Podcast: "Stay Woke" (The BackBeat)

We’re back! This week we get into Ian Connor getting dragged by Amber Rose over rape accusations, Justin Timberlake getting his White Privilege checked, Azealia Banks admitting to skin bleaching, Apple getting into preliminary talks to buy TIDAL, Frank teasing us with a possible release date this month, and Jennifer Hudson signing to Epic Records. Also make sure you catch our songs of the moment where Kyera introduces us to Kamaiyah, Little Simz, and touts the rapper of the summer Cardi B. Marcus, remembers the late Luther Ronzoni Vandross, Jr. (April 20, 1951 - July 1, 2005) with three selections; one which is a must for any fourth of July BBQ playlist!

Song of the Day: "Power of Love/Love Power" (Luther Vandross)

"Power of Love/ Love Power" - Luther Vandross

• Writers: Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Teddy Vann
• Producers: Luther Vandross & Marcus Miller
• Record Label: Epic
• Released in 1991 from Power of Love
• Peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart

Cut: "Any Love" (Luther Vandross)

Back in 1988, Luther Vandross released his sixth studio album Any Love and the title-track "Any Love," which was co-written by Vandross and Marcus Miller would go onto become Luther's fourth #1 single on the then Billhoard Hot Black Singles chart while peaking at #44 on the Hot 100.

In addition to scoring Luther his fourth #1, the song was nominated for two Grammys at the 1989 Grammy Awards including Best R&B Song as well as Best Vocal Performance, Male. With that said, take a listen below to Luther's cut "Any Love" and Enjoy!

Second Listen: "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)" (Luther)

Back in 1976, Luther Vandross was the lead vocalist for a group coincidentally named Luther, who would release their self-titled debut album with the thumping second single "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)."

Though the single would only go onto peak at #34 on the Hot Soul Singles chart, David Bowie would rework the song with the assistance of Luther Vandross for his joint "Fascination," which is lifted from Bowie's "Young Americans."

Take a second listen below to "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)" and Enjoy!

Live Clip: "Have Yourself A Merry Christmas" (Luther Vandross & Chaka Khan)

Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas and the entire holiday season is now in full bloom. With that said, one of the holiday albums I always turn to is Luther Vandross' impeccable This Is Christmas and below you will find a sublime duet between the late Luther Vandross and his close friend the legendary Chaka Khan.

Watch it go down below between these two superb vocalists thanks to Soul Train and Enjoy!

Second Listen: "Promise Me" (Luther Vandross)

Back in 1982, Luther dropped his second LP Forever for Always for Love to much critical and commercial acclaim. With his sophomore album, Luther solidified his places as the greatest male R&B singer of his generation by far and in my opinion the best male vocalist to grace the microphone.

With that said, there is a smooth mid-tempo cut off of his sophomore album entitled "Promise Me" which is one of the numerous gems from Vandross' discography. Therefore take a second listen to this exceptional joint after the jump and Enjoy!

Song of the Day: "Shine" (Luther Vandross)

"Shine" - Luther Vandross

• Writers: James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Bernard Edwards, & Nile Rodgers
• Record Label: J/Epic/Legacy Recordings
• Released in 2006 from The Ultimate Luther Vandross
• Peaked at #31 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
• Originally recorded for the soundtrack to the movie The Fighting Temptations, but failed to make the final cut.

Amazing Cover: "Killing Me Softly" (Luther Vandross)

Back in 1994, Luther Vandross recorded a take of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly" for his covers album Songs and of course his rendition of the iconic song by Ms. Flack was beyond on point.

With that said, below you will find Luther performing "Killing Me Softly" during his PBS special that originally aired during the release of Songs. Watch the phenomenal performance below and Enjoy!

Second Listen: "Buy Me A Rose" (Luther Vandross)

Luther Vandross recorded a sublime cover of the Kenny Rogers classic "Buy Me A Rose," for what would end up being his final original studio album Dance With My Father.

His smooth soulful cover was one of the highlights from Vandross' Dance With My Father for me and should've received the single treatment in my mind. With that said, take a second listen to this smooth gem after the jump and Enjoy!

Cut: "Don't You Know That?" (Luther Vandross)

Luther Vandross released his debut album Never Too Much on August 12, 1981 and one of the forgotten about gems from Luther's debut album is the smooth two-step joint "Don't You Know That?"

While the album is best remembered for Vandross' #1 hit "Never Too Much" and his soulful opus "A House Is Not A Home" (a cover of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David penned ballad), "Don't You Know That?" was the second single lifted from the project and it would go onto become a top 10 R&B hit.

With that said, take a listen below to the cut "Don't You Know That?" and Enjoy!

Live Video of the Day: "Is It Still Good To Ya?" (Patti LaBelle & Luther Vandross)

During Patti LaBelle's PBS special "Patti LaBelle - Live! One Night Only," she performed an amazing cover of the Ashford & Simpson classic "Is It Still Good To Ya?" along with her close friend and former president of her fan club Luther Vandross.

In my opinion, these two together, can do no wrong and this goes down in my book as one of the most underrated duets and covers to occur in the past 20 years. With that said, check out their passionate duet after the jump and Enjoy!

Song of the Day: "Power of Love/Love Power" (Luther Vandross)

"Power of Love/ Love Power" - Luther Vandross

• Writers: Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Teddy Vann
• Producers: Luther Vandross & Marcus Miller
• Record Label: Epic
• Released in 1991 from Power of Love
• Peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #1 on the Hot R&B Singles chart

Live Video of the Day: "So Amazing" (Luther Vandross)

As you probably know by now if you've been following this blog, Luther Vandross is my favorite male vocalist of all time and I constantly feature the late icons work as he was lost way before his time in my opinion.

With that said, watch this live performance of Luther crooning his classic "So Amazing." Lifted from an award's show back in the 80s, Luther and his background singers are of course on point as always, and bring it vocally in this sublime performance. This is one of my favorite Luther classics and I hope you enjoy this performance below!

Song of the Day: "Shine" (Luther Vandross)

"Shine" - Luther Vandross

• Writers: James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Bernard Edwards, & Nile Rodgers
• Record Label: J/Epic/Legacy Recordings
• Released in 2006 from The Ultimate Luther Vandross
• Peaked at #31 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
• Originally recorded for the soundtrack to the movie The Fighting Temptations, but failed to make the final cut.

Live Video of the Day: "Is It Still Good To Ya?" (Patti LaBelle & Luther Vandross)

During Patti LaBelle's PBS special "Patti LaBelle - Live! One Night Only," she performed an amazing cover of the Ashford & Simpson classic "Is It Still Good To Ya?" along with her close friend and former president of her fan club Luther Vandross.

In my opinion, these two together, can do no wrong and this goes down in my book as one of the most underrated duets and covers to occur in the past 20 years. With that said, check out their passionate duet after the jump and Enjoy!

Live Video of the Day: "A House Is Not A Home" (Luther Vandross)

You can't find a bad Luther Vandross performance, it is just impossible as Luther is a vocal master with the ability and depth to continually find something new and different with each performance of his classic hits.

With that said, Luther's performance at the NAACP Image Awards of "A House Is Not A Home" is one of his most, if not most legendary performances on video as the then young crooner gives veterans and peers in the industry a singing 101 lesson. Watch his iconic performance below and Enjoy!

Podcast: "The BackBeat: I Will Always Love 90s R&B"

This week, we celebrate our love for 90's R&B. We cover WhitneyHouston vs Mariah Carey, Jodeci vs Boys II Men, Aaliyah, Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Monica, Toni Braxton, Mya, SWV, TLC, Luther Vandross, R. Kelly, Ginuwine and much much more.

For the Hip Hop heads, we got you covered! We discuss the hottest R&B and Hip Hop collabs ft. Biggie Smalls, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Jermaine Durpri, The Brat, Ma$e, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, YoYo, and many more.

Make sure you stay tuned for our special segments. We play a game of 21 questions, where each host has to decide between two iconic singers, songs, soundtracks, and albums of the 90's. We also discuss the weirdest, sexiest, and downright problematic R&B pickup lines. As a special treat, we introduce our listeners to a special preview of a longer interview with Jon Schulyer, whose mixtape 199X is heavily inspired by the 90's.

We hope you fall back in love with the 90's after this special episode!

Podcast: "The BackBeat: I Will Always Love 90s R&B"

This week, we celebrate our love for 90's R&B. We cover WhitneyHouston vs Mariah Carey, Jodeci vs Boys II Men, Aaliyah, Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Monica, Toni Braxton, Mya, SWV, TLC, Luther Vandross, R. Kelly, Ginuwine and much much more.

For the Hip Hop heads, we got you covered! We discuss the hottest R&B and Hip Hop collabs ft. Biggie Smalls, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Jermaine Durpri, The Brat, Ma$e, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, YoYo, and many more.

Make sure you stay tuned for our special segments. We play a game of 21 questions, where each host has to decide between two iconic singers, songs, soundtracks, and albums of the 90's. We also discuss the weirdest, sexiest, and downright problematic R&B pickup lines. As a special treat, we introduce our listeners to a special preview of a longer interview with Jon Schulyer, whose mixtape 199X is heavily inspired by the 90's.

We hope you fall back in love with the 90's after this special episode!

Rare Performance: "A House is Not a Home" (Luther Vandross & Aretha Franklin)

I don't know if you can tell or not, but I am a stan for Luther Vandross. With that said, while reliving a lot of the great moments in his career today, I rediscovered his sublime and rare duet with Ms. Aretha Franklin on his iconic "A House is Not a Home," originally performed by Ms. Dionne Warwick.

While Dionne recorded the original, even she admits that Luther has the definitive version of this classic and his duet with the Queen of Soul on it is something everyone should see.

Therefore watch Luther and Aretha's powerful duet on "A House is Not a Home" below and Enjoy!

Rare Performance: "If Only For One Night" (Patti LaBelle & Luther Vandross)

Back on November 28th, 1985, Patti LaBelle had a concert special entitled "The Patti LaBelle Show" and during this special, Patti brought out one of her dear friends Mr. Luther Vandross. Luther was actually the first president of Patti's first fan club for Patti LaBelle and The Bluebells and decades later seeing these two legends on one stage letting it rip is such an honor.

With that said, watch it as Patti and Luther go back and forth on Luther's classic "If Only For One Night" below and Enjoy!