GIVĒON's second studio album, BELOVED, marks the end of a multi-year hiatus since his Grammy-nominated 2022 debut album, Give or Take.

Cultural impact

• GIVĒON launched the 'Dear Beloved, The Tour,' a 17-date North American tour kicking off in Seattle and concluding at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with special guests Free Nationals, Charlotte Day Wilson & others.

• The album was executive produced by Sevn Thomas who is known for producing & writing numerous hit songs including 'Work' by Rihanna & Drake's 'Pop Style.'

Critical response

• Rolling Stone praised BELOVED for its "rich and authentic" sound, noting its commitment to classic R&B influences and calling it "a bold love letter to the genre." Read full review

• NPR Music highlighted the album as "a soundtrack of life's moments," emphasizing GIVĒON's ability to deliver deeply personal and resonant performances. Read full review

• Billboard noted that BELOVED "received generally favorable reviews" and commended its strong debut on multiple charts. Read full review)

Teyana Taylor's 4th studio album, Escape Room, marked her return to music after a previously announced retirement in 2020. The album chronicles the process of navigating grief, trauma, acceptance, and new beginnings. Additionally, it features dramatic monologues from renown names like Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington, Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Jodie Turner Smith, and Niecy Nash.

Cultural impact

• It offers new narratives of the possibilities available to multifaceted Black women balancing motherhood, career, and love in the public eye.

• Teyana Taylor premiered an accompanying short film for Escape Room via an exclusive Amazon Music livestream, expanding the album's reach into visual storytelling and further cementing its cultural resonance.

Critical response

• Rolling Stone praised the album as "a meditation of what liberation can be in love and life," highlighting Taylor's vulnerability and creative vision in both music and visual storytelling. Read full review

• NME described Escape Room as "a tender, nuanced close to an imperfect but heartfelt album that proves that you can find your way back to yourself," noting Taylor's emotional honesty and the album's journey from heartbreak to self-rediscovery. Read full review

Leon Thomas's second studio album, MUTT, marks his transition from a behind-the-scenes writer and producer to a front-line artist. An expanded deluxe edition, subtitled 'HEEL,' was released featuring new tracks new collaborations, including Big Sean.

Cultural impact

• Leon Thomas made his live television debut as a recording artist performing "Mutt" on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.'

• Landed an appearance on the iconic NPR Tiny Desk Concert series.

• Thomas announced the 'Mutts Don't Heel World Tour' across North America and Europe.

Critical response

• Watch This Globe noted that Thomas draws from R&B, soul, hip‑hop, and psychedelic textures to sculpt a project that challenges both expectations and conventions of modern R&B. Read full review

• The Culture Crypt observed that this "canine-fuelled sophomore album from Leon Thomas dives deep into the complexities of relationships and identity, all wrapped in a unique sound that fuses R&B with jazzy soul and rock, while subtly venturing into experimental territory." Read full review

• RGM highlighted that Leon Thomas used "very unique samples and snippets from different movies and music that really stand out in the album." Read full review