Obi Alfred is bringing old R&B to a new audience and serving as a torchbearer for the genre. Born in New Jersey and bred in Texas, the Nigerian-American’s unique approach pays respect to the titans of the genre while pushing into daring, current terrain. Now, with the most captivating songs of his early career, Obi is establishing himself as one of the most significant emerging talents...

Listening to Antoin Gibson’s new EP, "Serene Despair", is like discovering a hidden, immaculately designed room in the architecture of your own skull, only to realize the locks are on the outside. This is music as a meticulous, hermetically sealed environment. Knowing Gibson is the sole operator of this venture—the writer, performer, and producer, founder of Circum-Sŏnus—explains the almost unnerving coherence.She isn't just building...