and More This week’s new music Friday also features BJRNCK with G Herbo, Lil Jon, KRS-One, Curren$y, Chika, Adrian Younge and Ty Dolla $ign. featured July 3, 2026
Albums We’re Excited For in July The temperatures are scorching, but there is a slate of albums set to drop that are hotter than July. From Future to Syd, we picked our favorites. featured July 2, 2026
The Listening: New Music From T.I., Quavo, Steve Lacy with SZA, GloRilla & Pooh Shiesty, Muni Long and More This week’s new music Friday also features Remy Ma, Benny The Butcher, kwn, Coi Leray, Ravyn Lanae, Willow and Omarion. entertainment June 26, 2026
The Most Influential Dancehall and Soca Riddims of All Time These iconic riddims inspired generations of artists, fueled countless hits and transformed the way dancehall and soca are heard around the world. featured June 23, 2026
Okayplayer Exclusive: Before the Grammys and Global Hits, Ella Mai Had to Choose Between Soccer and Music Before becoming a Grammy-winning R&B star, Ella Mai spent her teenage years in Queens balancing a love for music and soccer. During FIFA World Cup festivities in New York, she reflected on the choice between the two. featured June 22, 2026
The Listening: New Music From YG, Chlöe Bailey & Timbaland, Myles Smith, FKA Twigs with Lil Yachty, Tyla and More This week’s new music Friday also features Nicholas Craven & Boldy James, Cam’ron, Big Freedia & SOPHIE and Key Glock. entertainment June 19, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Blxst, Rapsody, Ayra Starr, Ludacris & GloRilla, Rick Ross and More This week’s new music Friday also features Jacquees, Jim Jones, Y.G., Polo G, and Larry June. featured June 12, 2026
The Mount Rushmore of Reggae & Dancehall Who belongs on reggae and dancehall's metaphorical mountaintop? Narrowing the genres' influence to just a handful of names feels nearly impossible, but these artists helped shape the sound, culture and legacy of both. featured June 12, 2026
10 Floetry Songs That Feel Like Fresh Air The band is back together, so we're celebrating Black Music Month with nothing but the hits. featured June 10, 2026
The 5 Best Moments From The Governors Ball 2026 From A$AP Rocky to Mariah The Scientist, these are the standout performances from an eventful weekend in NYC. featured June 8, 2026
Albums We’re Excited For in June As summer kicks off, there are several hot upcoming releases from Lizzo, Vince Staples, Rick Ross and more. entertainment June 2, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Latto, Future & Tyla, Young M.A, Flo Milli, Anderson .Paak and More This week’s new music Friday also features Freddie Gibbs, G Herbo, PJ Morton, Rome Streetz, 38 Spesh and Wyclef. entertainment May 29, 2026
Lauryn Hill Defends Only Releasing One Album The Grammy winner again addressed fan speculation about ‘Miseducation’ and her scant discography. news May 18, 2026
Rick Ross Responds to Drake: “I’m sure he’ll retire next month” After the Toronto rapper’s “Make Them Pay,” Rozay mocked Drake on social media. entertainment May 18, 2026
Every Drake Album, Ranked From Worst to Best Today, ahead of his Iceman album. Okayplayer ranks Drake’s projects from absolute worst to best. featured May 12, 2026
Albums We’re Excited For in May From Drake’s ‘Iceman’ to the return of Isaiah Rashad and the big delivery from Latto, this month has a wealth of highly anticipated releases. featured May 4, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Lizzo, Isaiah Rashad, Chris Brown & Leon Thomas, Mya, Durand Bernarr and More This week’s new music Friday also features Lil TJay, Meek Mill, Bryson Tiller, The-Dream, and B.O.B. entertainment May 1, 2026
Lizzo’s Openness About Her Body Journey is Her Greatest Strength The Grammy winner has invited fans along for every step of her fitness experience. wellness April 29, 2026
‘Michael’ Makes $217M Globally, Surpassing Biopic Box Office First Weekend Numbers The Antoine Fuqua-directed film is Lionsgate’s biggest hit in more than a decade. news April 27, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Kehlani, Reason, Fredo Bang & BigXThaPlug Latto & GloRilla and More This week’s new music Friday also features Denzel Curry, Cypress Hill, Action Bronson, BLU & Exile and Akon. featured April 24, 2026
Inside Sly Stone’s Final Years: Family, Clarity and Joy In his final years, Sly Stone found sobriety, spent more time with his family, and experienced a quieter sense of clarity and closeness. featured April 22, 2026
From Bieber's Star-Studded Set to The Strokes’ Statement: The 5 Best Moments at Coachella 2026 Weekend 2 Superstars took the stage in the desert for the popular music and culture festival. entertainment April 20, 2026
Gucci Mane Disses Pooh Shiesty on “Crash Dummy“ After Alleged Kidnapping, Robbery The fiery track comes after Shiesty and others were charged in a robbery and kidnapping that involved Gucci. entertainment April 10, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Doechii and Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Gucci Mane, Kehlani, Isaiah Rashad, Joyner Lucas and More This week’s new music Friday also features DJ Khaled, Future, Tink, Bossman DLow and AZ. entertainment April 10, 2026
If Funk Had a Mount Rushmore, These Four Are on It You can’t say “Mount Rushmore” in music without starting a debate. So when it comes to funk, here’s our case for the four artists who earned a spot on the mountain. featured April 6, 2026
Rediscovered: Maxwell’s 'Urban Hang Suite’ The landmark album helped announce the singer-songwriter from Brooklyn and further affirmed neo-soul. entertainment April 3, 2026
Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE Shapeshift on Surf Gang-Produced ‘Pompeii // Utility’ On their new, Surf Gang-produced joint project, Earl Sweatshirt and Mike are masterful shapeshifters. entertainment April 3, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Meek Mill, MIKE & Earl Sweatshirt with Surf Gang This week’s new music Friday also features Tank, Swae Lee, YG, Estelle and Lil Yachty. entertainment April 3, 2026
Moments Sly Stone Would've Broken the Internet A look at the Sly Stone moments that would’ve taken over timelines if social media existed during his peak. featured April 2, 2026
Sly Stone — The First Rap Superstar? Cloaked in otherworldly, funky style, Sly Stone was a rap superstar before hip-hop even existed. featured March 30, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Central Cee, Snoop Dogg, Fetty Wap, The LOX & Jaheim, Kota The Friend and More This week’s new music Friday also features Chief Keef, Ne-Yo, and Westside Gunn. entertainment March 27, 2026
The Sly & The Family Stone Songs That Became Funk Anthems From “Everyday People” to “Family Affair,” these songs capture the joy, protest and spirit that made Sly & The Family Stone one of funk’s most influential forces. featured March 23, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Mike Will Made-It & J. Cole, Rick Ross, Coco Jones, BigXThaPlug and More This week’s new music Friday also features Jorja Smith, Samara Cyn, 6LACK, Red Cafe, Alex Isley, and Coi Leray with NBA Youngboy. entertainment March 20, 2026
Sly Stone Painted Black Music in Strokes of Revolution Sly Stone’s artistic contributions continue reverberating through all of Black music. featured March 16, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Jack Harlow, Earl Sweatshirt & Mike, 50 Cent, Thundercat, Nas and More This week’s new music Friday also features Elucid, Samara Cyn, 50 Cent and YG. featured March 13, 2026
Questlove Teases Soulquarians Reunion The Roots drummer says the death of D’Angelo has inspired him to revisit the famed musical collective. news March 10, 2026
Raphael Saadiq Was Never Just ‘Neo-Soul’ A sold-out Blue Note Los Angeles show highlights the music pioneer’s ongoing resurgence and why he’s always stretched beyond the “neo-soul” label. featured March 10, 2026
The Listening: New Music From Denzel Curry & The Scythe, Gnarls Barkley, Ty Dolla $ign, Jorja Smith, Flying Lotus and More This week’s new music Friday also features Omarion, Cypress Hill, Kevin Gates, Ayra Starr and Terrace Martin. featured March 6, 2026
10 De La Soul Songs That Will Make You Levitate Here are some singles, deep cuts, and favorites that perfectly showcase the breezy, eclectic genius of Pos, Maseo and the late Trugoy. entertainment March 4, 2026
