The Hottest R&B Artists of 2026 Right Now: Staff Picks

Billboard staff returns to the roundtable to break down some of R&B's brightest stars so far in 2026. 7/23/2026 From left: Raye, Tems, Leon Thomas, Durand Bernarr Raye: Aliyah Otchere. Tems: Campbell Addy. Thomas: Raymond Alva. Bernarr: Juan Veloz. R&B continues to have a vice grip on the music scene. The conversation about whether the genre has a heartbeat no longer exists, especially with the rise and continued success of many of the names on this year’s list. Last year, Chris Brown was crowned our Hottest R&B Artist of 2025 after blitzing the U.S. with his Breezy Bowl Tour. Brown’s 20-year catalogue, longevity and showmanship were on full display as he also provided a stage for his contemporaries — Bryson Tiller, Summer Walker and Jhené Aiko — to shine and conquer. This year, the competition is even tougher. The net has widened, as esteemed legends like Jill Scott have made grand returns, while some of the genre’s most consistent hitters, like 6LACK and Ella Mai, reminded many why they remain formidable talents in the space. And after watching Leon Thomas and Kehlani ascend to incredible heights, both artists defied the R&B gods by dreaming bigger and delivering arguably the best seasons of their careers. For Thomas, the precocious singer-songwriter is fully off the leash. No longer strictly defined by his songwriting prowess, he’s evolved into a go-to feature savant, lending his vocal talents to anyone seeking his services. This year alone, he’s landed double-digit features, and the number continues to climb. Meanwhile, Kehlani’s steady patience has finally become her greatest asset. After 10 years of playing the waiting game, Kehlani blossomed into her long-awaited peak as an R&B superstar, courtesy of her spellbinding hit “Folded.” The Billboard Hot 100 smash peaked at No. 6, and has since been the gift that keeps on giving, bringing her Grammy Awards, television performances and much more. With so many rightful contenders, Billboard‘s staff had the arduous task of putting together the Hottest R&B Artists of 2026 Right Now, based on the following criteria: chart success, vocal performance, musical and lyrical resonance, cultural buzz, touring success, and business endeavors and partnerships. Check out the full list below, and come back at the end of the year for our staff’s final rankings. kwn (2025 Rank: No. 10) Back with her latest effort, and all pride to aside, kwn ramps up her motives and exploits with flirty lyrics and tantalizing theatrics, as proven on the “Hot in Herre”-lifting “risk it all.” The entrancing singer-songwriter doesn’t stop there, recruiting Destin Conrad and Ty Dolla $ign for her second-round knockout of a project. The East London export further brought the mischief on her With All Due Respect Tour, delivering rousing performances that carried into this year, and ultimately led to her first U.S. national TV performance at the 2026 BET Awards. — CARL LAMARRE GIVĒON (2025 Rank: No. 4) After delivering one of the genre’s best albums last year with his Grammy-nominated effort, Beloved, GIVĒON enjoyed the fruits of his labor in 2026. He graced Billboard‘s 2026 Sports & Music cover alongside his ISLA brethren — two-time NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and manager Simon Gebrelul — while taking center stage at Coachella, including a performance alongside Kehlani. Building off the success of Beloved, GIVĒON gifted fans ACT II, a delectable five-track EP loaded with features from Leon Thomas, Teddy Swims, Sasha Keable and once again, Kehlani. — C.L. Durand Bernarr (2025 Rank: N/A) From his heartwarming Grammy win to his endlessly memed run to the stage and inspiring subsequent acceptance speech, Durand Bernarr exited February as one of the buzziest names in R&B. He quickly converted that viral attention into the rollout for his expansive BERNARR. album, which arrived as a true love letter to R&B thanks to collaborations with genre icons like Raphael Saadiq, Bryan-Michael Cox and Johntá Austin. As that record delighted R&B heads, “Overqualified” — a single from 2025’s BLOOM LP — made its debut on Adult R&B Airplay, where it currently ranks at a new peak of No. 16 on the July 11-dated ranking, marking his first appearance on a Billboard chart. The album cover for BERNARR. — which finds the Cleveland vocalist hitting the classic “lean pose” — also thrust him into the center of social media discourse, as did his Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival debut and his viral, fan-startling moment during a Blue Note set in Los Angeles. At June’s BET Awards, he earned his first-ever nomination at the ceremony (best male R&B/pop artist), where he also brought the house down with his rendition of “S—t, Damn, Motherf—ker” for the star-studded D’Angelo tribute medley. Oh, and he’s confirmed to support Kehlani on her upcoming headlining tour across the U.S. and Canada later this summer. — KYLE DENIS Brent Faiyaz (2025 Rank: N/A) Brent kicked off the year making a guest appearance on A$AP Rocky’s DON’T BE DUMB standout “STAY HERE 4 LIFE,” which is tied together by a sample of the R&B singer’s airy vocals from his “Full Moon.” The woozy love-drunk track reached No. 23 on the Hot 100 and cracked the top 10 of both the Rhythmic Airplay and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Faiyaz didn’t waste much time following up to deliver his Icon album in February, where he leans into his ’80’s pop star fantasies and weaves back to the atmospheric crooning he’s set the standard for when it comes to male R&B artists of the last decade. He also bolstered his ISO Supremacy label’s roster with the signing of Ama, and teamed up with the British R&B singer-songwriter for her seductive “Need It Bad” single. Unfortunately, Faiyaz said he won’t be hitting the road in support of his album, which could’ve given the LP a longer shelf life and notched him a higher slot on this list. — MICHAEL SAPONARA Jill Scott (2025 Rank: N/A) Since the February release of her first studio album in 11 years, To Whom This May Concern, and scoring a No. 1 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart with “Pressha,” the Grammy winner has been on the move. Landing seven top 10 debuts across the Billboard charts with her triumphant return, Scott announced the To Whom This May Concern World Tour in March, which launched June 4 in Nashville. Prior to that, Berklee College of Music presented Scott with an honorary Doctor of Music degree. Coming soon: Scott reprises her role as Sheila Jackson in the third chapter of Tyler Perry’s popular film franchise, Why Did I Get Married Again?, premiering Sept. 9 on Netflix. — GAIL MITCHELL Chris Brown (2025 Rank: No. 1) Riding into 2026 with two Grammy nominations — best R&B song and best R&B performance — for “It Depends” featuring Bryson Tiller, Breezy notched his 13th top 10 album (No. 7) on the Billboard 200 with Brown (a.k.a. Break Rules Only When Necessary). In addition to “It Depends,” the 27-track May release includes the hits “Holy Blindfold” and “Obvious.” Less than a month later, the musically prolific Brown delivered the project’s deluxe 10-track sequel: Brown: The Chocolate Edition. Now he and co-headliner Usher are busy packing stadiums across the country — and eliciting screams — on The R&B Tour. — G.M. RAYE (2025 Rank: N/A) RAYE is one of music’s hardest artists to categorize, which is exactly what makes her so compelling. While she identifies as a pop artist, her work is deeply rooted in R&B, soul, jazz and blues. Ranking her among the year’s best R&B artists isn’t about trying to force her into a box. It’s about recognizing how much of her work this year has been rooted in the traditions, songwriting and vocal performances that define great R&B. RAYE has spoken about growing up singing in church, studying legendary vocalists like Nina Simone and Etta James, and developing a love for four-part harmonies and soul music. Debuting at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 this year, THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. seamlessly blends those influences, with songs like “I Know You’re Hurting,” “Nightingale Lane” and “Skin & Bones” showcasing rich vocal arrangements and soulful storytelling. She reinforced that with a stunning BET Awards debut, delivering an emotionally gripping performance of “Nightingale Lane” before paying homage to D’Angelo with her rendition of his classic “Spanish Joint.” Those standout performances set the table for her stadium arrival, where she’ll accompany Bruno Mars on The Romantic Tour next month. Whether you call her R&B, soul-pop or both, RAYE earned her place on this list. — CHRISTOPHER CLAXTON Tems (2025 Rank: N/A) Tems’ music is usually set under the Afrobeats genre section of [insert streaming service here], but the way she inflects her voice is undoubtably R&B. Take her beautiful performance of her song “What You Need” at that BET Awards recently, for example: The Nigerian singer-songwriter stunned the audience and the viewers at home with her angelic voice as that same record was on its way to landing her first No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. She also caught her first Hot 100 entries in three years with the aforementioned “What You Need”, and her features on Dave’s “Raindance” and J. Cole’s “Bunce Road Blues,” respectively. Tems is proof positive that genres are becoming a thing of the past. — ANGEL DIAZ Leon Thomas (2025 Rank: No. 2) The “Mutt” star owned February’s Grammys, taking home a pair of trophies (best R&B album for MUTT and best traditional R&B song for “Vibes Don’t Lie”) and nailing his contributions to the best new artist and D’Angelo tribute medleys. He followed up those triumphs with the European/U.K. leg of his Mutts Don’t Heel Tour, which led into his supporting stint on Bruno Mars’ stadium-packing Romantic Tour. After heading over to Australia for the final leg of his Mutts Don’t Heel trek, Leon returned to the States for the BET Awards, where he won best male R&B/pop artist. The trophy joined the other hardware he picked up at 2026 ceremonies, including the American Music Awards (breakthrough R&B artist) and the iHeartRadio Music Awards (two wins). Although Thomas wrapped the Mutt cycle and shared a notably funkier sound with last fall’s PHOLKS EP, he remained present in new music conversations, thanks to his stellar feature run. This year, Thomas’ signature riffs have helped boost songs from Chris Brown (“Fallin’”), Kehlani (“Sweet Nuthins”), Bizzy Crook (“Could Be Worse”), GIVĒON (“Fool Me Once”), Ty Dolla $ign (“Miss U 2”), Disclosure (“Deeper”), 6LACK (“All That Matters”) and Baby Rose (“Friends Again”). Notably, his 2025 Wale collaboration, “Watching Us,” became the second Rhythmic Airplay chart-topper for both artists. How’s that for maintaining momentum? — K.D. Kehlani (2025 Rank: No. 3) Since the last time we updated this list, Kehlani has been on an undeniable run. For fans who’ve been riding with her since the Cloud 19 and You Should Be Here mixtapes, this moment feels long overdue. Over the past decade, Kehlani has consistently delivered some of R&B’s most acclaimed projects, steadily building one of the genre’s strongest catalogs. In 2026, that persistence has translated into full-fledged crossover success. The singer-songwriter earned the first two Grammy Awards of her career in February, taking home best R&B Song and best R&B Performance for the soulful ballad “Folded.” A few months later, she claimed her first BET Award for best female R&B/Pop artist, ending SZA’s three-year reign in the category, while “Folded” also won video of the year. Commercially, Kehlani reached new heights with her self-titled album, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart — her first leader there — while becoming her fourth No. 1 on Top R&B Albums and opening at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. “Folded” became her biggest hit to date, earning both her first Hot 100 top 10 (with its No. 6 peak) and her first No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It also set a new record with 17 consecutive weeks atop Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, the longest reign since the chart launched in 1993. With a massive world tour on deck, Kehlani is also using her platform to spotlight the genre’s future, bringing rising R&B voices including Durand Bernarr, TheARTI$T and WASEEL along as support on select dates. After years of laying the groundwork, 2026 has become the year Kehlani’s excellence has been rewarded on every level — critically, commercially and culturally. — C.C. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up