MUSIC

Michael Eugene Archer was a Pentecostal preacher's son from Richmond, Virginia whose church influence shaped his music. He won amateur night at the Apollo and released 'Brown Sugar' in 1995, achieving platinum status. 'Voodoo' debuted at number one in 2000 with 320,000 copies sold in its first week, winning Grammy for Best R&B Album. He released The Vanguard and 'Black Messiah' fourteen years later, winning Best R&B Album again with four total Grammy wins across three albums.

The UK's run of R&B talent hasn't slowed down, and Leicester's Tyde is the latest name buzzing out of it. His new EP 'SUMMER TYME' runs seven tracks, moving from late-night slow burners like 'bet it is' to the more upbeat bounce of 'tally up', with his falsetto carrying the whole thing.

Victoria Monét's second studio album debuts at No. 49 on the Billboard 200 with 17,000 units, her highest chart position and biggest first week yet. Per HITS Daily Double, about 11,600 of those came from streaming and 5,600 from album sales. 'Jaguar II' opened at No. 60 with 15,000 units in 2023, and her 2020 project 'Jaguar' entered at No. 174. 'Frequency of Love' beat both in its first week. The 22-song album features SZA, Bruno Mars, Lucky Daye, Leon Thomas, Bryson Tiller, Chlöe and her daughter, Hazel.

Mattie Music Group, publisher on Bill Withers' 1981 record, filed suit October 1st claiming Olivia Dean's 'I've Seen It' copies 'Just the Two of Us.' The complaint alleges repeated melody copying. Dean's co-writers aren't defendants. The suit targets Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing and Kobalt, claiming they continued releasing the song after August notice. The publisher seeks actual damages or up to $150,000 in statutory damages if willful, plus sales cessation.

Johnny Venus released his first solo album The 11th Hour on his birthday, a 12-track project executive produced by The-Dream. The album features collaborations with 6LACK, Alissia, INK, Spillage Village, and Asha Imuno. Singles include I Want You Back, Porsche 911, and Nightmares. Venus previously spent over a decade as part of EARTHGANG.

Jordan Adetunji is back in his melodic lane on '9 to 5', his new single produced by Thiago. It's under two minutes long, and it follows a busy year of singles: 'Climbing Up', 'Who Is It' and 'Distraction', where he leaned into a darker R&B sound. This one goes back to what first put the Belfast artist on: 'KEHLANI', which peaked at No. 24 on the Hot 100 and No. 8 in the UK, went platinum in both countries.