There was a time when Bad Boy Records were the hottest thing in Hip Hop and RnB with the likes of Biggie, Mase, Lil Kim, Faith Evans, Mary J Blige, 112 and of course Puffy/Diddy all dropping killer tracks that were storming the charts globally. The influence of the music that came from this collection of artists should not be underestimated and it could be argued that they created that Hip Hop / RnB bridge sound that we now know and love from the likes of Drake and Tinashe.

With the arrival of Neo-Soul in the late 90’s and the rising emphasis on the need for ‘real’ music with a more organic sound, along with a lot of personal problems in the lives of the Bad Boy artists, there was a rapid decline in hits, despite efforts to try and re-launch New Edition and re-vamp 112.

Rewind a few years later to last night and Diddy storms onto the BET Awards stage to remind everyone what they’ve been missing!! With a killer 10 minute tribute that saw 112, Mase, Faith Evans, Lil Kim, French Montana, Jadakiss and Pharrell performing with unmatchable energy and conviction the Bad Boy camp definitely grabbed the attention of everyone at home and in the audience (who were seriously hyped!)

There’s always a risk with throwback performances that artists might just end up proving that their time is over, luckily this was the complete opposite! Everyone looked good, sounded great and even Lil Kim was back in full force bursting up from nowhere and owning the stage. But this reunion wasn’t just about nostalgia, it serves as a reminder that Bad Roy Records made INCREDIBLE music that still sounds fresh and with the last track being a forthcoming one from Pharrell and Diddy, lets hope that Bad Boy Entertainment are coming back to conquer once again!

Click Here to Watch the Full Bad Boy Performance!

@CarlyMond

Now THIS is how you start a week right – with incredible new music from RnB royalty!!

Yes the legendary Janet Jackson is back with her new single, ‘No Sleep‘ taken from her forthcoming album (her first in seven years!) entitled, ‘Conversations In a Cafe‘.

Seductive and soulful with playful lyrics and a catchy hook, ‘No Sleep‘ sees Janet back where she belongs – with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis on production. The single is available from midnight (23rd June) and coincides with the announcement of her ‘Unbreakable‘ world tour.

Welcome back Janet Jackson , you have been missed!!!

@CarlyMond

Janet Jackson – No Sleep

Most of us RnB fans love to debate who’s the best in the game, who’s had the most seminal album and who has been most influential in the scene! In light of the recent Jodeci comeback Phonte (of Foreign Exchange / Little Brother) joins podcast crew ‘The Music Snobs,‘ to debate all of the above and in particular, Jodeci’s impact on the landscape of RnB.

Phonte and The Music Snob’s all seriously know their stuff when it comes to RnB! They talk about how they feel Jodeci switched it up with Phonte claiming that they made, ‘RnB acceptable for men’, they discuss the genius production skills of DeVante and Al B Sure and ask the all important question, is the Jodeci comeback a good idea?

But these music gurus don’t just discuss Jodeci, they go on to talk about the greatest one hit wonders of all time and share stories behind their music memories. Phonte is hilarious and full of passion as always and I would challenge any RnB fan not to be laughing and wanting to join the debate after the first couple of minutes!

Clink the link below to enjoy and leave your comments on Jodeci’s impact, whether or not they should have returned and who is the all time greatest RnB one hit wonder!!

@CarlyMond

https://soundcloud.com/themusicsnobs/episode-037

The soulful soulstress that is Jill Scott is back!! For all of us fans of this increcible artist it’s been a long wait of 4 years since we last heard new material, but it’s been worth the wait!

You Don’t Know‘ is the first single from Scott’s forthcoming 5th studio album (no set release date yet) and hears her doing what she does best; delivering powerful, emotionally charged vocals over a jazz/blues melody. Instrumentally it’s incredible too with ?uestlove leading on drums, check the sultry video below:

@CarlyMond

Whilst Drake fans everywhere have been hopefully waiting on a new album or mixtape, it seems that he has been busy with another project which he debuted online today; a short film directed by Karim Huu Do entitled, ‘Jungle‘.

The film is a quiet, reflective and revealing journey into Drake’s world, including some early VHS clips of him rapping and singing as a child. With Noah ’40’ Shebib on the score and a couple of new tracks from Drake being teased in the background, it is a captivating watch, although no doubt some might find it over-indulgent.

Take a step inside Drake’s Jungle below and decide for yourself…..

@CarlyMond

https://vimeo.com/119416353

Hey R&B family,
Here’s a big tune alert.
UK future-soul star-in-the-making Kwabs (full name Kwabena Sarkodee Adjepong) has just unleashed plans regarding his long-awaited debut album.
With album artwork revealed and entitled Love + War, his 12-track LP is set for release on May 18th through Atlantic Records.

To launch the album announcement, Kwabs has unveiled a brand new version of fan favourite ‘Perfect Ruin’ with an emotionally-charged and visually-stunning video to match. Filmed in the North of Sweden and directed by George Bellfield, the video follows Kwabs walking through a blizzard (looks cold!!) in a starkly beautiful Scandinavian setting.

Produced by Felix Joseph, ‘Perfect Ruin’ is available from today as an instant grat. Fans will receive it free when they pre-order the album on iTunes and it’s available to download from all digital retailers and stream from supporting platforms.
Support & Enjoy the video
R x

It’s been a while since we have heard any new material from Frank Ocean, then yesterday he broke his musical silence with an enchanting cover of The Isley Brothers classic, ‘At Your Best (You Are Love)‘, which he has expressed is a tribute to the late Aaliyah on what would have been her 36th Birthday.

The cover is stripped back, understated and hears Frank Ocean’s vocals sounding hotter than ever. There is no word of any other new recordings from the artist as yet, however he did sign under new management last summer so hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for that much anticipated follow up album to ‘Channel Orange‘.

@CarlyMond

Frank Ocean – At Your Best

RnB family the wait is FINALLY over!!! 14 years after the release of his last album, ‘Voodoo D’Angelo has today released his new project entitled, ‘Black Messiah.

The album is a force field of Funk, Soul, Rock, Hip Hop and Neo-Soul, it’s experimental and energetic, fans of ‘Voodoo‘ won’t be disappointed and it feels like a natural step up progression from that album.

Black Messiah is charged with political and social connotations but also delves into the realms of love and sex with fluidity and finesse, collaborations on the album include Questlove, Q Tip, James Gadson and Kendra Foster who co-wrote many of the albums tracks.

Every now and again you hear an album that you know is an instant masterpiece, D’Angelo’s Black Messiah is definitely one of them! Cop it on Itunes or stream it on Spotify now!!!!!

Listen to and download first single entitled, ‘Sugah Daddyhere

@CarlyMond

It’s been a big year for the TDE signed singer, songwriter, ‘BJ The Chicago Kid‘, starting with his collaboration on the Schoolboy Q track, ‘Studio‘ he has gone on to drop solo tracks like, ‘Real Love Never Dies‘ and ‘Perfect‘, generating critical acclaim and demand from fans for a new album.

His new E.P ‘The M.A.F.E Project‘, features 12 new tracks, boasting features from Freddie Gibson and Schoolboy Q and production credits from Da Internz and Hip Hop duo Mike & Keys (formerly ‘The Furturistiks’).

The E.P is a perfect blend of RnB and Hip Hop with a bit of Mowtown flava mixed in. BJ The Chicago Kid pays homeage in style and lyrics to the likes of Jodeci, James Brown, Aaliyah and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, whilst maintaining a freshness with his musical style. High points of ‘The M.A.F.E Project‘ are the raw and bluesy, ‘Real Love Never Dies‘ and BJ’s version of the Aaliyah classic ‘One In A Million‘ which he geniusly mixes with Jodeci’sFeenin‘ making the track a must for 90’s RnB fans!

The M.A.F.E Project‘ has something for everyone and is definitley a highlight album of the year, you can download it for FREE via BJ The Chicago Kid’s website, click on the link below and enjoy!!

http://bjtck.com/

Carly – ann (@CarlyMond)


BJ The Chicago Kid – ‘One In A Million’

 

 

 

Hi Soulquarians,

It’s a time where there is incredible musical creativity flowing and once again i’ve been lucky enough to give you a heads up on something that’s going to be HUGE!

Sean McCabe came to my attention 5 years ago whilst he and i were billed to spin at the first SunceBeat festival (Croatia) Garden party. When he took to the decks he started letting off some SERIOUSLY soulful house music steam. The link had to be made.

From that point he has become a friend and one of the most prolific and sort after producer / remixers of this current house generation notching up remix credits for Roy Ayers, Lynn Lockamy, Peven Everett & Byron Stingly.

He alerted me to the fact he was releasing an album about a year ago and now “It’s Time”.

The album is HEAVY!!!

It consists of beautifully constructed cuts with an impressive selection of vocal collaborators including Taliwa, Nathan Adams, Donaeo, Jennifer Wallace and Hanna Khemoh.

My favourite cuts are “Something about You” ft Jennifer Wallace, “Reach Out” ft Hannah Khemoh and Back To Front with Nathan Adams.

There are also two super chilled moments with the Hip Hop driven “All Of The Above” ft Big Ed finale and Sunday Lazin’ (too short in my opinion) Sean make me a longer version please!!

The album lands on Joey Negro’s label ZR Records on 3:11:2014

It’s an absolute necessity for real music lovers!

RH

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