Ari Lennox’s Vacancy arrives as her third studio album, following 2022’s age.sex.location—a project I genuinely loved for its confidence, humour, and emotional honesty.

I selected the five best R&B albums of 2025, as part of Echoes Magazine’s yearly round-up of the best albums of the year in black music. End of year lists tend to get people all worked up - but hey, it’s a game of opinions

In 2025, hip-hop has taken a pretty hefty hit to its reputation (and chart presence). Nas and DJ Premier have served up a welcome antidote to the trap overdose with Light-Years.