A few months back, we started our R&B-centric Spotify playlist, "R&B Season". HNHH curates a bunch of playlists on various streaming platforms, but they are predominantly focused on hip hop. While it may appear that our expertise lies in hip hop, we are great admirers of R&B. As the border between these two genres becomes increasingly porous, it's hard to be a fan of one without being a fan of the other. However, the distinction remains important when deciding what vibe you're going for when you turn to your preferred medium of music consumption. R&B tends to be catered for your more mellow moments and there should be a place for you to comfortably retreat into to enjoy those sounds. That's why we've been putting love and care into building up our "R&B Season" playlist.
The past two weeks of music releases have treated our playlist very well. Summer Walker, Brent Faiyaz, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Snoh Aalegra all came through with huge contributions. This week is no exception. The Weeknd and Jacquees got us feeling blissful.
While you may initially be surprised to see G Herbo's name tucked into our playlist, you will then notice that Jacquees supplied Herbo's new single with the R&B twist that allowed it to qualify for submission. "Shooter" is the second teaser of the Chicago rapper's upcoming album, PTSD. Given its drastically different tone from the lead single, "In This Bitch", we see that Herbo will be giving us a varied compilation. Jacquees, the self-proclaimed King of R&B, laces the song with an addictive chorus and the beat's reverberating bass washes over you. Perfect for "R&B SEASON."
Lots of new developments on The Weeknd front this week. After finally learning the title of his next album, we were gifted with the third single off After Hours, which also happens to be its title track. While it may not foster the most mellow mood, The Weeknd is an R&B staple that deserves love on our playlist. The first half of the song is quite upbeat, but once the dancing energy subsides, you are left with a brooding outro reminiscent of Abel's earlier music. In that sense, it does fit the vibe we're trying to curate here.
Check out our other playlists below.