Robert Glasper releases new album ‘Black Radio III’
ROBERT GLASPER
RELEASES NEW ALBUM
BLACK RADIO III
FEATURING KILLER MIKE, TY DOLLA $IGN, H.E.R., Q-TIP, ESPERANZA SPALDING, JENNIFER HUDSON, COMMON AND MORE, OUT NOW ON
LOMA VISTA RECORDINGS
LISTEN to Black Radio III
2022 not only marks the 10 year anniversary of Robert Glasper’s era-defining, Grammy–winning album Black Radio but also Glasper’s solo return as he today releases the highly anticipated third installment, Black Radio III.
Glasper’s contribution to music and culture spans over two decades, forming an exceptional legacy that permeates throughout contemporary art and advocacy. A project brought together by both new and old friends further proves Glasper to be one of the most respected collaborators of his generation and Black Radio III to be a masterclass in hip-hop, R&B and jazz fusion that will sonically define the next decade.
Like its predecessors, the new studio album celebrates Black joy, love and resilience and features the Grammy-winning single “Better Than I Imagined” with H.E.R and Meshell Ndgeocello. Killer Mike, BJ The Chicago Kid, and Big K.R.I.T. unify in “Black Superhero”, a track that lifts up real-life Black heroes, while Lalah Hathaway and Common put a fresh spin on “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, a nod to the Tears For Fears classic.
Glasper also creates space on BR3 for songs like Q-Tip and Esperanza Spalding’s versatile and driving “While We Speak” and “Over”, Yebba’s sweet-winded plea to a fleeting love. Black Radio III’s guests also include Jennifer Hudson, Ty Dolla $ign, Ant Clemons, India.Arie, Musiq Soulchild, PJ Morton and more. Since announcing the album in early 2022, Glasper has joined Trevor Noah for an interview and performance of “Heaven’s Here” with Ant Clemons on The Daily Show and was backed by The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a special MLK Day performance of “In Tune” and “Black Superhero” featuring Rapsody, DJ Jazzy Jeff, BJ The Chicago Kid and Amir Sulaiman.
Glasper has also partnered with Record Store Day and FAMS, the coalition of Black-owned independent US record stores, as an ambassador for A Day of Action, Sunday February 27th. Accounting for less than 2% of all indie owned stores, today an estimated 30 Black-owned independent record stores still exist nationwide. While the industry annually comes together to encourage purchasing physical product to support a struggling sector of music retail, never before has the spotlight been put on the few remaining Black-owned independent stores. As Black History Month comes to a close, A Day of Action is a call to consciousness for consumers to support Black-owned independent record stores- more information can be found at https://blackownedrecordstores.com.
The 4x Grammy and Emmy winning artist, composer and producer made history a decade ago with the release of Black Radio as the first album to debut in the top 10 of 4 different genre charts simultaneously: Hip Hop, R&B, Urban Contemporary, Jazz and Contemporary Jazz, as did the follow-up album Black Radio 2. The ongoing Black Radio brand has become synonymous with Black music culture and has placed Glasper alongside some of music’s most legendary- from early days with J Dilla, Bilal and Yasiin Bey to playing alongside Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Herbie Hancock, Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, Brandy and more.
Glasper is nominated for two 2022 Grammys, including Best Progressive R&B Album for Dinner Party (Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington and 9th Wonder) and Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Born Again” with Leon Bridges.
Black Radio lll is available now on all formats- digital, CD, and 2xLP vinyl (exclusive to Glasper’s webstore) via Loma Vista Recordings. In support of today’s album release, Glasper will be embarking on an UK/EU tour across March and April including a show at London’s Hackney Church on April 9.
BLACK RADIO lll TRACKLIST
1. In Tune ft. Amir Sulaiman
2. Black Superhero ft. Killer Mike + BJ The Chicago Kid + Big K.R.I.T.
3. Shine ft. D Smoke + Tiffany Gouché
4. Why We Speak ft. Q-Tip + Esperanza Spalding
5. Over ft. Yebba
6. Better Than I Imagined ft. H.E.R. + Meshell Ndegeocello
7. Everybody Wants To Rule the World ft. Lalah Hathaway + Common
8. Everybody Love ft. Musiq Soulchild + Posdnuos
9. It Don’t Matter ft. Gregory Porter + Ledisi
10. Heaven’s Here ft. Ant Clemons
11. Out of My Hands ft Jennifer Hudson
12. Forever ft. PJ Morton + India.Arie
13. Bright Lights (with Ty Dolla $ign)
‘Black Superhero’ artwork
Press photo credit Mancy Gant