Pursuit of Happiness: Fredo Bang Would Rather Watch ‘Inuyasha’ Than Argue Online Fredo Bang is just the latest example that the path to happiness isn’t the same for everyone. wellness February 4, 2026
The Listening: J. Cole, Mya, Wiz Khalifa, Dave East & Joyner Lucas, Terrace Martin and More This week’s new music Friday also features E-40, Thundercat, Alchemist, Kelly Rowland and Tems. entertainment January 30, 2026
J. Cole Wants ‘The Fall-Off’ to Be His Best Album. Here’s How He Can Do It With his seventh and final album on the horizon, J. Cole has the opportunity to cap off his legendary career with his greatest work yet. Here’s how he can make 'The Fall-Off' the masterpiece fans deserve. featured January 30, 2026
If 2026 Is the New 2016, Rihanna’s 'ANTI' Was the Blueprint A decade later, Rihanna’s most unapologetic album still shapes music, fashion and culture. entertainment January 29, 2026
How Drake, Jay-Z and the NBA Speak the Same Language From locker rooms and warmups to highlight reels and All-Star Weekend, here's how music became basketball’s unofficial language. featured January 28, 2026
5 J. Cole ‘Birthday Blizzard '26’ Lyrics That Will Make You Sorry for Hating The North Carolina spitter unloaded a surprise new project just ahead of his birthday, and Okayplayer breaks down the best bars. entertainment January 28, 2026
On 'Vacancy,' Ari Lennox Sinks Smoothly Into Hard-Earned Freedom Ari Lennox’s latest album is her first since she departed Dreamville Records last year. entertainment January 28, 2026
J. Cole Drops Surprise New Mixtape, 'Birthday Blizzard '26' The DJ-Clue hosted mixtape arrives ahead of his new album, ‘The Fall Off,’ which is supposed to drop next week. entertainment January 28, 2026
Roc Marciano’s ‘656’ Is Another Minimalist Masterpiece Roc Marciano’s entirely self-produced album only reinforces his legend. entertainment January 26, 2026
The Listening: Roc Marciano, Ari Lennox, T.I., Juvenile, DaBaby and More This week’s new music Friday also features Flo Milli, Denzel Curry, Nija, Wiz Khalifa and Roc Marciano. entertainment January 23, 2026
A$AP Rocky’s ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ Is a Convoluted, But Rewarding Blockbuster A$AP Rocky’s latest album can be a bit sprawling for its own good, but his superhuman cool holds the vista together. entertainment January 20, 2026
Roc Marciano Drops His New Album, ‘656,’ This Friday This week, Roc Marciano is dropping off a new LP that’s largely self-produced. entertainment January 20, 2026
Check Out IDK’s New Single “Life 4 A Life” With Pusha T The new single examines the psychological toll of crime and incarceration and what so many youth lose to the system. entertainment January 12, 2026
5 Takeaways From Max B & French Montana’s ‘Coke Wave 3.5: Narcos’ Max B & French Montana’s latest proves the two are nearly as wavy as ever. entertainment January 12, 2026
The Listening: Ari Lennox, Bruno Mars, Max B & French Montana, A$AP Rocky and More This week’s new music Friday also features Jill Scott, Kodak Black, Pusha T and Danny Brown. entertainment January 9, 2026
Albums We’re Excited For in January From A$AP Rocky to Ari Lennox, here are the month’s hottest releases. entertainment January 9, 2026
Jill Scott Announces New Album ‘To Whom This May Concern,’ Featuring Ab-Soul, Thierra Whack, J.I.D. and More This will be the first new album in 10 years from the Grammy-winning soul singer. entertainment January 2, 2026
The Listening: Doechii, SZA, YFN Lucci, Chief Keef, Jill Scott and More This week’s new music Friday also features Rod Wave, Lil Tony Official and Kareen Lomax. entertainment January 2, 2026
The Listening: Tyler, The Creator, Snoop Dogg, Lil Uzi Vert, Sexyy Red and More This week’s new music Friday also features Chance the Rapper, Cash Cobain, $uicideboy$ and Vic Spencer. entertainment December 26, 2025
Okayplayer’s Most Slept-On Albums of 2025 Too many releases. Not enough time. Here are some albums that deserved more love. featured December 22, 2025
2025 Was the Year Hip-Hop Hit the Reset Button From Clipse to Nas, and from the underground to the global stage, hip-hop returned to its foundation — prioritizing culture, intention and longevity over virality. featured December 18, 2025
Here’s Why Eminem Turned Down Nas Collaboration In a recent interview, Nas revealed he’d asked Eminem to guest on 2007’s “Daughters.” entertainment December 18, 2025
The Listening: Nas & DJ Premier, 21 Savage, Conway The Machine, Samara Cyn, and More This week’s new music Friday also features 21 Savage, Joyner Lucas, DaBaby, Yasiin Bey and Dee-1. featured December 12, 2025
Okayplayer's Top Artists of 2025 These artists were the ones who carried the torch throughout the year. featured December 11, 2025
Clipse Drops Video for “P.O.V.” With Tyler, The Creator "P.O.V." is the fifth video Clipse has dropped from their Grammy-nominated comeback, 'Let God Sort Em Out.' entertainment December 10, 2025
Earl Sweatshirt Showed Terminal 5 How to ‘Live Laugh Love’ Earl tore it down in Manhattan last week for the latest stop of his tour. featured December 8, 2025
Okayplayer’s Top 25 Songs of 2025 As 2025 comes to a close, Okayplayer shares our top songs of the year. featured December 8, 2025
The Listening: Erick Sermon, Lil Baby, GloRilla, Polo G with G Herbo and More This week’s new music Friday also features Ice Spice, The Game, Logic and Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T. and Kevin Gates. entertainment December 5, 2025
The Listening: Lil Baby, Max B, Mavi, Ferg and More This week’s new music Friday also features Esham, Spree Wilson, Lil Baby, Central Cee and 9th Wonder. entertainment November 28, 2025
Monte Booker Defines His Own ‘Noise’ Speaking to Okayplayer, Monte Booker breaks down his new album and more. news November 21, 2025
The Listening: De La Soul, Tems, BigXThaPlug, Ransom & Conductor Williams and More This week’s new music Friday also features Ne-Yo, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Polo G, A$AP Ferg, and Rico Nasty entertainment November 21, 2025
How Justin Andrews Expands His Grandfather’s Legacy With the Otis Redding Foundation Speaking to Okayplayer, Otis Redding’s grandson, Justin Andrews, discusses his role in the Otis Redding Foundation. featured November 19, 2025
The Listening: Wale, Summer Walker, Boldy James, Ice Spice, FKA twigs and More This week’s new music Friday also features Van Hunt, Mario, OMB Peezy, and Valerie June. entertainment November 14, 2025
Questlove Says Posthumous D’Angelo Music is on the Way The Roots drummer talked about fallen icons D’Angelo and Sly Stone during a recent interview. entertainment November 13, 2025
Jay-Z, Beyoncé Named to Billboard’s Top Songwriters of the 21st Century List The Weeknd, Pharrell, Jermaine Dupri are all also featured on Billboard’s Top Songwriters list. news November 12, 2025
Five Best Moments From the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony OutKast, Salt-N-Pepa, Cyndi Lauper, Thom Bell and more were among this year’s inductees. entertainment November 10, 2025
The Six Biggest Snubs for the 2026 Grammy Nominations The 68th Annual Grammy Awards take place on Feb. 1 in Los Angeles. entertainment November 10, 2025
How The Golden Era of Black Media Made R&B Mainstream In the ‘90s, musical crossover with hip-hop and prominence in media pushed R&B into the mainstream featured November 10, 2025
The Listening: De La Soul, Danny Brown, Kehlani, Erick Sermon, G Herbo, Quavo and More This week’s new music Friday also features A$AP Ferg, PJ Morton, Jim Jones, and Mavis Staples. entertainment November 7, 2025
Rediscovered: ‘Liquid Swords’ by GZA/Genius The Genius of Wu-Tang Clan delivered a dark, brooding classic that cemented his legend both within and apart from his iconic crew — and continued RZA’s production hot streak. featured November 7, 2025
Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator and Clipse Nominated for Album of the Year at 2026 Grammy Awards The nominees for the 2026 Grammys have been announced, and they include K-Dot and more. news November 7, 2025
How to Be Outside, Inside Featuring Spanish Ran Representing the Boogie Down, Spanish Ran shares his New York favorites and how he soaks up the simple pleasures of a city where even the quietest corners feel alive. new york November 7, 2025
Players Pass with Chance The Rapper: The North STAR LINE of Hip-Hop Exploring the inspiration, intention, and evolution behind Chance The Rapper’s second album, 'STAR LINE.' entertainment November 6, 2025
November Albums We're Excited to Hear From Summer Walker to G Herbo and De La Soul, here are the month’s hottest releases. entertainment November 4, 2025
The Listening: Big L, DJ Premier, Big Boi, Armani White, Offset and More This week’s new music Friday also features Boldy James, Bun B, Kodak Black, and Wale. entertainment October 31, 2025
Erykah Badu Talks “Neo Soul,” Theater, and How She Met D’Angelo The soul icon sat down with Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli for a wide-ranging interview. news October 31, 2025
Drake Makes Surprise Appearance at Vybz Kartel's First-Ever Toronto Show The 6 God showed up at ScotiaBank Arena to perform a mini-set and support the dancehall superstar. news October 27, 2025
ONE MusicFest 2025 Was a Symphony of Unity in the Heart of Atlanta More than a weekend of performances, Atlanta's ONE MusicFest became a gathering of generations honoring Black artistry, Southern pride, and the rhythm that continues to move us all. featured October 27, 2025
Alchemist on Working With Future: “We’re in Contact” Okayplayer chats with Alchemist about his new joint albums, Prodigy, Future and more. featured October 24, 2025
The Listening: Megan Thee Stallion, Miguel’s ‘CAOS,’ Hit-Boy and Alchemist, Ari Lennox, New Leon Thomas and More This week’s new music Friday also features Cautious Clay, Daniel Caesar, Bruiser Wolf with Harry Fraud, and Samara Cyn. entertainment October 24, 2025
Here’s How the Child That Inspired 2Pac’s “Brenda’s Got a Baby” Finally Met His Mother Jeff Pearlman found the people who inspired the classic 1991 2Pac song, which has reverberated through hip-hop myth-making for decades. entertainment October 17, 2025
How Mobb Deep's 'Infinite' Avoided the Posthumous Album Trap Okayplayer explores how Mobb Deep’s latest manages to skirt the pitfalls of other posthumously released albums. entertainment October 17, 2025
MoRuf Drops "PT Cruiser" with SZA MoRuf pulls up with some new heat — with some help from SZA. entertainment October 16, 2025
De La Soul Announce New Album ‘Cabin In the Sky’ The project is the group’s first since the death of founding member Trugoy aka Dave. news October 16, 2025
