Podcast: "Less Than Smart" (The BackBeat)

On this week’s episode, we discuss Tina Campbell’s less than smart choice to vote for Donald Trump for president. We discuss Azealia Bank’s apology to Nicki Minaj and beef with Cardi B. Speaking of Cardi B, we praise her achievement of securing the first number 1 record by a solo female rapper since Lauryn Hill’s Doo Wop (That Thing) in 1998. We end the episode with a brief discussion of Jhene Aiko’s top 5 debut for her new album, Trip.

Stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear our songs of the moment. Marcus chooses new cuts from Tamar Braxton, Ledisi and Kygo. Kyera breaks down her favorite songs by Jamila Woods, Ravyn Lenae, and Daniel Caesar.

Enjoy!

Podcast: "Irreconcilable Differences" (The BackBeat)

This week on The Backbeat, we talk about Jhene Aiko filing for divorce, Rihanna being cast in Ocean’s Ocho as well as receiving the 2016 MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. In addition we get into Jennifer Lopez being cast as Griselda Blanco in an HBO Original Film, Fantasia’s “The Definition Of…,” and Chance the Rapper’s Billboard cover story.

Make sure you stay tune until the end to hear songs of the moment from Marcus and Kyera. In a semi flashback friday edition, Marcus gives us selections from Tevin Campbell, Kelly Price, and Janet Jackson while Kyera touches on Monica, Drake, and Young M.A. who is a rapper on the rise!

Podcast: "Back To SUMMERS'night" (The BackBeat)

On this week’s episode, we welcome back Maxwell to the musical scene with his new single "Lake by the Ocean" and his tour kicking off this summer. We review Big Sean and Jhene Aiko’s new album Twenty88. Next, we discuss rumors of André 3000's new album as well as Beyonce’s Elle Magazine cover in which she discusses Formation and police brutality. We then update everyone on the latest developments in Kesha’s sexual assault case against Dr. Luke and Sony Music. Finally, we wonder if we will ever hear Tinashe’s Joyride album since she has postponed the tour to work on new music!

During our songs of the week segment, Marcus chooses cuts from Rihanna, Maxwell, and Jill Scott. While Kyera encourages us to listen to some Kaytranada, Drake, and Schoolboy Q.

Live Clip: "Selfish" (Jhené Aiko & Big Sean)

Big Sean and Jhené Aiko released their secret collaborative project TWENTY88 last night and the duo offered up their first performance together on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live of their joint "Selfish."

Streaming exclusively on Tidal at the moment, TWENTY88 is currently #1 on iTunes at the moment and is a solid effort between these two stars. Jhené and Sean's musical chemistry is undeniable and "Selfish" is just one of the solid joints from their 8 track project.

Watch their performance below and go out and support them by streaming and/or buying yourself a copy of TWENTY88.

Amazing Cover: "Ain't No Sunshine/ Lovely Day" (Jhené Aiko)

In honor of  Bill Withers' 77th birthday on the Fourth of July, Jhené Aiko performed an acoustic medley of Withers' classic hits "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lovely Day," backed by her guitarist Jeff.

An inspiration to Jhené, she spoke to The FADER stating that "One of the things that inspires me the most about Bill is his attention to lyrics and storytelling... It wasn’t about his image, being flashy, or putting on a ‘show.’ For him, it was about the song. No fluff, just pure feeling. It was about connecting. It was about the music. And it is still about the music."

With that said, peep her sublime medley cover of Bill Withers' hit singles below and Enjoy!

Mashup: "All I Want (Runaway Pt. II)" (Jhené Aiko, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean)

Producer JayBeatz is back again with another dope mashup and this time it comes in the form of "All I Want (Runaway Pt. II)," which features Alternative R&B Favorites Jhené Aiko, The Weeknd, and Frank Ocean.

Mixing Jhené Aiko's "Living Room Flow" with The Weeknd's "Where You Belong," and Frank Ocean's "Pink Matter," "All I Want (Runaway Pt. II)" gives us a glimpse of what a collaboration between these three music heavyweights could sound like.

With that said, take a listen below to "All I Want (Runaway Pt. II)" and cop the free download while supplies last!

New Joint: "living room flow" (Jhené Aiko)

Yesterday, Jhené Aiko released a new joint "living room flow" to her official Soundcloud. While it's unclear if this is an outtake from her recording of her debut album Souled Out or featured on a forthcoming project, "living room flow" is another solid joint from the GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter.

Produced by the Fisticuffs and written by Jhené, it's the perfect mellow groove to move right into your weekend before spring officially kicks off here in the States. With that said, take a listen below to "living room flow" and Enjoy!

New Video: "Wading" (Jhené Aiko)

Earlier today, Jhené released the official video to her latest single "Wading," which is lifted from her sublime debut album Souled Out.

Featuring a sexy bent to the visual that was brilliant shot, Jhené portrays a dancer in an underground club and towards the end a fight breaks out amongst two of the patrons that is then broken up by a SWAT team that raids the joint.

With that said, peep the official video for Jhené's "Wading" below and Enjoy!

Live Video of the Day: "The Pressure" (Jhené Aiko)

Earlier today, Jhené Aiko appeared on The Wendy Williams Show to both promote her debut album Souled Out as well as help announce a few of the nominees for The Soul Train Awards 2014, which included a nomination for herself in the Best New Artist category.

With that said, in addition to announcing the nominees, Jhené performed her single "The Pressure" in a sublime acoustic arrangement, which has me wondering what an acoustic live set/ unplugged project would sound like as it really lets her lyrics and vocals take centerstage.

Peep Jhené's performance of "The Pressure" below and if you haven't checked out her debut album Souled Out, it's worth a listen and is in stores now!

Award Nominations: "Soul Train Awards 2014"

Today has been a big day for music with both the 2014 American Music Awards and Soul Train Awards 2014 nominations being revealed. Earlier in the day, multiple nominee Jhené Aiko took to The Wendy Williams Show to announce some of the nominees with Williams, who will serve as host for the upcoming award show.

Hosted by Wendy Williams, this year’s Soul Train Awards 2014 will usher itself back to the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on November 7, and will air its telecast simultaneously on Centric and BET on November 30 at 8 p.m. EST. Watch Wendy and Jhené announce several of the nominees below and look at the entire list of nominees below!

Award Nominations: " 2014 American Music Awards"

Earlier today, the nominees for the 2014 American Music Awards were announced and Iggy Azalea leads the field with six nominations. Interestingly enough, Ariana Grande who has ruled the airwaves this summer with countless singles lifted from her sophomore album My Everything was shutout of the nominations.

Peep all of the nominations for the 2014 American Music Awards below and lookout for the live telecast from Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 8pm EST on ABC.

Live Video of the Day: "The Pressure" (Jhené Aiko)

Jhené Aiko released her highly anticipated debut album Souled Out this past Tuesday and to celebrate its release, Jhené stopped by ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform her single "The Pressure."

With that said, Jhené of course offered up a mellow performance of "The Pressure" and thanks to the buzz her album has been getting in addition to the promo, Jhené is slated to debut at #2/#3 on the Billboard 200 next week with sales in the 70-75k range.

Peep her performance below and Enjoy!

New Video: "The Pressure" (Jhené Aiko)

After what seems like years, Jhené is finally getting ready to release her debut album Souled Out next week and head of the highly anticipated set's release, Jhené has released the official music video for her single "The Pressure," which is the latest joint to be lifted from her debut.

Directed by Childish Gambino and Calmatic, Jhené illuminates the challanges of being in a relationship through the Gambino crafted visual. With that said, below you can find the official video to "The Pressure" and lookout for Jhené when she hits the road with TheWeeknd when he begins his four-city King of the Fall tour, which kicks off September 19th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Album in the Works: "Souled Out" (Jhené Aiko)

Earlier this week, Jhené Aiko unveiled the official album cover art for forthcoming debut album Souled Out and now the rising singer/songwriter has released the official album tracklisting for the set due in stores September 9th.

The current tracklisting of Souled Out will include 12 tracks from Jhené including singles "To Love & Die" as well as "The Pressue" in addition to the Common featured "Pretty Bird" and "Promises," which features her daughter Namiko as well as her late brother Miyagi, who passed away in 2012 from cancer.

Production on the album features the likes of No I.D., Key Wane, Fisticuffs, James Fauntleroy and Dot Da Genius and you can peep the official tracklisting for Souled Out below!

Album Cover: "Souled Out" (Jhené Aiko)

Jhené Aiko’s highly-anticipated debut album, Souled Out, is slated for release less than a month on September 9th, and now the official album cover art has been released.

Offering up a colorful visual, I don't know about you, but I can't wait to hear what Jhené has been cooking up for us since her EP dropped last year.

New Joint: "The Pressure" (Jhené Aiko)

As we get closer to the release of Jhené Aiko's highly anticipated debut album Souled Out, Jhené unearthed a new single from the set in the form of "The Pressure," which is a laid-back mid-tempo produced by the Fisticuffs.

Following the release of her Cocaine 80s-assisted single "To Love & Die," both joints I assume will be featured on her forthcoming September debut album Souled Out and Jhené is also slated to hit the road with The Weeknd this fall on his upcoming King of the Fall tour with ScHoolboy Q.

With that said, take a listen below to "The Pressure" and Enjoy!

Live Video of the Day: "You & I/The Worst" (John Legend & Jhené Aiko)

Earlier this evening here in Los Angeles at Nokia Live at the BET Awards, John Legend performed his latest single "You & I, which is lifted off of his Gold-certified LP Love in the Future and the official followup to his smash hit #1 "All of Me."

In addition to performing "You & I," John Legend welcomed Jhené Aiko to perform her breakout hit single "The Worst" and John even chimed in a bit towards the end of Jhené's song. Therefore, take a few minutes and watch their performance below and Enjoy!

New Joint: "To Love and Die" (Jhené Aiko)

Since the release of her chart-topping EP 'Sail Out,' Jhené Aiko has broken through, making her late-night debut, performed on Saturday Night Live, toured the world, and secured her first Top 10 R&B hit single with "The Worst."

Now after countless speculation and anticipation about debut album Souled Out, Jhené has unearthed the first official single to be lifted from her highly anticipated project. Entitled "To Love and Die," the melodic flow is similar to what we've heard from her before on 'Sail Out' and the dark mid-tempo production fits the vibe of the record perfectly. Cocaine 80s is also featured on the track and has me already wanting to know when this summer Souled Out will be released.

With that said, take a listen to "To Love and Die" below and lookout for Souled Out to debut sometime later this summer.

Remix: "Stay Ready (What a Life)" (Jhené Aiko ft. J Henny)

Jhené Aiko has released a new version/remix to her joint "Stay Ready (What a Life," which is lifted from her sublime debut EP 'Sail Out.' Produced by The Fisticuffs, this new version of"Stay Ready (What a Life)" has replaced Kendrick's verse with Jhené's rap alter ego J Henny aka J Hennessy taking on the words written and originally performed by Kendrick.

With that said, time will tell if this is the first and only appearance from J Henny, or if she will on Jhené's debut album Souled Out, due later this summer. Therefore, take a listen below to this remix/new version of "Stay Ready" and Enjoy!

Live Video of the Day: "The Worst" (Jhenê Aiko)

Jhené Aiko continues to build/raise her mainstream profile and following her appearances on Saturday Night Ride and Conan, Jhené appeared on Monday's The Ellen DeGeneres Show and performed her current hit single "The Worst."

As "The Worst" continues to rise on the charts, Jhené has been busy putting the finishing touches on her highly anticipated debut album Souled Out, which is expected for release sometime this summer. With that said, you can watch her solid performance of "The Worst" below and Enjoy!