8 Dope Songs To Add To Your Weekend Playlist Right Now
The grocery stores are sold out of toilet paper, the kids have been let out of school, and it's quite clear that the next few weeks are going to be off the chain. With the coronavirus at our necks (both literally and figuratively), it seems best to undergo a self-quarantine at the crib for the next few weeks.
But there's nothing that will take your mind off of a viral pandemic like a poppin' ass playlist and xoNecole has you covered with a list of new music for you to check out ASAP. Scroll below for details:
1.Teyana Taylor - We Got Love ft. Ms. Lauryn Hill
Teyana Taylor linked up with Ms. Lauryn Hill and brought us all the way back to the motherland in their latest single to remind us that love is the new money. Featuring cameos from Teyana's husband, Iman Shumpert and baby Junie, "We Got Love" is the portrait of Black love we didn't know we needed in our lives this weekend.
2.TeaMarrr - Kinda Love (feat. D Smoke)
This dope collaboration between TeaMarrr and Rhythm + Flow's D. Smoke gives us a glimpse into what it would be like to build the perfect man. This Black Mirror-style visual is the second visual that the artist has released since signing to Issa Rae's new label, Raedio.
3.Amber Mark - Generous (Official Video)
Underground R&B is on the rise and this Grammy-nominated songwriter is also taking flight. Giving us big Dorothy Dandridge energy, the singer channeled old Hollywood for the video of her sultry love song, "Generous".
4.Megan Thee Stallion - Captain Hook
Since the beginning of the month, Megan Thee Stallion has been in an intense legal battle with the owner of her former label, Carl Crawford of 1501, but that didn't stop the release of her latest album, Suga. Following the visual for her Tupac-sampled single "B.I.T.C.H", Megan threw a whole ass studio party in her latest video for "Captain Hook" and we're wondering how our invite got lost in the mail.
5.JoJo - Man
As an old school JoJo fan, I'm not ashamed to say that I was way too excited about the release of her latest single. Starring Ari Lennox and Tinashe, this is the first visual released from her upcoming album, Good to Know, where the singer says what we're all thinking when it comes to romantic expectations.
6.Kiana Ledé - Forfeit.
Featuring Lucky Daye, Arizona-born singer "Ex" singer Kiana Lede just released the lyric video for her latest song "Forfeit", from her upcoming album, KIKI, and issa whole vibe.
7.DaniLeigh - Levi High ft. DaBaby
Despite being entangled in a possible legal battle earlier this month, DaBaby pulled up with the release of his latest Trap & B collaboration with Florida-born entertainer, DaniLeigh. In the silly visual, the two (who are rumored to be romantically linked) link up with a squad of baddies to pull off one helluva robbery.
8.Jhené Aiko - B.S. ft. H.E.R.
Last week, Jhene Aiko released her latest album, CHILOMBO, and brought out some of our favorite stars, including but not limited to Big Sean, Nas, and H.E.R., and this track has our Hot Girl Summer pregame playlist all the way together.
Featured image via Giphy
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images