Even though the end of the year doesn't yield much new music, our latest R&B Season playlist update is here to round up the best of the best recent drops within or adjacent to the genre. In fact, we have a massive one to talk about this week, as Sade Adu dropped her first official release in about six years, "Young Lion." It's for the TRANSA compilation from the non-profit organization Red Hot, which featured many transgender artists and focuses on the community. Moreover, this song is dedicated to the singer's transgender son, and it's a gorgeously atmospheric and calming cut.
Elsewhere in the R&B world, we also wanted to shout out Roy Woods for his brief but still captivating new project, Rolling Stone. It has a sole feature from 03 Greedo, so the vocalist carries his own weight for much of the tracklist and indulges in the genre fusions he's well-known for. For example, one of the highlights on here is "Solo" thanks to its passionate and overwhelming vocal performance and how it contrasts with the airy instrumentation and steady drums.
HNHH R&B Season Playlist
Also, we'd be remiss not to mention the new deluxe version of Khalid's Sincere, which adds a couple more collaborative cuts and solo records to the original tracklist. These include "Personal" with Normani, "Make It Up To You" with Ayra Starr, and "MIA" featuring Chlöe. That last one in particular is one of the bouncier songs on the whole LP, and the crisp percussion adds a pretty fun vibe to a tune that would otherwise sound more melancholy. Not only that, but it certainly helps that they're both very talented singers with plenty of chemistry on this particular cut.
But the end of 2024 isn't just giving us some new R&B cuts to enjoy. Our latest Fire Emoji playlist update also rounded up the highlights of the week within the hip-hop world, including the new single from Lil Baby, "Touchdown." He just announced his new album Wham for January 3 of next year, and this more menacing and hard-hitting track indicates some bangers on the way. Hopefully he delivers!