SZA Is Still Holding On Strong On Our New "R&B Season" Playlist Update

BYGabriel Bras Nevares180 Views
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Entertainment: 2024 Grammy Awards
Feb 4, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; SZA performs during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Our last update of the year is a tiny one, so here's your chance to revisit this year's best R&B.

For our final R&B Season playlist update of the year, we don't have many releases to talk about given the slow industry slump of the end of 2024. As such, we want to take this time to invite you to look back on the best that the genre had to offer this year by revisiting the playlist in full. However, that doesn't mean that we don't have new cuts to talk about, namely the new Isaiah Falls and Sasha Keable single, "NIGHT OFF." It's a slow-burning and sultry cut with psychedelic guitar effects, sensual vocal chemistry, and some muddy percussion that sinks you into the grooves.

Lyrically, Isaiah Falls and Sasha Keable play with the typical R&B topics of love, lust, lost chances, and longing. It's not much to write home about, but this is the type of song whose sensibilities are felt rather than understood. While the track could benefit from more modular songwriting and some switch-ups here and there to give it more energy and variety, it doesn't overstay its welcome thanks to persistently impressive vocals and a more rapid-fire rap performance.

HNHH R&B Season Playlist

In addition, we'd be remiss not to mention that fans continue to spin SZA's new SOS Deluxe: LANA as the last huge R&B release of the year. There are plenty of hits on there that resonated with listeners, even if it wasn't hard to do so given just how impressive and massive the original album was. But one that's slowly bur surely rising as a fan favorite is "Scorsese Baby Daddy" thanks to its breezy and catchy fusions of soulful melodies and a more rock-inspired sonic pallet with guitar plucks and a steady groove.

Regardless of where SZA's career goes next, much of this expanded edition's material will keep fans happy until the wait becomes too long. Hopefully it's not as long as the distance between Ctrl and SOS, but that's beside the point. "Scorsese Baby Daddy" might also be one of various LANA cuts that she's been waiting to put out for a long time, which is always satisfying to see. We can't imagine what other heat lies in the vault, and hope 2025 delivers.

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.
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