@Anthony Alves

Discover new music from artists we think you'll like. Refreshed every Friday.

Whether it’s a weekday morning or Saturday night, get going with this personalized set of upbeat music. Refreshed every Monday.

Songs to help you relax and unwind. Updated every Sunday.

The decade when hip-hop could claim its first billionaires was marked by Kanye West’s ambitious productions, Drake’s game-changing swirls of melody, and Future’s bummed-out Auto-Tune croon. Thanks to producers like Mike Will Made-It and Metro Boomin, Atlanta became hip-hop’s home of musical research and development, musicians across genres embracing trap music’s skittering hi-hats, cavernous boom, and lyrical curlicues. Rappers started singing more and more, but the technical prowess of artists like Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, and Run the Jewels kept traditional bars alive in distinct ways. Toward the end of the decade, charts started reflecting streaming plays more than physical album sales, meaning home-brewed, home-recorded sensations like Lil Pump could compete with the majors. And a new, democratized world of social media and streaming meant artists like Chance the Rapper and Cardi B could pave untraditional paths to stardom.

R&B is one of the most dynamic, adventurous sounds in modern music, a place where art both personal and provocative meets the mainstream. From the alt vanguard to modern vets, straightforward to left-field, these tracks capture where R&B is now and point the way to where it’s going. This week, Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis’ “Is It a Crime” is at the top of the playlist. The introspective track off of Mariah’s latest album <i>HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY</i> finds the duo addressing critics who have opinions on their relationships and reassuring their partners that they aren’t letting the naysayers get in between them. “Sometimes I look around for someone who might understand it/I seen it in they eyes that they’ll, they’ll never get it/I think I lost my patience and now I can’t contain it/They, they were wrong about us, I hate the way they paint it/I love the way that you walk and the air you breathe,” she lilts. We update this playlist regularly. If you like a track, add it to your library.

Whether what you hear is one of Beyoncé’s fierce statements of autonomy, an inspiring act of consciousness-raising by Kendrick Lamar, an unstoppable party jam by Cardi B, or an oh-so-emo expression of vulnerability by Drake, the best hip-hop and R&B of the 2010s is marked by a boldness and urgency that help these artists cut through all of our culture’s noise and chatter. In terms of sound and impact, the '10s represented a golden age for individuals out to change the game. Just as remarkable is the eagerness of standard-setters like Kanye West and Rihanna to continually rethink what they do, all while recombining a vast array of musical styles and ideas. From hard-hitting trap beats and dancehall rhythms to synth-heavy soundscapes and throwbacks to old-school glories, it all makes for music that keeps pace with fast and unpredictable times.