Sacramento's Sol Blume Festival has announced it will return for its second year to Cesar Chavez Plaza in Sacramento, Calif. on April 27. This year the festival is headlined by 61st GRAMMY Awards nominee Miguel, joined by Jessie Reyez and a great array of emerging talent.

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Emerging artists at Sol Blume include Snoh Aalegra, Dave B, Jess Connelly, J.I.D, Kiana Ledé, Tobi Lou, Masego, Queen Naija, Parisalexa, Raveena, Ivy Sole, Umi, Summer Walker, and Tierra Whack whose "Mumbo Jumbo" is nominated for Best Music Video at the 61st GRAMMY Awards. Billboard has more detail about artists' backgrounds.

Festival organizers told the Sacramento Bee attendance last year was about 6,000 and said, "Creating and producing this event is an amazing milestone for Sacramento's thriving music community, and we just couldn't be more excited about what the future holds."

Tickets, VIP packages and more information are available at the Sol Blume website. See why Sacramento music fans hope this is the beginning of a long tradition.

Miguel Talks Essence Fest, His Latin Roots, And Self-Care On The Road

Chief Keef fans have been awaiting a sequel to his influential mixtape Almighty So since he released it in 2013. The project came out in the midst of a magnificent and experimental run for Keef, when he was changing his style seemingly at will from Almighty's almost avant-garde soundscapes to woozy, autotuned melodies (Bang Pt. 2) to stoic street tales (Back From the Dead).

Keef, now 28, has been well aware of the anticipation for a follow-up to Almighty So, teasing the project since 2019. Five years later, it's finally here — but it might not quite be what fans were expecting.

In keeping with Keef's mercurial and exploratory artistic nature, Almighty So 2 has very little to do with its predecessor, save that comedian Michael Blackson does skits on both. In fact, Keef tells GRAMMY.com that the title of the project does not mean that he views it as a sequel to Almighty So.

"There's no connection at all," he asserts. Almighty So is his nickname, and one of his many alter egos; it stems from "Sosa," the Scarface-inspired nickname he's been using since the beginning of his career. The title, he says, "is not just a project that I dropped years ago. It's me. I'm still almighty."

Almighty So 2, released May 10, is indeed very different. It boasts a Keef who is nearly free of vocal doublings and ad libs, ready to let his voice clearly be heard on a wide range of subjects, including some introspective and emotional looks at himself, going all the way back to his childhood.

Several days before the project's release, GRAMMY.com caught up with Keef while he was at home in Los Angeles. Below, the Chicago-born rapper breaks down the album's lyrics and music, its most surprising guest appearance, how he views his own legacy, and his return to his hometown for the first time in over a decade.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

You've been talking about this record since 2019, and originally you were saying it's going to have a lot of melody. The album I heard is very different from that. Can you tell me how and why the vision changed?

I just wanted to do something I never did. A couple of songs is stuff that you probably would never hear me do.

What's different about those songs?

Just more rapping about real things instead of flexing or talking about cars and weed. I'm rapping about real stuff in my life — in life, period.

"Believe" is like that. 

Oh yeah, "Believe," I forgot about that. You really know these songs. Okay, that's dope.

I heard that song as being about wanting and trying to change. Can you tell me about writing that and deciding to open up a little bit?

When I was making that beat, it gave me that feeling of, let some stuff out. That's all.

There's a line on there that really grabbed me. You're talking about growing up and you say you had to be an "evil kid." The word "evil" really struck me. What do you mean by
"evil"?

Because I was always smart — brilliant, intelligent. My circumstances had to be different, though. There wasn't a way for me to really show…I had to do the streets thing. I had to be a gangbanger. I had to grow up doing all that stuff instead of my potential that I know that I have, that I'm using doing all this stuff like designing. I can do everything. Really, literally. I probably could fly a plane, too.

Before I get into my ideas about it, what's different about your rapping on this album?

I feel like I'm just old. I'm 28, I'm finna be 29 now, man. I'm not the same young boy that grew up in Chicago on 54th and 61st. I guess you can call it growth.

I still got some stuff on there like the regular Sosa — the turn up, the fight-in-the-club or whatever you want to call it. Jump around, mosh pit music. I still got that. 

I was thinking more about just the sound of your rapping. There was almost no doubling, almost no ad libs. Your voice is very clear. Can you tell me about that creative decision?

I haven't been doubling like that. I don't know why I stopped it. You're right, I wanted to be more clear. 

Once I do a song, if I didn't do the ad libs, it must have not needed ad libs. When I do ad libs, it's like, I gotta do these ad libs. And if a song doesn't have ad libs on it, probably I can't really say the stuff that I want to say on the ad libs, or I didn't know how to put it. So I just said, scratch the ad libs and it's good like that. It's perfect. You don't need it, or the doubles. 

You have two songs on this record, "Runner" and "1,2,3," where you do that Dipset thing of talking back to the vocal sample. Why'd you do that?

I grew up on Juelz [Santana] and Cam'ron and Jim Jones. On 61st, we was a clique called Dipset, which comes from them. That's where I come from, so that's what I know. I guess I'm still living that right there.

Tell me about making beats for this album. There was some sampling in there, which is something you haven't done too much of.

I started sampling in probably 2019, 2020, or something like that. A lot of my producer friends, even my rapper friends, be like, "I love the way you sample. Damn, how do you sample like that?" Even though sometimes, I'll just let a sample play — it won't even be a chopped-up sample. 

If you get a beat from someone else, do you go in and add stuff to it?

Yeah. I can't take a beat and not put my stuff on it. Because it might be a dope beat, but if I feel like it need a couple more snares or a snare roll or some extra high hats or a bridge, I'll add my stuff in.

The album has some introspective lyrics, but it's also very funny.

I want to have some fun with it. A lot of people just drop projects and be regular degular. I wanted to do different. 

Like one song on the album, it takes four minutes to come on. It's just a beat and there's a skit playing of a dude in heaven talking. It's for car rides or trips. I don't know, I just wanted to do something different than what's regularly done all the time.

What's the connection between this album and the first Almighty So? Why call it Almighty So 2?

There's no connection at all. It's just, Almighty So, that's me. It's not just a project that I dropped years ago — it's me. I'm still Almighty So. I might not call myself that all the time, but it's forever me because when I did come out, it's something that I made and I stuck with it. 

It's just a name that everybody know. It's going to go down in the books. Forever, I'm Almighty So. I just had to do a number two, as in growth. It's the growth version of me.

I'm trying to display that I'm not the same 16, 17, 18-year-old that was running around Chicago with a gun on his hip. I'm far away in Los Angeles, California in a big, stupid-ass house with nine bathrooms and eight bedrooms. I got 12 cars outside my house, and they all mine. I don't have to have that gun on my hip. I ain't gotta watch my back all the time. 

I'm not the same. I'm a different guy. I feel like I'm better now than I ever was. I'm a better individual: the way I think, the way I talk. I'm more talkative now. At first, I wasn't even f—ing talking, bro. At first, you couldn't get me to say s— but a couple words.

When was the last time you listened to the first Almighty So?

I don't listen to that thing. Everybody else around me do. From friends to fans, everybody still listen to it, but I don't listen to it, barely ever. Every blue moon, I might end up playing it somehow. Because don't forget, I was listening to that s— nonstop when I made it. And I had to perform a lot of it too. So I know it by heart. I don't need to listen to it.

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You have your first performance in Chicago in many years coming up at the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash in June. How are you feeling about it?

It's been a while, man. I ain't gonna lie, it's gonna be like I'm a tourist when I go there. 

It's been a long, long time. It's been like 11, 12 years since I touched the pavement in Chicago, or Illinois, period. I'm ready. I know it's going to be a big thing. A lot of new people probably think I'm a ghost. There probably be teachers like, "Yeah, he went to this school," [and the students will be like,] "No, no, he ain't real." 

So a lot of people are going to be excited, just knowing I'm from there and I ain't been there in so long. People that's not in even Chicago — all them surrounding cities gonna show up [too], because Sosa has not been home. And they know it's gonna be big.

Given what happened back in 2015, when the cops shut down your hologram's concert, are you worried that the authorities will be looking for an excuse to shut it down?

Hopefully they won't shut it down. I ain't been there in 11 years. I ain't done nothing to no-motherf—ing-body, man. I ain't in no cases, no RICOs, no murders, none of that s—. Leave me the f— alone, man. 

I've been chilling, making clothes and making music. Don't shut me down. And even if they did, I don't care. I'm going home. Back to L.A. I go. At least y'all know that I tried.

From the beginning of your career, you've had this association with the word "turbulence." You use Turbo as an alter ego.

[Laughs] How do you know all this? This is some Nardwuar s— right now, man.

When did that start? Do you remember the first time you were like, "Oh, that word, that's me?"

You said, when did it start? It's my alter egos I just make in my damn head. That's all. I'm versatile, so I never make the same sounding s—. Every song you listen to of mine, it's not going to be like, "That sounds like the last one I just played."  

I just got my alter egos, and I just make names. And then Turbulence, Turbo, that just came with one of my alter egos from 2017. Every other year I got a new name and a new ego.

Lately I haven't done it, though. I've been chilling, on some grown man ish. I feel like [making alter egos is] more the young Sosa. Like I said, this was in 2017 when I made that name. I haven't really been doing it lately. No new aliases.

You talked earlier about designing clothes and doing other creative stuff. When you're making art or graphics, or designing clothes, what feels the same as making music to you, and what feels different?

It's the exact same thing. S—, just like I make a beat, making a shirt takes the same creativity. It's just in a different form. Instead of melodies, you're using pictures and s—. You're drawing stuff. Instead of drawing that melody in FL Studio, you're drawing an angel for a shirt.

It's the exact same thing. Even the colors. The colors are like the EQ on the beat or on the song — it brings out the light in the stuff. 

So yeah, it's actually the same thing to me. And I've been doing this same s—. All the clothing, the beats, I've been doing the exact same thing that I'm doing now since 2008. How many years is that? That's a long time.

Like the Glory Boys logo: I made that logo in late 2009. I was what, 13, 14? I was doing this s— since I was 10, 11. It started when my momma bought me a computer. She bought me a computer when I was like 6. And then I was doing unbelievable things, unimaginable things. 

When I was doing that, I knew that this is my calling. Like, you real good with computers, if you're not good with nothing else. Anything with a screen, I could do it my sleep. If I show you the s— I can do, you'd be like, what in the f—? I'm talking coding — I can code some s— up. Your mind would be blown.

One of the things that does connect this album to the first Almighty So is you have Michael Blackson come back. Why?

Because he was on the first one. I'm just like, I got a skit or two for him. I got a couple of different skits from a couple different people. I got Fabo from D4L on there. He's on "Almighty" the song, talking. I got Donterio from my city, a funny dude I mess with. He be like, "On baby, on baby" — he famous for saying that. 

I got Michael Blackson. I wanted to make it fun and funny, so it ain't just like you're riding around listening to regular music. I wanted to make it a type of movie, but just in the music form. 

One of the guest appearances that really got my attention was Tierra Whack. I thought she was great.

Yeah, me and Tierra, we're real friends and we talk. And I love the way she do everything, so I had to put her on my s—, man. Just on some random s— — like, they won't expect no damn Tierra Whack, you know? So I had to do that. And I got my little weird ways, I'll tell you that.

I wouldn't have guessed she would be on this album.

Yeah, I know you wouldn't. Nobody would. Chief Keef and Tierra Whack? How and where and when? I wanted her to do something different than what she do. I was like, "I got this song I want you to do, but it ain't nothing like you always do. It's different." And she's like, "Hell yeah, come on, let's do it." That's my dog, for real for real.

A lot of critics talk about how influential you are. Are you aware of people saying that stuff about you?

Everywhere! If I had 500 M's every time [I heard that], I'd be Jeff Bezos. The f—? I think I'd probably be bigger. I would be more rich!

I be hearing that a lot, though, man. I be tired of hearing that s—. I be like, we know. Me, you, and God know that. It's okay. Let people do what they do, man. I was a big fan of Gucci [Mane] and Lil Wayne. Still am. So if I got people who love me like that, s—, man. 

I used to get mad about it, but I don't give a f—. I'm a big fan of those two boys I just said. Even to this day, we still ride around listening to the old Gucci. If you get in our car and we on tour, all you going to hear is Gucci Mane from 2006, 7, 8, and 9, 2010, 2011. And we still even sometimes take our raps [from that]. The old Lil Wayne, I still even rap like that. If you listen to "Jesus," I got his flow — some Lil Wayne, the old Wayne, inspiration. So I guess I inspire, the way they inspire me.

Are you still determined to change your style frequently? That used to be a thing about you: every year you'd have a whole new approach to music.

You hip, bro. You smart as hell, I ain't gonna lie. That's why I'm talking to you like I am. But anyway, you're right, I don't necessarily. 

How I am, though, I never do the same s—, like I told you. You'll never say, "This sounds exactly the same as the other one." I probably got, like, two songs [that sound alike], and that's just if I'm messing with the same producer. 

So I can't say that every year I take that approach. But I guess every day I take that approach, or any time I pick up the damn microphone. I'm just trying to think, I want to do something different, or at least try.

Do you think of yourself primarily as a rapper? A producer? A person who's good with computers?

What I say is I got angles like Kurt. You know Kurt Angle? Jack of all trades. 

Call me Jack, don't call me Sosa. I guess I got a new alias today — we made one.

50 Artists Who Changed Rap: Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem & More

Neo-soul singer UMI describes herself as a "multi-dimensional artist" whose ideas often come to her in the spur of the moment — and she "needs to get it out immediately."

Thanks to her favorite musical gear, the Apollo Twin X interface, she can bring her ideas to life on the go.

"Instead of going directly into your computer [to record], you can use something like this," UMI explains in this episode of It Goes to 11. "It helps to enhance the sound of what you're recording and makes the recording process easier."

Before she invested in her Apollo interface, she says she used to buy cheap ones for $50 or $100: "I thought I was getting the best experience, but then, I went to a studio. They had one of these. Ever since then, I've been like, 'This is my baby!'"

As a self-proclaimed "studio gear nerd," UMI exclaims that the Apollo Twin X isn't just a fancy part of her collection — it's changed her process altogether. "I don't have to book studio time anymore," she says. "I can do it all in my house!"

Press play on the video above to learn more about UMI's cherished Apollo Twin X interface, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of It Goes to 11.

UMI Is Ready To Manifest Her Way To Stardom With 'Talking To The Wind': "I Learned All The Lessons I Needed To"

For UMI, there's comfort in spontaneity. When you take a look at her typical creative process, it's not an exact science — and that's precisely the point. In between those moments where the neo-soul/R&B singer/songwriter felt inscrutable or moments where she wished there'd been an easy Google answer for how to be happy, she found herself in nature. No plan, no schedule, no pressure — just reveling in the resilience of the wind. 

This confidence is intrinsic, almost woven into her DNA. Born Tierra Umi Wilson to a Black father and Japanese mother, UMI's stage name translates to ocean in Japanese; she's much like her moniker, imperceptibly strong as a wave, beguiling and powerful like the sea. Even as her artistry has metamorphosed — from independently releasing her viral song "Remember Me" in 2018, to partnering with Keep Cool/RCA Records for her projects from 2020-2022, back to being an independent artist —  the nucleus of her music has always been sitting with her emotions in nature. 

UMI's first independently released EP, talking to the wind (due Jan. 19), is a sprawling, sparkling and cinematic experience that translates life's delicately vulnerable moments into angelic, earthly croons. Lead single "happy im" is UMI at her most gloriously honest, detailing changes in her team, pondering attachment styles, and finally embracing both fear and joy. "I was afraid so I ran from you," she sings with curious clarity over a dreamy beat. "Why don't I not think too hard about love?

The release of talking to the wind is a celebratory look at throwing caution to the wind and trusting herself. Born from mood boards, raw and unedited music videos, and last-minute song overhauls, the EP is UMI at her most carefree. "I didn't really know my path, but just one step at a time it was revealed to me," she tells GRAMMY.com. "The whole project has taught me faith in the process." 

After finishing a meal with her mother in the home she purchased for her family, UMI chatted with GRAMMY.com to discuss finding the peace of mind to create talking to the wind, her organic collaboration with BTS' V, and healing she's doing with fans-turned-friends. 

This interview has been edited for clarity.

This is your first project released independently — congratulations! How did you come to the decision to release talking to the wind independently?

When I first started making music up until my EP Introspection, I was dropping all those independently. It's something that I feel like is a foundation to me. And when I was at the label, I think that I just kind of got the label experience of being asked to be someone that I'm not. 

That just was so counter to who I am as an artist, and also feeling like I was labeled difficult for having a strong opinion and knowing who I am. I think that coming face-to-face with that, I just realized in order for me to have the most authentic expression of my music, it was important for me to go back to being independent again. So that I could reestablish, for myself, who I am, come back to my joy, and then from there, kind of decide what my next steps are. 

I learned all the lessons I needed to, but the world is in completely different places. It's way more about authenticity as you feel, than it is about fitting some kind of mold that already existed. 

The music video for "happy im" is a really celebratory look at a queer relationship. What kind of creative decisions went into that? 

I'm an intentions-first kind of gal. So I sit and brainstorm a lot before I even start to create, especially visually. I have this binder in my closet — I scrapbooked a whole binder of what each song felt like to me. What type of visuals do I want? What do I want people to feel? What do I want people to leave feeling with? And once you figure that out, everything comes together. 

With "happy i'm," I want people to take a look into my relationship, and I want people to see what healthy love looks like. And then I was like, What's an intimate way to film? [Kodak] Super 8 [cameras] and film are really intimate, and I'm not going to color it either. I'm not trying to make it something it's not, so let me just show people the raw footage. 

I have a whole PowerPoint of what each song means to me, when I want to come out, how I want to communicate it on social media. Then I scrapbook it and I get a bunch of references. So it's a very all-in process for me. 

My hope is when people listen, if they have a question or something on their heart, by the time they finish listening to the project, some inspiration of clarity comes through them. Which is a meditative experience to me. 

In the past, you've talked about your ancestors really speaking to you when you write songs. "happy i'm" features Japanese lyrics —  how did you decide which lines to write in Japanese? Were there specific emotions you could only express in Japanese? 

That's such a beautiful question. It's interesting, because when I first wrote the song, it was all in English. And that was it for a couple months. And I was like, I don't feel like it's expressing everything that I need to. My whole heart isn't in the song right now. So then, I decided maybe I need another language to explain myself all the way. 

And the thing I love about Japanese is it takes a lot longer, in a way, to say something in the space of one sentence in English. You could say five different things, but because of how Japanese is one syllable, one letter versus it being one word — you can really take your time expressing something. 

That whole verse is really about the feeling of expressing gratitude and also the vulnerability of getting things off your chest — and how once you get things off your chest, it makes space for more love. I feel because I was using Japanese, I was able to say it so patiently and poetically, in a way I couldn't in English. I definitely feel my ancestors, and my family, and my culture moving through me when I mix languages. 

There's a line in "show me out" I thought was very poignant: "of all the places I go to I choose you." Are you ever afraid to put that much vulnerability on a track?

Sometimes, I could be writing a song about an experience I had with somebody that I'm making the song with, or I can be talking about an experience that I've never told them — but I'm going to put it on the song. I think that's more nerve-wracking to me than writing a song to people I might have not met yet.

I think it's because vulnerability is really connecting. A big part of my intention for making music is for people to remember the invisible thread that connects us all and how we all just live the same lives — just different colors or different hues of the same color. We go through the same things at the same time, in our own ways. So, I think the more vulnerable I can be, the more I can reveal that to people. But it is scary sometimes, especially to the people that I'm closest with.

How did the collaboration with BTS's V for "wherever u r" come about? 

V has been a fan of mine, I've been a fan of V for a long time. He had been sharing my music online with his friends for a while and he would post me on his story and tag me. A couple months ago, he did it and, on a whim, I sent him a message — and closed my eyes and threw my phone across the room. [Laughs.]

He was like, "Yeah, I'm down!" At this point, I did not know he was going to the Army. But after we finished this song and after everything had happened, I've just come to realize why he picked the song. 

The song is all about love, long distance love, and love of all kinds. The idea that you can have love for someone and share love with someone, no matter where they are. No matter what time it is, you could send love to the past, to the future, to someone and they don't even know you sent it. Love can be felt, love is so infinite like that. 

When I first wrote the song, I wrote about my grandma — who lives in Japan. I don't get to see her often and, sometimes, I forget to call her. I just wish I could be wherever she is. But, I know that when I close my eyes and go I love you, Grandma, she can feel it wherever she is. Now that [V's] in the Army, I feel like a lot of his fans are going to be doing that, too.

Has there been any moment, or person, or career move in the last year or so that helped you heal? 

A big moment for me was when I opened for Jhené Aiko at the Oakland Arena [on Dec. 2, 2023]. I had some intense impostor syndrome happen before the show and usually, I'm very calm and confident. But, I used to have really bad stage fright, so I feel like it came back up again. I've also been taking voice lessons again, so I'm relearning my voice. I was throwing a fit, I was so nervous and I was so confused, but also just letting it all come up. 

One thing one of my mentors taught me is fear is false evidence appearing real. I just had to keep checking myself and being like, none of my fears are real. I'm allowed to feel them, but I don't have to get into them. 

In the end, I was writing out all the things that scared me and how they weren't true. I really took the time to really dissolve all my fear. And that was very healing for me, because now, when a fearful thought comes up, I have an example of an experience to be like: that's just false evidence appearing real. It's not real.

Have you had a recent fan interaction where you were like, "Wow, I am actually influencing people with my music"?

Yeah, I have this one fan [who is also a] friend. They've come to so many of my shows and they've been going through their transition right now. I've seen them changing their pronouns. I see them finding a new name for themselves. I see their whole confidence and self shift and expand. When my album [Forest in the City] came out is when they decided they were going to start transitioning — and my album was a big part of them accepting and coming out to their parents. 

Their mom came to the [Jhené Aiko] show and me and their mom — we just had this moment of such pure joy, seeing her child coming to self-acceptance. Then, they came to the next show and the way they dress is changing and their confidence is going up and then their voice is changing. Every time I see them, they're embodying more and more of themselves. 

These people really love, care, and support me, but also, I'm actively witnessing them heal in front of me. The fact that I can encourage someone to choose that over unhappiness is so powerful.

You've done some manifestation sessions with your fans on Instagram. What are you manifesting for 2024?

2024 feels so big. I feel like I went through my "Avatar [the Last Airbender]" initiation training phase, for years, on how to be an artist. I really feel like I mastered the elements of artistry for myself. 

I'm manifesting a Billboard hit. I'm manifesting a GRAMMY nomination. I'm manifesting a world tour. I'm manifesting all of my music reaching a broader audience that far exceeds my expectations. 

What I have to share in my life experience is very unique and important for people to hear. And it doesn't come from ego, it comes from a space of love and a space of inspiration. I just get excited for more people to have access to understanding mental health or understanding manifestation — or just hearing the music. 

I always say my success is my mental health and my peace of mind. My career has helped me do that, and that makes me proud. 

When I look at my career, it hasn't made me more stressed, or hasn't made me feel disconnected from my family, or hasn't made me lose myself at all. It's made me become more clear and grounded — in all those areas. It makes me know that I'm going to have a really long, fulfilling, and fun career.

30 Must-Hear Albums Coming Out In 2024: Green Day, Usher, Tyla & More

R&B lovers were spoiled in 2023. 

Talented legends received well-deserved flowers, while focused newcomers celebrated many exciting firsts. Usher set his sights on an epic comeback, and Best New Artist nominees Coco Jones and Victoria Monét (who are nominated in the category alongside Gracie Abrams, Fred again.., Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Noah Kahan, and The War And Treaty) set the R&B charts ablaze while embarking on their first headlining tours.

R&B in particular is set up for a big year at the 2024 GRAMMYs: SZA earned the most nominations at the 66th GRAMMY Awards with a total of nine, followed by Monét with seven nods. What's more, women led the way in the genre this year — four out of the five Best R&B Album and Best R&B Song nominees are ladies.

As R&B music continues to evolve and shatter naysayers' expectations, revisit some of the biggest trends that defined the genre in 2023.

The Ladies Dominated

Women ate and left no crumbs in 2023. Vulnerable as ever, self-discovery through romantic heartbreak was a common theme — as evidenced by Emily King and Summer Walker's confessional projects (more on those later).

R&B-infused bangers from Tyla and Tems took the male-dominated Afrobeats genre by storm, while Chlöe and Halle Bailey's solo endeavors set the sisters apart creatively. Janelle Monáe's first album in five years saw her basking in the fierceness of sexual freedom. Part of R&B's new class, Kiana Ledé joined forces with London-born Ella Mai for a "strong R&B girl moment" and her first release of 2023, "Jealous," is set to appear on Ledé's upcoming sophomore album.

Women were the highlight of Babyface's collaborative Girls Night Out — which is nominated for Best R&B Album at the 2024 GRAMMYs alongside Coco Jones' What I Didn't Tell You (Deluxe), Victoria Monet's JAGUAR II, Emily King's Special Occasion, and Summer Walker's CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE. Singers Ari Lennox, Kehlani, Muni Long, Queen Naija, and a host of other female R&B artists shined bright as they belted out tunes about the highs and lows of love.

But the year in R&B unequivocally belonged to SZA, who boasts the most nominations at the 2024 GRAMMYs, including Record of the Year, Song Of The Year, and Album Of The Year.

Women Made Vulnerability Their Superpower

The ladies of R&B took the confessional route with their 2023 projects. On Special Occasion, Emily King channeled the inevitable pain brought on by the end of her 15-year relationship but not without leaving room for joy — from the delightful opening track "This Year" to feeling regretful on "Bad Memory." Summer Walker similarly left it all on the table with CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE, a nine-track EP that chronicles her frustration with feeling undervalued in relationships. The frankness of "Hardlife" speaks to the emotional burdens many Black women face in their relationships and beyond.

SZA's SOS (nominated for Album Of The Year alongside Jon Batiste's World Music Radio, boygenius' the record, Miley Cyrus' Endless Summer Vacation, Lana Del Rey's Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Janelle Monáe's The Age Of Pleasure, Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS, and Taylor Swift's Midnights) was the gift that kept on giving in 2023. Self-described as "bizarre acts of self-embarrassment," SOS solidifies SZA as a generational talent as she fearlessly toys with folk ("Special") and grunge ("F2F") and spits rap verses ("Smoking on My Ex Pack") like it's nothing all while wearing her heart on her sleeve. That unapologetic candor is what makes SOS such a standout.

R&B Veterans Made A Comeback

Nostalgia was front and center in 2023 as acts like New Edition announced a 2024 Las Vegas residency and Y2K-era duos like Ashanti and Nelly gave love (and touring) a second chance.

After two show-stopping runs in 2021 and 2022, Usher's acclaimed Las Vegas residency continued well into 2023 and solidified him as the "New King of Vegas." In between shows, the eight-time GRAMMY winner released "Good Good" featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage — signaling a new and exciting era that also includes a headlining spot at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show. The performance will coincide with a global tour and the release of Coming Home, marking Usher's first studio album in nearly a decade. 

Babyface kicked off 2023 with "As a Matter of Fact," his first solo record in eight years. It spent five consecutive weeks atop Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, becoming his longest-running single. In June, Babyface crammed four decades' worth of music into his NPR Tiny Desk Concert, which included snippets of his own hits like "Whip Appeal" and beloved songs he penned for other artists like Whitney Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" and Tevin Campbell's "Can We Talk." The latter song is sampled in his duet with Ella Mai, "Keeps On Fallin'." 

Meanwhile, vocal powerhouse Cheryl Lynn's 1983 hit "Encore" went viral on TikTok. Penned by the legendary duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song's resurgence 40 years later even took Lynn by surprise. "What in the world is going on?" she tweeted. The "Got to Be Real" singer now boasts over 500 million Spotify streams.

New Names Shined Bright

While icons like Usher, Babyface, and Cheryl Lynn took us down memory lane, Best New Artist nominees Coco Jones and Victoria Monét achieved critical and commercial success while proving that the future of R&B is in gifted hands.

Thousands of miles away in South Africa, 21-year-old Tyla's "Water" cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first solo song by a South African artist to chart since Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass" 55 years ago. "Water" is nominated for Best African Music Performance at the 2024 GRAMMYs alongside ASAKE & Olamide's "Amapiano," Burna Boy's "City Boys," Davido's "UNAVAILABLE" featuring Musa Keys, and Ayra Starr's "Rush."

Two weeks after inking a new deal with Epic Records, Mariah the Scientist kept the celebratory vibes going by dropping her third studio album, To Be Eaten Alive, on her 26th birthday. Lead single "From a Woman" not only answers boyfriend Young Thug's "From a Man," but it explores relationship-centric vulnerability and surrender through the lens of empowerment. "I close my eyes and trust your plan / Won't let no one force my hand," she sings softly against a smooth beat — illustrating that the studio is indeed a creative lab for the former biology student.

EPs Stole The Show

Many emerging artists are choosing to release EPs over studio albums as a more cost-effective way of establishing their fan base while creating anticipation for future full-length projects. In fact, two of the five nominated works in this year's Best R&B Album category are categorized as EPs.

After many years of putting out music independently, Coco Jones' debut EP, What I Didn't Tell You, repositioned the 25-year-old "Bel-Air star" as someone worth watching on the charts. "Sometimes people see me as the characters I play, but these stories are my own script," Jones shared in a press release. Becoming her first-ever entry on the Hot 100, Jones' "ICU" is nominated for Best R&B Song (alongside Halle Bailey's "Angel," Robert Glasper's "Back To Love" featuring SiR & Alex Isley, Victoria Monét's "On My Mama," and SZA's "Snooze"). The sizzling ballad is also up for Best R&B Performance (alongside Chris Brown's "Summer Too Hot," Glasper's "Back To Love, Victoria Monét's "How Does It Make You Feel," and SZA's "Kill Bill").

Following the success of Summer Walker's 2021 sophomore effort, Still Over It, many fans awaited another studio album from the 27-year-old mother of three. But in late spring, Walker surprised audiences by dropping an EP titled, CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE. Walker is diaristic in detailing her journey toward joy and self-compassion, from being fed up in "Mind Yo Mouth" to holding herself accountable on closer "Agayu's Revelation."

Whether you prefer the old or new school, R&B's biggest names are putting their own spin on a decades-old sound, proving that the genre knows no bounds.

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