PARTYNEXTDOOR just dropped his new album PARTYMOBILE, which marked his official return to the game. He never really dropped off in popularity though. For years, the Toronto native has been one of the most prominent figures in R&B. 

When DJ Akademiks took a look into the latest streaming numbers for R&B artists, he was surprised to make a few discoveries. For one, Ak didn't know just how impactful 6LACK has become. Although he didn't make any observations about PARTYNEXTDOOR's placement as sixth on the list, the recording artist caught wind of the numbers and decided to voice his frustration.

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Re-posting the numbers with a cap emoji, it looks PND wants a recount. If the statistics are accurate, that would mean that Frank Ocean remains the most popular R&B artist on streaming platforms, despite his musical inactivity in recent years. He is followed directly by 6LACK, Daniel Caesar, Bryson Tiller, and the self-proclaimed king of the genre Jacquees. 

PARTYNEXTDOOR clocked in 937 million streams, which is nothing to scoff at. In fact, that's more than most artists will ever see in their lifetime. However, he's not trusting of the source, calling out whoever put the list together and determining it false news.

Do you think PND's numbers are actually higher?

It feels as if just yesterday Zonnique and her OMG Girlz were tearing up stages as teen sensations. In 2015, the trio of singers decided to go their separate ways as they matured into young adults, and since that time, Zonnique Pullins has been a staple on reality television. Her mother, Tameka “Tiny” Harris and her stepfather T.I. are popular figures in the music industry and beyond, whose names rarely take a break from being featured in headlines. In turn, Zonnique and her brood of siblings often find their lives under a microscope as well, but the 24-year-old has managed to maintain some semblance of normalcy by learning from the successes and failures of her famous parents.

Currently, Zonnique and her family are featured on VH1’s T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle. While her family navigates some of the controversies that have played out on social media in recent months, Zonnique shared that viewers will see another side of her as she focuses on her music career. After years of radio silence from the singer, she recently dropped two new tracks: “Winner” and “FTCU.” 

“On the show you can expect to see me doing my second project, putting it together,” said Zonnique of her forthcoming album. “Really growing as an artist. Really trying to reinvent myself as an artist because I haven’t put out music in a couple of years. So, you’ll kind of just see me going through that on show.” She added, “I’ve been working on this music for two years now, so there’s some songs where I was definitely in a place where I’m not even at now.” Zonnique has been sharing bits and pieces of her music with her fans for years, so she feels a tad obligated to her supporters to release the tracks that she’s been teasing.

“A lot of my music now is more mature but also growing with me, as well,” she continued. “A lot of my fans have grown with me so it’s not like, over the top. Everybody will be able to relate.” Expect to hear quite a few songs about love and relationships, a topic that she said T.I. often teases her about because she pours her heart out in the booth.

Speaking of relationships, Zonnique and rapper Bandhunta Izzy have been happily in love for quite some time and she recently revealed that they live together. She’s quick to admit that she may not have the same traumatic experiences as others in her age group, but when it comes to matters of the heart, she has a few war wounds.

“I haven’t been through so much stuff in my life where it’s just like I can talk trash,” she admitted. “But when it comes to love and heartbreak, that’s my focus because that’s what I know.” With all this new music talk floating about, we couldn’t help but get a little nosy and inquire about potential collaborations she has on her album. Zonnique let us know that she has locked down a song with Jacquees, but her team has their eye on other artists Like Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Baby.

“We’re still trying to figure it out,” said Zonnique. “I feel like, on this project, I don’t want to have too many features because, like I said, I’m reinventing myself all over again. So I kind of want it to be me, but I am looking for more collaborations before I put out my project.” With Grammy Award-winning parents like T.I. and Tiny, it would be understandable for Zonnique to feel as if she carrying burdens of expectation from all directions. Tiny is an R&B icon as a member of Xscape, and T.I. is one of the most acclaimed and accomplished hip hop moguls of our generation. Yet, Zonnique isn’t trying to walk their paths—if anything, she wants to surpass her parents’ success.

“I don’t really put the pressure on myself to do what my parents do because I feel like I’m in my own lane,” she said. “I mean, I feel like maybe outside people are going to always make that comparison no matter what, so I just strive to be my best.” Zonnique couldn’t help but add with a chuckle, “I want to be better than my parents.” 

“Being in my family, it’s probably one of the hardest things or like, struggles I would say, that me and all my siblings have to deal with,” she said of growing up in the spotlight with mega-famous parents. “Just always having to be T.I. and Tiny’s daughter or son. I feel like that’s always something that we try our hardest to make our own thing happen.” Zonnique mentioned that her 19-year-old brother Domani, an artist in his own right, decided to take a break from reality television to develop his career outside of being linked to his family.

“I think that with doing my career, making sure it’s just going and doing my own thing, that’s how I maintain my sanity and try to get my own thing going on. Just continue doing what I want to do,” Zonnique added. When speaking to her, it’s clear that she’s been raised to see herself as equal to any other person. Many children in her position can feel entitled or may even tend to act superior, but Zonnique has been taught humility and thankfulness.

“I’m extremely down to earth. I don’t expect people to ever put me on a pedestal. I don’t even like being called a celebrity,” she admitted. Her three million followers on Instagram may disagree, but she held fast to her beliefs. “I have to earn the title to be a celebrity. I’m honestly to people a celebrity’s kid, so… I’ve done my thing in the younger years during OMG and even as a solo artist, but I don’t really care to be looked at like a celebrity.”

Whether she sees herself as a celebrity or not, she’s definitely operating in that wheelhouse. Other artists her age are learning the ins and outs of the industry without proper guidance, but gratefully, Zonnique has had a tribe of entertainers around her to steer her in the proper direction. Throughout her career, which at this point has lasted over a decade, the singer has received her fair share of advice from the well-intended. She shared with us what advice she’s held close and always relies on.

“The two things that always stuck with me was that one, try your hardest as an artist to learn and know your business,” Zonnique asserted. “Not just let people give you things and you sign [contracts] without reading it yourself or just giving it to somebody else to read it. Really knowing [things] so that you can be your own boss and be up to date about what’s really going on.” Basically, boss up.

“And also, André 3000 told me and my friends when we were in OMG Girlz to always bring something different to the picnic because people always want something different,” she revealed. If there’s anyone who knows about being unconventional, the Outkast icon is it. “You don’t want to be the same as anyone else. [Bring] something different, something outrageous to the picnic table.”

As we all await her anticipated project—an album that she said we can expect within the next month or two—stream Zonnique’s singles “Winner” and “FTCU” below and make sure to tune in to T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle Mondays at 8/7C on VH1.

Mario feels that, ultimately, in terms of who possesses the most overall skill, he should be considered the real “King of R&B.” Back in 2018, Jacquees started a dialogue over who the King of R&B truly is when he nominated himself, a point that many folks disagreed with. Since then, it’s been a topic of heavy debate, and it seems we have yet to settle on one clear, undeniable winner. However, Mario seems to think that, if the conversation is focused on who has the most talent, without taking any other factors such as popularity in the music scene or the actual amount of music an artist has made into consideration, he is the indisputable king.

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Mario spoke to WGCI Chicago’s Frankie Robinson over Instagram live recently, where she asked him about this lingering debate. “It’s just ridiculous,” he responds, before going into his reasoning for nominating himself.

“If we really talking about just straight, pure skill,” he continued. “We not talking about relevance, we not talking about who puts out 100 songs a year–we talking about, ‘N*gga give me a mic, you get a mic.’ If we just talking about that, there’s nobody f*cking with me. I promise you. On everything, I put that on my grave.”

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“I just got too much flavour,” he went on to say. “I got too much sauce. Go listen to my albums. If you hear this new music, I think it’s going to show you. But like, there’s nothing that I can’t do as a writer, as a performer. I’m a quadruple threat.”

Do you agree with Mario? Who is the real King of R&B?

He’s back at it. Jacquees may have sparked controversy after crowning himself the King of R&B, but O.T. Genasis is quickly coming for the title. The rapper has kicked up a bit of dust of his own after feuding with Keyshia Cole over his Crip remix to her song “Love.” When Keyshia publicly shared that she wasn’t a fan of the tune and criticized Genasis for not speaking to her before creating his track, he snapped back. The dispute wasn’t enough to keep O.T. Genasis away from dabbling in R&B, especially after 21 Savage shared his off-key pipes on Instagram.

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Hip hop is well aware of 21 Savage’s love of slow jams. He’s sung classic hit on social media for some time, always entertaining his fans with his playlist filled with some of our favorite R&B artists. O.T. saw his fellow rapper’s performances and decided to up the ante with a battle. He returned with Mariah Carey‘s classic hit “Always Be My Baby” from her 1995 album Daydream. 

“KING OF R&B ? PERIOD POOH! Lol @21savage U don’t want no smoke ?,” O.T. Genasis teased in the caption. His friends slid in his comments to lend their support. “Talk to these n*ggas!!! Lol,” Joe Budden wrote. Snoop Dogg added, “?? watch. Me work. N*gga.” Tamar Braxton chimed in, “At least u singing the queen.” Check out O.T. Genasis singing a Mariah Carey classic below.

Keeping up with Dreezy and Jacquees’ relationship is almost harder than trying to find out when Rihanna will release another album. However, the Chicago-bred femcee’s latest IG pics may have proven that Hip-Hop and R&B’s most hot-and-cold couple are currently back to heating things up yet again.

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Things appear to be just as good for Dreezy and Jacquees now as they were when the couple got lit in New Orleans last year (seen above) during Jeezy‘s annual All White Everything weekend event. In addition to celebrating Valentine’s Day together last week, Dreezy also posted a photo of the pair together on Instagram in a set of pics that definitely are flattering on her end to say the least. Both musicians are rocking a matching pair of the Melody Ehsani x Air Jordan 1s that dropped last November, which is the ultimate sign of young love that’s clearly on the up and up. Well, at least we hope it lasts for the time being anyway.

Check out Dreezy’s stunning Instagram photos below, as well as Jacquees’ own flicks that he posted on the ‘Gram that show just how the two spent Valentine’s Day together:

A few months back, we started our R&B-centric Spotify playlist, “R&B Season”. HNHH curates a bunch of playlists on various streaming platforms, but they are predominantly focused on hip hop. While it may appear that our expertise lies in hip hop, we are great admirers of R&B. As the border between these two genres becomes increasingly porous, it’s hard to be a fan of one without being a fan of the other. However, the distinction remains important when deciding what vibe you’re going for when you turn to your preferred medium of music consumption. R&B tends to be catered for your more mellow moments and there should be a place for you to comfortably retreat into to enjoy those sounds. That’s why we’ve been putting love and care into building up our “R&B Season” playlist. 

The past two weeks of music releases have treated our playlist very well. Summer Walker, Brent Faiyaz, A Boogie wit da Hoodie and Snoh Aalegra all came through with huge contributions. This week is no exception. The Weeknd and Jacquees got us feeling blissful. 

While you may initially be surprised to see G Herbo‘s name tucked into our playlist, you will then notice that Jacquees supplied Herbo’s new single with the R&B twist that allowed it to qualify for submission. “Shooter” is the second teaser of the Chicago rapper’s upcoming album, PTSD. Given its drastically different tone from the lead single, “In This Bitch”, we see that Herbo will be giving us a varied compilation. Jacquees, the self-proclaimed King of R&B, laces the song with an addictive chorus and the beat’s reverberating bass washes over you. Perfect for “R&B SEASON.”

Lots of new developments on The Weeknd front this week. After finally learning the title of his next album, we were gifted with the third single off After Hours, which also happens to be its title track. While it may not foster the most mellow mood, The Weeknd is an R&B staple that deserves love on our playlist. The first half of the song is quite upbeat, but once the dancing energy subsides, you are left with a brooding outro reminiscent of Abel’s earlier music. In that sense, it does fit the vibe we’re trying to curate here. 

Check out our other playlists below. 

Follow HNHH on Spotify.

Follow FIRE EMOJI on Spotify.

Follow R&B SEASON on Spotify.

Follow our freshly-updated Wake & Bake playlist here.

Follow our G.O.O.D. Music playlist (for a GOOD ASS FRIDAY) here. 

Slim and Birdman will be premiering a four-part docuseries about the rise of Cash Money Records called New Cash Order on Spotify this week. On Wednesday, Spotify dropped the trailer for the exciting new series, which chronicles the legendary label’s co-founders’ journey to success.

According to a press release, New Cash Order “tells the genesis story of Cash Money Records’ meteoric rise to success” through interviews and archival footage, which will “unveil never-before-seen takes behind the million-dollar deals that have maintained Cash Money as a label standing the test of time.” Through firsthand accounts, the series will explore how the brother-duo landed “the historical Universal Music Group deal” and will go into detail about “the creative processes that pioneered the success of the label’s artists like Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj.” It will also go in depth about the label’s impact on the new wave of artists today, including signees like Blueface and Jacquees.

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Cash Money’s impact and success are undeniable, and can be detected through a new Billboard record set by Young Money Entertainment—an imprint of Cash Money Records—artists Drake, Lil Wayne, and Nicki Minaj. The trio of rap heavyweights are now the top three rappers with the most singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in history.

New Cash Order will premiere exclusively on Spotify this Friday, February 21st, within Spotify’s influential hip hop playlist, RapCar.

Jacquees made it very clear that once 2020 hits he’s back to “remixing everybody songs.” While we assume he’s currently whipping something up to drop soon, the self-proclaimed King of R&B has come through with a pretty impressive show-off for any artist since posting an image of a fan who got his face tattooed on her back. The portrait is accompanied by text that reads “King of R&B” making it clear that Jacquees isn’t the only one who champions his own skills. 

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“I feel like that solidified me as real R&B artist for the game,” Jacquees previously told Billboard of his 4275 album that dropped in 2018. “When I say for the game, I feel like there’s two levels of the game: there’s the underground and the real side. So I was dropping stuff on the underground and 4275 was my real project on the mainstream. But we grew from there. The fans knew, “Okay, Jacquees bringing this kind of R&B back.”

He added of his R&B title: “I never felt like I OD’ed because I ain’t do shit. All I said was that I’m the king of R&B for my generation.”