As critics’ and industry year-end charts reiterate, SZA had a hell of a 2023.

After dropping her long-awaited sophomore album, 2022’s ‘SOS,’ the chart-topping songstress broke boundaries and records for R&B – matching or even surpassing some jaw-dropping stats previously lifted by divas like Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, and Mary J. Blige (as we reported here).

The ongoing success of the project is why she was rightfully crowned Hitmaker of the Year over at ‘Variety.’

What’s more, if a deluxe edition of ‘SOS,’ an expanded world tour, and those GRAMMY nods are anything to judge by, her 2024 may be even bigger.

More inside.
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Thanks to the towering success of her long-awaited sophomore album, 2022’s ‘SOS,’ few in recent Billboard history can boast the year singer-songwriter SZA has had!

So much so, she’s been crowned the year’s top R&B act.

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Usher‘s latest smash, the Summer Walker and 21 Savage-assisted ‘Good Good,’ may not have gotten much attention from the Recording Academy for the forthcoming GRAMMYs, but the Soul Train Awards came all the way through with recognition.

Garnering the R&B vet a whopping 9 nominations in categories like Song of the Year, Video of the Year, Collaboration of the Year, and more, the Mel & Mus-produced track was the reason the 45-year-old (born Usher Raymond) entered the annual event’s 2023 iteration as the most-nominated male act.

By the end of the night, Raymond had not only collected multiple trophies but also made a major advancement in the show’s record books.

Details inside.

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Already listed in Billboard Music Awards’ history books for being the most-decorated female act of all time, Taylor Swift entered the 2023 ceremony with a chance to extend that record thanks to a whopping 20 nominations.

By the night’s end, she not only collected 10 new trophies (including Top Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, and Top Hot 100 Songwriter), but she also came just one step closer to becoming the show’s overall most-awarded.

Details inside.

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Music lovers are still buzzing over the official 2024 GRAMMY nominations revealed Friday (November 10).

Beyond making headlines for being dominated by women like SZA, Taylor Swift, and Coco Jones overall, the biggest surprise undoubtedly came via the 7 nods given to Victoria Monet for work found aboard her latest album, ‘Jaguar II’ (and its breakout single ‘On My Mama’).

As if being the night’s second most-nominated act isn’t enough to boast, Monet may see her daughter – Hazel – make history for being the youngest performer to ever win one of the coveted golden gramophones.

Details inside.

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‘Pound Town’ hitmaker Sexyy Red has driven straight to her overall Hot 100 peak thanks to a guest appearance on the popular Drake cut ‘Rich Baby Daddy.’

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Nearly a year after its release, SZA‘s long-awaited sophomore album – the December 2022-released ‘SOS‘ – continues to be a juggernaut on the Billboard 200 while its biggest singles – ‘Kill Bill‘ and ‘Snooze‘ – show no sign of slowing domination on the Hot 100 front.

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Over the Recording Industry Association of America’s 70-year history only 43 acts can boast having earned 30 or more Gold records for singles. The certification threshold denotes sales equivalence of 500,000 in the United States.

On that exclusive list less than one-fifth are women – a tally that was upped by three entrants thanks to the most recent certifications of chart-topping divas SZA, Summer Walker, and Ariana Grande.

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Early predictions for the first-week performance of Drake‘s latest single, ‘Slime You Out,’ have proven to be right on the money.

The SZA-assisted jam, which acts as the latest taste of new music set to line the rapper’s October 6-due new album ‘For All The Dogs,’ is proving its bite is as big as its bark thanks to a handsome out-of-the-box commercial showing.

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It’s been 3 years since SZA made headlines for disagreeing with fans that she is the modern-day “Queen of R&B,” but the ongoing stats of her blockbuster sophomore album – ‘SOS‘ – has certainly put her in conversation with the genre’s royalty.

In addition to seeing the LP’s stay atop the Billboard 200 tie multiple records of powerhouse vocalists Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, the Hot 100 triumphs of the set’s singles ‘Snooze’ and ‘Kill Bill’ have also kept the competition at bay to historic measure (as we reported here).

Those aren’t the only charts feeling the presence of the dominating diva (born Solana Rowe). Look inside to see what milestone she met this week.

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Boasting a whopping 76 nominations over her career and more than 30 wins, Beyonce is the undisputed Queen of the BET Awards.

On Sunday night (June 25), that reign was only extended thanks to even more wins across some of the annual ceremony’s top categories.

Details inside.

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If there are two acts defying the odds and waving the flag for R&B in an oppositional musical climate, they’re definitely Chris Brown and SZA.

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