Rapper/singer Stefflon Don is building her name with remixes and features in Europe. Now Londoner with Jamaican roots is giving fans a taste of her original music with a new mixtape, Real Ting.

One of the EP's standout's, "16 Shots," showcases her signature Patois-inspired flow and a instantly memorable hook.

Her early work garnered comparisons to Nicki Minaj, but it looks like Steff is going to go the grimier route.

The video she co-directed is an instant bop. Watch below.

Syd, the lead singer of neo-soul band The Internet, unveiled her first solo single with accompanying video. "About Me" is a laid back ode to staying down for those closest to you. With it, she's wading into the waters of trap r&b, the nascent genre that mixes smooth vocals and harmonies over trap beats.

The video is pretty straight forward. The singer/producer is hanging out in a garage telling us about her commitment to authenticity and her crew while they hang out nearby.

The song itself is immediately replayable in a Bryson Tiller kind of way.

24-year-old Sydney Bennett, formerly known as Syd the Kyd, was once a member of alternative hip hop group Odd Future and went on to form the new band with two of the collective's other members. Their latest album Ego Death made it to the top 10 of the r&b album charts and produced the must buzzed about single, Girl.

KeKe Palmer is a woman of many talents. The 23-year-old is an actress, singer, dancer and former talk show host. She's currently exploring her musical talent with new releases including "Hands Free," an island jam with a sexy message.

For the video, Keke headed to the desert, where she channeled Egyptian queen Nefertiti.  With shimmering headdress and half-dressed servants in tow, Keke gave image to the royalty of East Africa not often portrayed.

Watch her nail the choreography in a new video.

Twin sisters Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz are featured prominently in the visual album for Beyoncé's sixth LP Lemonade.  Together they form the duo Ibeyi. Their name, pronounced ee-bee-yee, means twins in Yoruba. They infuse Yoruba spiritual practices into their music with plentiful references to Orisha.

The girls have French and Afro-Cuban heritage and sing in Yoruba, the language their ancestors spoke before they were brought to Cuba and enslaved as a means to maintain a legacy. Lisa Kaindé told The New York Times, "Everyone gets it; you can feel it. We grew up listening to those chants. We are singing religious prayers."

Ibeyi released their debut album in U.S. in 2014 to critical acclaim. They received most attention for the video for their second single, "River." The song ends with a Yoruba chant, "Wemile Oshun Oshun dede Alawede Wemile Oshun Moolowo beleru yalode moyewede."








Lemonade was filled with references to Diasporic spirituality, so Bey's fondness for Ibeyi comes as no surprise. She's tapped them as leaders of the new school along with her Chloe and Halle who are signed to her label Parkwood Entertainment, Amandla Stenberg, and Zendaya.

Photo: HBO/Parkwood Entertainment

Rihanna held nothing back for her new videos for the first single from her eighth LP, Anti. In two clips for "Work" by Director X and Tim Erem, Rihanna wines and cozies up to Drake.

The first finds the two at Toronto's The Real Jerk in the middle of bash. Rihanna shows off her best skills alone and with her former boo. We also get a healthy dose of authentic Caribbean dancing from the extras.
The second is far more intimate. It's just Rih and Drake in a pink-toned room. Rih dances seductively. Drake looks simultaneously pained and pleased. The two have been intimate in videos before, but this one induces near second hand embarrassment as Rihanna's effortless cool met's Drake's special brand of corny.

Carefree Rih is back! Rihanna and Drake unite again for the video for her new single, "Work." The video features Rihanna doing her best islang gyal wine with some twerking to boot. In this clip we get just enough to tide us over until the full length video premieres on Monday.

We're waited two long years for more music from Beyoncé. Now she's back with a new single, "Formation." The clip features Bey getting grimy in New Orleans.

"Formation" is an ode to the singer's roots. You'll hear New Orleans bounce star, Big Freedia, in the background and catch a few shots of 4-year-old Blue Ivy Carter. She's even getting political. Check the shots on top of a sinking police car and "stop killing us" tags spray painted across buildings.
Bey certainly knows the art of great timing. She'll be joining Coldplay during the Super Bowl halftime show tomorrow, and the telecast will surely boost the single's profile.

Download it for free from Tidal.

Coldplay released the video for their Beyoncé collaboration Hymn for the Weekend, and stills from the video immediately drew criticism.

The film, shot in Mumbai, India, features the band members, including front man Chris Martin, celebrating a Holi festival with Indian children.

In the video, Beyoncé appears in head coverings, henna, and what looks to be traditional Indian garb. Questions have arisen about the appropriateness of her attire.
Whether of not Black Americans have the power to be cultural appropriators is an important discussion with no easy answers.

Coldplay, however, is the primary offender. The group has in the past used another Black woman to represent the "exotic." Rihanna stars in their video Princess of China dressed, strangely, in Japanese attire.

In this discussion, we must defer to those who identify with the cultures. Twitter user @VelveteenDream has some thoughts on the matter. Be sure to check them out.

Update: The video's director, Ben Mor, is Indian. An interview with him about the video was published here.

Watch the video below.

 
We've been fiending for new KING music for year. The trio will be back with a new LP in February (Preorder: We Are King).  In the meantime, they've given us a new video for their first single, The Greatest.

First Lady Michelle Obama is continuing her efforts to encourage students to pursue higher education with her "Reach Higher" initiative.

Missy Elliott is back! It's been quite some time since the rapper has dropped new music, but today she has blessed fans with a hot new video for her single "WTF (Where They From)" featuring Pharrell.

R&B singer Tweet is returning to the spotlight after a brief hiatus. She recently released visuals for her new single “Won’t Hurt Me” from her upcoming third studio album “Charlene.” 

In a powerful and emotional music video for "I Tried," Melanie Fiona addresses several social justice issues including police brutality, domestic violence, mass shootings,  rape, racial and gender inequality, and human trafficking.

Jhené Aiko celebrated the one year anniversary of her debut album "Souled Out" by releasing a music video for the song "Lyin King."

Actress and singer Tisha Campbell-Martin recently opened up about a traumatic childhood experience on "The Daily Helpline."

14-year-old Willow Smith recently debuted a music video for the song "Why Don't You Cry." The coming of age video features "teenage angst, family conflict and enlightenment," written by Smith herself.

By Kristina Robinson

What would it look like if you woke up tomorrow in a free world? Singer-songwriter, Charm Taylor’s latest music-video offering, “Moksha” from her debut EP, The Road Within, presents her vision of such a place. Opening with the voice of Marcus Garvey booming from the radio and Ms. Charm Taylor at the wheel of 1966 pink Ford Galaxie, this musical moksha is a vibrant afro-diasporic art- pop romp through the streets of a liberated New Orleans.

Canadian singer-songwriter Melanie Fiona makes a sultry return to music with her latest video for the single, “Bite The Bullet.”

British artist FKA Twigs surprise released her latest EP, M3LL155X, online on Thursday. She also released a self-directed video for four of the EP's tracks.