Zacari & Muni Long Take Risks On Our New "R&B Season" Playlist Update: Stream

BYGabriel Bras Nevares639 Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
10th Annual TDE Christmas Concert, Hosted by Top Dawg Entertainment and Jay Rock
Zacari backstage at the 10th Annual TDE Christmas Concert hosted by Top Dawg Entertainment and Jay Rock held on December 19, 2023 in Compton, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)
Some other amazing tracks from the R&B world this week also came from Blxst and Offset, Liza, and Jorja Smith and Dirty Danger.

Summer is right around the corner, but you don't need to get right into party mode: our new R&B Season playlist update is here to take you through the best tracks the R&B world had to offer this week to chill you out a little bit before June hits. Leading the pack in that regard is the smoky new single from Zacari, "Lonewolf Still," which is about as dramatic and moody as the title suggests. Thanks to a slow and minimal trap beat, whirling synths, and a relaxed but still engaging vocal performance, this song really puts you in a zone.

Elsewhere on our R&B Season playlist update is a hot collaboration between two captivating singers in classic and contemporary soul. Moreover, Muni Long and Mariah Carey teamed up for the "Made For Me" remix, which throws it all the way back to the sultry and crisp rhythm and blues bangers from the 2000s. Their vocal performances aren't soaring here, but their strong melodic control and harmonic chemistry definitely carries the sensual vibes here. Of course, that's not to say they don't eventually belt alongside wavy synth patches, but they save those fireworks for fitting moments.

HNHH R&B Season Playlist: Stream

Speaking of collaborations, we also wanted to shout out Offset's reach into the R&B bag for his feature on Blxst's latest record, "Risk Taker." This time around, he's playing with a dance-inspired sonic pallet that is closer to Afrobeat or reggaetón than it is to R&B, soul, or rap as the artists in charge would have you assume. It's bright and breezy, and the former Migo comes through with a locked-in flow and luxury-themed lyrics to make this a more potent impression. While it's not instrumentally idiosyncratic compared to similar sounds, it does showcase both of these artists' versatility.

Finally, we have two more releases to praise, one being Liza's new EP The Alternate Ending and the woozy guitars and crisp percussion on "Gasoline." Our list rounds out with Dirty Danger's bubbly and dreamy remix of Jorja Smith's "Backwards," complete with manipulated sample pitching and quirky electronic embellishments. Let us know what your favorite R&B Season pick was this week, as well as what else we missed, down in the comments section below. Check out the playlist above and, as always, stick around on HNHH for more great music drops around the clock.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
...