SZA, SiR & Justin Timberlake Complete Our "R&B Season" Playlist Update: Stream

BYGabriel Bras NevaresPublished on February 25, 20241.6K Views

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 04: SZA attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

What was your favorite release on our new "R&B Season" playlist update, and what else do you think we missed this week?

There's not a lot to cover on our R&B Season playlist update this week, but we still rounded up our absolute favorite drops this week for your convenience and pleasure. Leading the way is the brand-new track from SZA, "Saturn," which she had previewed at the 2024 Grammy Awards and then released in multiple versions (sped-up, acapella, instrumental, etc.). With bright synth piano keys, a crisp and echoed percussive pattern, and the St. Louis native's trademark buttery vocals, this song puts you in a trance very quickly. Although SOS dominated 2023, we'll never complain about new Solana material to keep us under her spell, of which there should be more very soon.

In addition, we wanted to shout out the new single from Justin Timberlake, "Drown," on our R&B Season playlist update. Whereas the pop star's most famous material might be more bombastic and club-ready in many's eyes (or ears, rather), this new song proves that some of his greatest strengths have always been in charismatic melodic performances, woozier tempos, and more intoxicating additions to a sonic atmosphere. Minimal drums, airy synth chords, and a measured but nevertheless engaging vocal performance make this a relatively dreamy cut. It does sound very clean and sanitized, but its adherence to R&B tropes and production, plus a nice beat variation, keep us listening.

HNHH R&B Season Playlist: Stream

Finally, we wanted to give the TDE crew special props on R&B Season, as label mates SiR and Isaiah Rashad dropped off another hazy track with "Karma." This is another single for the former's upcoming project, which is shaping up to be a low-key but well-crafted and highly compelling offering. With this new record, the two artists show off a lot of chemistry while lyrically diving into the concepts of karma and riding a dry but stankface-inducing drum beat with ease. We can't wait for what's next!

On that note, what was your favorite R&B Season cut this week? What else did we miss? Drop your thoughts in the comments down below and check out the playlist above. Also, as always, stick around on HNHH for the latest great music drops around the clock.

About The Author

Gabriel Bras Nevares

Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.