The past week was eventful for the hip-hop and R&B genres, with music releases from SZA, Chloe Bailey, Rihanna, and Mariah The Scientist. 

SZA, after teasing the single “Shirt,” finally released it along with a music video. “Shirt” describes unrequited love and the mental turmoil that comes with it. The music video, a powerfully dark story, depicts a Bonnie and Clyde-like love story — a couple on a murderous rampage, ending with the man killing his girlfriend. “Shirt” has a nice background beat, and SZA’s voice is melodic as always. Her voice adequately conveys the song’s message, and the song is catchy.

Chloe Bailey recently published her fourth single as a solo artist, featuring rapper Latto. “For the Night” details Chloe’s strained relationship with rapper Gunna and her failed attempts at getting closer to him. “For The Night” is catchy but repetitive, and it does not showcase Bailey’s talent as best it could. Latto’s verse is unnecessary, and the music video is boring and almost irrelevant to the song’s storyline.

Rihanna, after a six-year hiatus, released “Lift Me Up,” set to be featured in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” “Lift Me Up” is a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, and Rihanna’s voice powerfully conveys the pain of this loss. Despite the song’s impactful message, I was disappointed. I expected a more upbeat song that portrayed Rihanna’s R&B roots, considering that she took years to release it. I do not anticipate replaying this song, and I can only hope that Rihanna’s future releases will convey the R&B nostalgia of “ANTI.” 

Mariah The Scientist, an R&B singer who has garnered attention recently, published the single “Bout Mine.” I was not wowed by this song when I first listened to it, perhaps because of its lo-fi, mellow beat, but the more I listened to it, the more it grew on me. “Bout Mine” tells the story of someone who wants to get back with their ex and will stop at nothing to do so. Mariah The Scientist’s voice is melodic and perfectly matches the beat. The music video complements the song well and shows the pain and desperation of the lyrics.