Billboard chooses its top R&B albums of the year, featuring sets from SZA, Summer Walker, GIVEON and many more. There’s one thing you can say about 2025 musically: it was a very good year for R&B.

In 1992, the world was formally introduced to Mary J. Blige in her “Real Love” music video. The image of a young Black woman, rocking an oversized baseball jersey, a backwards cap, and singing over a ...