The Music Cypher

Here are the top 10 songs I listened to the most for the week starting on the 22nd February to the 28th Feburary, 2026. 1. Let it Rain by Psycho x Soca Villan x Empress  (22 ▶️) 2. Gnarly by Katseye  (21 ▶️) Hot Body by Ayra Starr  (21 ▶️) 3. Work It by Tian Winter  (20 ▶️) 4.   Hypé by  Aya Nakamura  featuring Ayra Starr  (19 ▶️) She Wan That Ah by Mr Ridge featuring Money Shaun  (19 ▶️) 5.  Bubble It by  Yemi Alade & Spice  (17 ▶️) 6. Jealous by Nick Jonas  (15 ▶️) 7. All The Right Moves by OneRepublic  (14 ▶️) 8. Too Close by Alex Clare  (13 ▶️) 9. Counting Stars by OneRepublic  (11 ▶️) 10. S.O.S. by Jonas Brothers What have you been listening to this week?  Let me know in the comments!

The standard has arrived to the this blog! Who is the standard? It is none other than the newly deemed Queen of Music herself Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter or as most people would call her simply Beyoncé. Recently, she has been in the news as she has always has been from the inception of her illustrious career for things she may and may not have done. Additionally, she has been the hot topic target for fake social justice warriors on social media waiting to overanalyze her mere existence . However, no matter the reason she is in the news one thing is certain, she will always have the attention of the public looking forward to see what she is going to do next in her music career. From the leader of one of the most successful girl groups of all time to a R&B sensation as a new solo act to a pop diva with crossover appeal and later in her career becoming a cultural icon and musical fortress blazing her own path by being her own manager, fans have been along for the ride. Now it seems...

"Sunday's Best" by Nick Jonas album cover My childhood experiences is what I consider to be a privilege. I experienced childhood before the Internet and now AI took over which is what is consuming the today's youth. Part of my awesome childhood was the Disney Channel where I was introduced to not only Nick Jonas but also his brothers Joe and Kevin. I would religiously watch all my favourite shows like That's So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody etc. but my favourite part was listening to the songs and watching the music videos during the commercial breaks. One of my favourite songs and video was S.O.S by the previously mentioned Jonas Brothers. Nick has always been my favourite partially due to the fact that I was the most attracted to him. Anyway, I have been inconsistently following his career over the years and was front and centre when he released his solo projects. To this day, "Jealous" is still a song I revisit very often but being inconsiste...

 "Don't Be Dumb" by A$AP Rocky album cover Avid readers of this blog know that Hip Hop/Rap is not one of my favourite genres of music. I have my standard favourites who are J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj and Doechii and even then I do not tune in to everything they are doing artistically. Therefore it should not be shocking that I have never listened to an A$AP Rocky album. Honestly, I have not even listened to a song by said artist. One time, I began listening to "F**kin Problems* but about half way through I stopped and moved on to another song. Additionally, his past colorist comments about darkskin black women and the shade of lipstick they should wear irritated me so I ignored him and his music. My aversion to all things Rocky went on for years until those pictures went viral of him and Rihanna announcing their first pregnancy. Rihanna is one of my favourite artist of all time plus the fact that we are both from the Caribbean is an added bonus so the truth ...

  "PRAY FOR ME" by RAAHiiM album cover Here is another album review brought to you via an interesting album cover. By now avid readers of this blog know the script. I was scrolling through my favourite album news site to see what albums has been released and stumbled upon an artist I knew nothing about that had a captivating album cover. So, as you know by now I had to give the album a listen which leads to a review on the blog. The new artist whose album cover art piqued my interest is  RAAHiiM . RAAHiiM is a singer from Toronto, Canada known for his honest and transparent lyrics amongst R&B fans, where he cleverly recreates his 1-of-1 life experiences. His breakout single “Peak (Fed Up)” generated his buzz amongst the music industry & fans. Selected as Spotify’s R&B Artist to Watch – his album BUT IF iiM HONEST had standout moments such as “Spin the Block” and “Outside Freestyle”, which helped solidify the album as one of the best R&B albums of 2023 amongst ...

 "Do You Still Love Me?" by Ella Mai album cover One thing readers of this blog should know about me is that I try as much as possible to be honest with myself and about my opinions. The truth is I have known about Ella Mai from the very first time she burst on to the music scene. My introduction to Ella was like most people through her hit song "Boo'd Up" that placed her at the head of the class as a representative for the new leaders of R&B especially as it seemed like the genre was losing its cultural relevance and commercial power. Although I knew what was mentioned previously, the truth is I have never seen it for Ms. Mai as the youth like to say. I found "Boo'd Up" to be rather repetitive, basic and quite frankly annoying beyond belief. If that song has no hater left that means I am no longer in the land of the living. As a result of me actively hating the song, I ignored Ella Mai's artistry and missed out on any of her future release...

The next album retrospective is " In My Mind " by BJ the Chicago Kid. On Thursday 19th February 2026, this album turned ten (10) years old. In My Mind is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter BJ the Chicago Kid. The album, which serves as his major label debut, was released by Motown, on February 19, 2016. In My Mind received a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. The album was recorded in roughly 30 days, including several nights where BJ slept in the studio. Some of the collaborations on the album, including Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper, were formed with artists that BJ had been friends with for many years prior. BJ was initially introduced to Big K.R.I.T. on Twitter through a mutual friend, which led to the song "The Resume." The pair did not meet in person until the first day of the tour for the album. Upon its release, In My Mind received critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a n...

Here are the top 10 songs I listened to the most for the week starting on the 15th February to the 21st January, 2026. 1.  Incense and Candles by Prince  (18 ▶️)  2. Black Sweat by Prince  (16 ▶️)  3. Shark in the Water by VV Brown  (15 ▶️)  4. Contradiction by Mali Music featuring Jhené Aiko   (14 ▶️)  5. Hot Body by Ayra Starr   (13 ▶️)  6. Sweet & Low by MAAD  (12 ▶️)  7. Seeing Ghosts by Nick Jonas  (10 ▶️)  8. Body Do by Chlöe  (9 ▶️)  9. BET by METTE   (8 ▶️)  10. Kiss by Prince   (4 ▶️)  What have you been listening to this week?  Let me know in the comments!

Welcome back to  Battle ⚔️ (Whose Song Is Better?) There is an infamous social media saying which goes "Don't put two bad bitches against each other." Yet, I am going to be doing exactly that and no one can stop me!  Additionally, Who Wore It Better is a popular activity among fashion lovers who criticize two or more celebrities who wore the same or similar article of clothing and selecting which one they preferred. I will be putting my own unique twist on the trend because this is not a fashion blog.  Every month or whenever I see fit, I will select two or more songs with the same or similar titles from different artist to compete against each other in a knockout battle. Different aspects of the songs such as vocals, production, lyrics etc. will be compared and a winner will be chosen. Our next battle is between  Rita Ora  and Imagine Dragons! Both crooners will be duking it out to see who has the better song titled " Radioactive ". Here are the songs to r...

Welcome back to Thirst Trap! This segment will briefly highlight a/an artist (s) , male or female ( I do not discriminate) by sharing picture(s), video(s), gif(s) etc. of them doing what I consider thirst trapping. Basically it is my excuse to lust after artist I find sexually appealing! TMC's thirst trap this time is  Normani ! Normani Kordei Hamilton known mononymously as Normani, is an American singer. She first became known as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in the group, she competed in Dancing with the Stars (2017). She embarked on a solo career with her 2018 debut single "Love Lies" (with Khalid), which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Excerpt taken from  Normani Here are some stunning  pictures Normani from the most recent Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue that feature...

"NAK" by Na-Kel Smith album cover Here is another album review brought to you via an interesting album cover. By now avid readers of this blog know the script. I was scrolling through my favourite album news site to see what albums has been released and stumbled upon an artist I knew nothing about that had a captivating album cover. So, as you know by now I had to give the album a listen which leads to a review on the blog. The new artist whose album cover art piqued my interest is Na-Kel Smith . Los Angeles-based rapper and skateboarder Na-Kel Smith emerged as a member of Odd Future with a partnership with skateboarding company Supreme, before branching into fashion design and acting. Although a part of Odd Future from the start, he made his music debut in 2013, when he delivered a verse on Tyler the Creator's "Trashwang," on his second album, Wolf. The following year, Smith and Tyshawn Jones set up their own fashion brand, Hardies. For Smith's next musical...

"Wasted On Youth" by The Molotovs album cover Here is another album review brought to you via an interesting album cover. By now avid readers of this blog know the script. I was scrolling through my favourite album news site to see what albums has been released and stumbled upon an artist I knew nothing about that had a captivating album cover. So, as you know by now I had to give the album a listen which leads to a review on the blog. The new artist whose album cover art piqued my interest is  The Molotovs . Brother and sister duo, The Molotovs, have been grinding on the live circuit, garnering attention from both fans and press alike for their explosive performances. Still in their teens and having played over 600 gigs, they have already shared stages with the likes of the Sex Pistols and The Libertines. They’ve also received shout-outs from punk legends Green Day and been highlighted by The Telegraph as one of the rising stars who could share the stage with Oasis. Their de...

"Lover Girl" by Kayla Brianna album cover What you lookin' at with your lookin' ass? Say somethin', baby (Speak up) Is you gon' just let me pass, miss your chance? Say somethin', baby (Speak up) All of that flirtin' from across the room Ain't gon' do us no good (No, no) Gave you the eye like, "Baby, come and get it" Right now, I wish you would I gave you my number, baby, you should call up Just give me a vibe that I can never forget We can party all night, you ain't gotta front, yeah, it's alright Just give me a vibe that I can never forget Baby, try your lu-u-u-u-u-u-u-uck, You should try your lu-u-u-u-u-u-u-uck, Baby, try your lu-u-u-u-u-u-u-uck My introduction to Kayla Brianna was via the iconic music video channel vH1/BETSoul that continued to play music videos all day long unlike MTV (side-eye). From my initial listen, I feel in love and the song became a part of my regular music rotation. However, I stop at that song and...

"Ghetto Classics" by Jaheim album cover The next album retrospective is " Ghetto Classics " by Jaheim. On Friday 13th February 2026, this album turned twenty (20) years old. Ghetto Classics is the third studio album by American R&B singer Jaheim. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on February 13, 2006 in the United States, and the following day in the United Kingdom on February 14. As with his previous albums, production and songwriting duties were handled by former Naughty by Nature DJ KayGee as well as Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney, Darren Lighty, Eddie F, Bink, Scott Storch, Balewa Muhammad, Wesley Hogges, Eric Williams, and The Co-Stars. It debuted at number one on both the US Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 153,000 copies in its first week of release. Ghetto Classics spawned the moderate hit "Everytime I Think about Her", featuring Jadakiss. Although the album stayed on the album charts for only thirteen weeks...

"The Score" by Fugees album cover The next album retrospective is " The Score " by Fugees. On Friday 13th February 2026, this album turned thirty (30) years old. The Score is the second and final studio album by American hip-hop group Fugees, released worldwide on February 13, 1996, by Columbia Records. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip-hop that would come to dominate the hip-hop music scene in the mid- to late-1990s. Primarily, The Score's production was handled by the Fugees themselves, Jerry Duplessis and Warren Riker, with additional production from Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D, and Shawn King. The album's guest verses are from Outsidaz members Rah Digga, Young Zee, and Pacewon, as well as John Forté, and Diamond D. Most versions of the album feature four bonus tracks, including three remixes of "Fu-Gee-La", and a short acoustic Wyclef Jean solo track entitled "Mista ...

"Diana Ross" by Diana Ross album cover The next album retrospective is " Diana Ross " by Diana Ross. On Tuesday 10th February 2026, this album turned fifty (50) years old. Diana Ross is the seventh studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on February 10, 1976 by Motown Records. It is her second self-titled record after her 1970 debut. Her biggest-selling album since Touch Me in the Morning (1973), the album reached the top five on both the Billboard 200 and R&B Albums chart. It was certified gold by the BPI. Two of the tracks included on Diana Ross were number one hits: "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" (released as a single in 1975 from the Mahogany soundtrack), and the disco anthem, "Love Hangover". The album's official lead single "I Thought It Took A Little Time" was on its way to becoming a hit when its chart life was circumvented by "Love Hangover", which was rushed to rele...

Here are the top 10 songs I listened to the most for the week starting on the 8th February to the 14th January, 2026. 1. The Way We Were by Barbra Streisand  (25 ▶️)  2. Ready Or Not by Fugees  (23 ▶️)  3. Angel by Fifth Harmony  (22 ▶️)  4. Down by the Riverside by Willie Jones  (20 ▶️)  5. To Be Loved by Ali Caldwell  (18 ▶️)  6. Again by Faith Evans  (17 ▶️)  7. Good Man by Raphael Saadiq  (14 ▶️)  8. Whiskey Blues by Tanner Adell  (13 ▶️)  9. Sexy Love by Ne-Yo  (10 ▶️)  10. Baddie Baddie by Ice Spice  (9 ▶️)  What have you been listening to this week?  Let me know in the comments!