Jennifer Hudson took home the award for Best Musical Sunday night at the 2022 Tony Awards. A Strange Loop, written exclusively by Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael R. Jackson, which Hudson helped produce, granted the accomplished singer EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) status.
 

Hudson is now the second Black woman behind Whoopi Goldberg to win all four awards and the third Black person, following Goldberg and John Legend.

She also goes into a three-way tie with Legend and Robert Lopez for the youngest person to secure an EGOT win. All three stars were 39 at the time of the fourth distinct honor.

Additionally, Hudson is the 17th person overall to join the EGOT crowd. 

At the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, Hudson accepted the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Effie White in Dreamgirls.
 

Hudson followed with her first-ever Grammy award. Her self-titled album won Best R&B Album at the 2009 Grammys, where she had Whitney Houston present her the trophy. She’d win her second of eight nominations in another album category: Best Musical Theater Album for The Color Purple.

Legendary singer/songwriter/producer Babyface and Ella Mai have announced their new song, “Keeps on Fallin,” which will release on June 17.

Babyface teased the upcoming collaboration, sharing footage from a March 2021 studio session.

In the clip, Babyface complimented Mai on her melodies and voice before starting work on the soon-to-be-released duet. They broke down the barriers for constructive criticism as well.  

The prolific musician D'Mile, who has won Grammys with Silk Sonic and H.E.R., is also involved with the song.

 

 

 

 

 

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Babyface, who toured the nation with Kem earlier this year, last released music as Lil Bayface last year. He dropped the demo of “Rock Steady,” the 1987 classic, performed by The Whispers, that he co-wrote and co-produced with L.A. Reid. 

Babyface teamed with Jam & Lewis, affectionately known as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, that same year for their debut album Jam & Lewis, Vol. 1. He co-headlined the album’s second single, “He Don't Know Nothin' Bout It.“ It peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. 

In 2015, Babyface released his latest album, Return of the Tender Lover. 

For Mai, she released her last album, Heart On My Sleeve, in May. It features her current single, “DFMU,” which reigns within the upper parts of the R&B and hip-hop charts. 

The follow-up to her 2018 self-titled album entered the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart at No. 2. It bowed at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.

Heart On My Sleeve comprises contributions from Latto, Roddy Rich, and Lucky Daye. Mary J. Blige and Kirk Franklin also make an appearance.

Mai supported her new album with varied performances, including visiting Vevo studios, where she sang two songs. 

Preview Babyface and Ella Mai’s new song “Keeps On Fallin” below.

Tank has revealed the release date for his long-awaited tenth and final album, R&B Money. The follow-up to 2019’s Elevation arrives Aug. 19 via his imprint R&B Money in partnership with Atlantic Records.
 

The R&B General recently shared the album’s latest single, "Slow" featuring J. Valentine, who also co-hosts a new podcast with Tank.
 

The other tracks on Tank’s forthcoming album R&B Money include the Kate Bush-sampled “Can’t Let It Show” and the self-sampled “I Deserve".  Both reached number one on the R&B charts. 
 

Besides J. Valentine and the three songs released, the 17-track set will feature contributions from Chris Brown, Alex Isley, Rotimi, Feather, TVERSE and D&D.

Discussing R&B Money in a statement, Tank said the pending album is “a labor of love to my fans and to the genre of R&B I wanted this album to pay homage to my influences and my evolution as an artist, and I think that’s what this final album represents.” 

Tank noted Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass, Keith Sweat, and Al Green as sources of inspiration for who he is as an artist. 

In preparation for the new album, Tank is performing nationwide. He’ll play a few Club Quarantine shows led by D-Nice. The R&B general also is on the lineup for this year’s Essence Festival of Culture and Cincinnati Music Festival. 

In other news, Tank teamed up with J. Brown for the new song “Don't Rush.” It is rising on the R&B charts. 

Tank’s R&B Money Tracklist

1. “R&B Money”
2. “When You Dance”
3. “Home”
4. “No Limit” feat. Alex Isley
5. “Slow” feat. J Valentine
6. “Morning” feat. Vedo
7. “Can’t Let It Show”
8. “See Through Love” feat. Chris Brown
9. “Spoil Her Alert”
10. “I Deserve”
11. “Too Late”
12. “Make Sure” feat. Feather
13. “Let’s Take A Ride” feat. Rotimi and TVERSE
14. “It’s Nothing”
15. “Awesome” feat. D&D
16. “Regular”
17. “Summer Killa”