The Music Cypher

Welcome to the third episode of the third season of TMC's Series. This third season will explore fifteen artist and/or directors that have received the prestigious MJ Video Vanguard Award from the inception of the award to 2025. Every episode, I will highlight three (3) recipients of the award and share various details such as when they received the award, who presented it, an interesting fact about them receiving the honour and share my personal top five (5) videos from their discography. The listing will be done in alphabetical order! The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, is a merit given to recording artists and music video directors at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), a ceremony that was established in 1984. It is presented by MTV for "outstanding contributions" and "profound impact" on music videos and popular culture.As the ceremony's special category, the trophy is a gold-plated "moonman" rather than the silver ones of the other VMA ...

She don't want the party to end So she lay back down 'Cause she know I can do it again She said don't don't don't don't go Yet yet yet yet yet Lyrics taken from  https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/joshlevi/dontgo.html How dare you, Josh? Why do you want to leave? Josh Levi has been on my radar for some time now. Why? He is a good looking man with a great body, tons of sex appeal plus he can SING and DANCE so the talent is unquestionable. With all those great attributes I think he should be at the forefront of a musical revival of the male R&B artist in the mainstream music scene. Just think about it, besides Chris Brown and Usher who is a legacy act at this point, who is carrying the torch for the singing/dancing R&B artist. The answer is no one. That's why I have been a huge proponent of Levi because I see a wide open line that he can capitalize on. I have been here listening to every song, streaming every EP and watching every video so imagine my exci...

"I Love You" by Trevor Jackson EP cover 2025 has mainly been about discovering newer artist. New artists I have discovered include but are not limited to Tom Grennan, Amber Mark, JayDon, UMI, Lizzie Berchie, Destin Conrad, Ashton Pierce, Josh Ross, Sacha, Boondawg, Khamari and so many more. It should be noted that some of these artist are not new in the typical sense but are considered new to me because it was the first time I have interacted with their music. However, 2025 has also been a year of reconnecting with artist that I have lost track of over the years. Trevor Jackson is one of those artist. Jackson was one of my favourite R&B artist in the 2010s. My teen heart feel in deep love and was fascinated with deciphering if him and Zendaya were a couple. I played "Like We Grown" too much and wore out his 2015 album "In My Feelings". However, over the years I have lost touch with his musical output because of life, waning interest and developing a m...

"Me My Songs & I" by JayDon mixtape cover then i’ll be good i’ma try, i’ma do better, better then i’ll be good i decide i’ma do whatever+еver there shouldn’t bе a reason why i can’t love on you the way i should (way i should) i’ll be good (i’ll be good), i’ll be Lyrics taken from  https://azlyrics.biz/j/jaydon-lyrics/jaydon-ill-be-good-lyrics/ I am more than good, I am in an excellent mood because one of my favourite discoveries of 2025 has finally released an extended body of work. After releasing amazing singles such as "Lullaby", "I'll Be Good", "Boujee Baby", and "The Way You Move", JayDon McCrary known mononymously as JayDon has released his first mixtape titled " Me My Songs & I". Fun fact: JayDon signed with Usher and L.A. Reid's record label Mega, as a joint venture with Gamma. So with that in mind, let us see what he has in store for us with his debut mixtape. Here's my review of each track on the ...

"Am I The Drama?" by Cardi B album cover Was it worth the wait? After seven years, Bardigang can celebrate because their prayers have finally been answered. That's right! Seven years after releasing her debut studio album "Invasion of Privacy" which saw her dominate not only the rap world but pop culture, Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar has released her sophomore album titled "Am I The Drama?". It is quite common that after an artist experience massive success with any album that they take an extended break before releasing another project. However this was not the case with Cardi as she was not musically silent at all in those seven years. She released the hit singles "WAP" and "Up" in 2020 and 2021 respectively so everyone expected an album announcement soon. Yet, there was none then year after year passed with several singles yet a forthcoming album was no where in sight. This could have due to several different factors such as person...

Here are the top 10 songs I listened to the most for the week starting on the 19th October to the 25th October, 2025. 1. Who's Dat Girl by Ayra Starr featuring Rema      2. Only You by Ebony Riley 3. FEEL LOVE by PARTYOF2, Jadagrace, SWIM 4. Boys Don't Cry by Tom Grennan 5. Sexy Soulaan by Monaleo 6. Only U by Ashanti 7. FRIENDLY FIRE by PARTYOF2, Jadagrace, SWIM 8. Please Don't Leave Me by P!nk 9. Different Places by Amber Mark with John The Blind 10. One Foot In by Trevor Jackson   What have you been listening to this week?  Let me know in the comments!

Welcome to the second episode of the third season of TMC's Series. This third season will explore fifteen artist and/or directors that have received the prestigious MJ Video Vanguard Award from the inception of the award to 2025. Every episode, I will highlight three (3) recipients of the award and share various details such as when they received the award, who presented it, an interesting fact about them receiving the honour and share my personal top five (5) videos from their discography. The listing will be done in alphabetical order! The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, is a merit given to recording artists and music video directors at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), a ceremony that was established in 1984. It is presented by MTV for "outstanding contributions" and "profound impact" on music videos and popular culture.As the ceremony's special category, the trophy is a gold-plated "moonman" rather than the silver ones of the other VMA...

"people stories" by UMI album cover One of my favourite musical finds this year has been the incredible artist named UMI . Her collab with 6lack entitled "Hard Truths" has been in my rotation since I discovered it as evidenced by its multiple showings on TMC's Hot🔥10! . Naturally after discovering an artist I like my next step was to find out if they have released a full body of work like a mixtape, EP or an album. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she had released a 4 track EP entitled " Somewhere New/What Now" with her third studio album titled "people stories" to be released soon.  The writing above was taken from my review of her 4 track EP that she released some months ago. Well, her long awaited third studio album titled "people stories" is here and includes the 4 tracks that were featured on her previously mentioned EP. Seeing that I absolutely loved that EP she released a few months ago, I am more than excited to fina...

"Everywhere I Went, Led Me to Where I Didn't Want to Be" by Tom Grennan album cover Here is another review brought to you by me thirsting after hot men. This time I have decided to expand my thirst options to British men! As I was scrolling through my IG feed I came across a picture of beautiful man on the cover of Men's Health UK magazine. Here's the link to the picture  https://www.instagram.com/p/DOp1hvFk77V/?img_index=3   Anyway, after liking the picture I decided to research who this man was because I knew that Men's Health Magazine usually featured music artist, actors, influencers etc. After some digging I discovered the beautiful man I was researching was Tom Grennan and that he was a music artist. After that I went to his Spotify and immediately had to give his music a listen purely based off his interesting album name and cover. So, I am listening to his music based on pure lust and being intrigued by the artwork of his album. Hopefully it will end w...

"Night Shift" by Lizzie Berchie album cover "Ooh, I'm falling deeper Really, really like your company Ooh, I'm falling deeper Really, really like your company Ooh, I'm falling deeper Really, really like your company Ooh, I'm falling deeper Really, really like your company" Lyrics taken from https://genius.com/Lizzie-berchie-company-lyrics Where is the lie? I can admit I do like Lizzie Berchie's company. After all she is indeed a great time. How did I discover this great artist? Honestly, I do not remember but I am glad it did happen. Now I think about it was probably a YouTube ad but that is besides the point. "Company" has been one of my most listened songs of the year so I have been anxiously anticipating any type of project from Berchie. So when I saw a post on her Instagram saying that she has released an EP titled "Night Shift" I knew I had to give it a listen. So with that in her mind, let us see what she has in store f...

"wHIMSY" by Destin Conrad album cover It seems that Destin Conrad does not rest at all! After releasing his fifth studio album "Love On Digital" earlier this year he's back with another album. This album titled "wHIMsy" is presented by a character that Conrad introduced in the aforementioned "Love On Digital" album called Mr. E. Not only did we get a brand new album from Destin but he is also showcasing his versatility as this brand new album is an alternative jazz album. Here is what he had to say about the album. "“wHIMSY” my alt jazz album will be out on thursday! we practically finished this project on a 2 week trip i took to LA last month (i’m insane i kno) and it was the most fun i’ve had making music in such a long time!!! i am so so inspired by every musician that helped me make this project, thank you to Louie Lastic, Mack Keane, Astyn Turr, Vanisha Gould ,Terrace Martin Ambré Perkins, James Fauntleroy, Keyon Harrold, Jada Watki...

"Here For It All" by Mariah Carey album cover After being in the music industry for over thirty (30) years, attaining nineteen (19) number one Billboard Hot 100 hits (the most for any solo artist) and dominating every Christmas season with her iconic song "All I Want For Christmas Is You", The Songbird Supreme is back with a brand new studio album. That's right, the only Mariah we recognize in this household, Mariah Carey has more than earned her stripes and status as a legend in the game with nothing left to prove. Yet she has treated her fans the infamous " Lambs " to a special treat before she comes to dominate the Christmas season once again which is the release of her sixteenth studio album titled "Here For It All". The album is preceded by the singles "Type Dangerous" and her unexpected collaboration with Shenseea and Kehlani "Sugar Sweet". With that being said, let us see what the living legend has in store for us t...

Here are the top 10 songs I listened to the most for the week starting on the 12th October to the 18th October, 2025. 1. Only You by Ebony Riley 2. Who's Dat Girl by Ayra Starr featuring Rema 3. Boys Don't Cry by Tom Grennan 4. Hot Body by Ayra Starr 5. Too Many Women by Jordan Adetunji featuring kwn 6. Sally by Bibi Bourelly 7. FRIENDLY FIRE by PARTYOF2, Jadagrace, SWIM 8. Company by Lizzie Berchie 9. Sexy Soulaan by Monaleo 10. I'll Be Good by JayDon What have you been listening to this week?  Let me know in the comments!

Welcome to the first episode of the third season of TMC's Series. This third season will explore fifteen artist and/or directors that have received the prestigious MJ Video Vanguard Award from the inception of the award to 2025. Every episode, I will highlight three (3) recipients of the award and share various details such as when they received the award, who presented it, an interesting fact about them receiving the honour and share my personal top five (5) videos from their discography. The listing will be done in alphabetical order! The Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, is a merit given to recording artists and music video directors at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), a ceremony that was established in 1984. It is presented by MTV for "outstanding contributions" and "profound impact" on music videos and popular culture.As the ceremony's special category, the trophy is a gold-plated "moonman" rather than the silver ones of the other VMA ...

Neo-soul legend D'Angelo has passed away at the age of 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. "Born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo changed the sound of modern soul music with his timeless mix of gospel, funk, jazz, and hip-hop influences. His debut album Brown Sugar (1995) helped usher in the neo-soul movement of the 1990s, sitting alongside artists like Erykah Badu, Maxwell, and Lauryn Hill in redefining what R&B could be. The album sold over two million copies and delivered instant classics such as “Lady,” “Cruisin’,” and the title track “Brown Sugar,” solidifying D’Angelo’s place in music history. His follow-up, Voodoo (2000), became a cultural touchstone. The sultry single “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” not only earned him a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance but also made him an icon of both sound and sensuality. The album itself won Best R&B Album at the 2001 Grammys and has since been hailed as one of the greate...