My name is Teyonna, pronounced just like Teyana Taylor. I have strong opinions about most media: books, TV, movies, magazines, and especially music. I try to stay up on the latest and greatest but I’m not gonna lie, it’s a struggle! Who has the time to keep up with it all?
The peak of my musical pop culture knowledge were the days of getting home from school and turning on 106&Park so Terrence J and Rocsi could tell me what songs and videos were the hottest of the week (I was barely in school with A.J. and Free, but we love them too– yes, I just told you how old I am.) Writing up this list will hold me accountable to staying current on my music and keeping my playlists updated.
I’ll preface this by saying that I listen to a lot of R&B, Hip-Hop and Soul. But you never know what my mood and life circumstances may pull into my orbit. So let’s just get into it. Here’s my Top 10 songs for the week:
Marzz is one of my favorite artists out right now. Her tracks are short and sweet, lyrical, melodical, tone clear like glass, underlying bass bumping, smooth vibes, all that. She’s all the things that are defining today’s R&B scene without trying to do too much. I highly recommend anything you can find from her, including her single “FYM” that dropped yesterday, but this song is *chef’s kiss*.
Something is in the water in Canada. Sage Harris is yet another talent emerging from Toronto, and this song is his latest release. Sultry and emotional, it perfectly balances everything we love from the moody 90s R&B era and the new sexy R&B coming out of the 2020s. The hook on this song did its job– hooked me as soon as I heard it.
I’m clearly feeling the chill vibes this week. I was expecting another bop or girls night out jam from Normani but this song is so refreshingly stripped down and clean. It sounds like that midday shower I took to reset my intentions and wash off the stress getting in the way of what I need to do. I don’t even presently relate to the lyrics (I’m not wondering how someone moved on so fast, I mean) yet this somehow pairs so well with my morning cup of tea.
“Confusion” was how I felt when I first saw the name of the song, but this track is such a vibe. The beat, melody, and lyrics make this a prime slow jam for the club, just like the official visual. Might catch me whining to this on the low in my kitchen, in the bathroom mirror, practicing for my next boo’d up moment in the club.
For all my strong-minded ladies, I felt this to my core. People pushing me to do something just makes me not want to do it. Let me do what I want to do. Mahalia is also emerging with her very distinct voice and sound. I find her on my playlists more and more and I’m not complaining.
This song was already on heavy rotation before adding Cardi, who sounds so tender here, might I add. Me gusta. The visual that accompanied this release was a reminder that Black women stay winning, and I’m considering the video a conclusion to a strong Women’s History Month. Black women everywhere, take a bow. Especially the three ladies on this song.
This brought me back to the spirit behind Chance’s Coloring Book album. This song feels like a conversation with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while, and it fits into the theme of my routine this week. Cleanse, reset, and Focus. I’ve missed this sound from Chance.
This track is everything you’d expect from this collaboration. Pretty, sultry, groovy, and pulls at all the right heart strings. The mix of Syd’s airy whisper-singing and Lucky Daye’s throaty crooning works so well. I don’t know what to get lost in, the melody or the funky instruments doing their thing on top of the bass line. This song requires listening on repeat a few times to fully appreciate everything going on.
I keep humming this one line over and over: “so many hoes demma think I’m a farmer.” This song’s vibe snuck up on me and it’s already made its way into my regular rotation. There’s a reason Fireboy DML was named Billboard’s March R&B/ Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month. He’s been blazing his own trail on the Afro-beats scene, and we love to see it.
And last but not least, to round out a week of focus and chill vibes, I conclude this list with Gunna’s latest single. I know I’m a month late, but this song snuck into my playlist while I was repotting my plants and it set the mood just right. Shoutout to the piano on this one.
Give these songs a listen on these playlists, updated weekly on Fridays:
How do you feel about my picks? What songs am I missing? Comment and let me know!
-T