The first YouKnowIGotSoul podcast of the new year is here. We are joined by our special guest Richard Johnson of Soul Factory NYC to talk about R&B. We start off the podcast talking about some new album releases including Tank's new project "Sex, Love & Pain II”. We talk about the new Hip Hop elements that Tank brought to the new album and compared it to the original “Sex, Love & Pain”. We also talked about Monica’s new album “Code Red” which we all agreed was a very solid project. We also discussed Brandy’s new single “Beggin and Pleadin” and her move from major to indie. We brought up the Brandy article that we featured last week and talked about the state of Brandy’s career and what direction she needs to go into for her next album. Of course we couldn’t do a podcast without talking about Edd’s favorite artist Keith Sweat, so we discussed his new collaboration with Chris Brown. We also talk about the mini Instagram debate that we had with Pleasure P about the last generation's group of young R&B singers. We finished the podcast talking about Toni Braxton’s biopic that just aired on Lifetime.

It's almost the end of the year so we talk about some of the best R&B songs that were released in 2015. We discuss our upcoming year-end countdown and our crtieria for the list. Is it about chart performance or quality? Tom and Kyle also talk about the Soul Train awards and the reception that it got. Babyface just dropped his latest album "Return of the Tender Lover" so we talk about his legacy and the album itself. Lastly we talk about Tank's new partnership with Atlantic Records. He has his own label R&B Money so we talk about potential artists that he can sign.

Ivan Barias is the special guest for this week's edition of the podcast. You may know him as one half of the prodution duo Carvin & Ivan. Together they've played a huge part in introducing the world to Neo Soul music. With a catalog that includes Musiq Soul and Jill Scott, you know this will be an informative podcast. We talk about Musiq Soulchild's career, Jill Scott's legacy and Ivan drops some gems about Faith Evans "Faithfully" album. We also talk about the NBA and who the Michael Jordan of R&B is.

We're finally back with another episode of the R&B Podcast to discuss new music. We talk about upcoming albums for Monica and Tank. We also talk about John Michael's new project. We get into the YKIGS vault and talk stories about the Napster days.

We have R&B artist Noel Gourdin

as our special guest for this podcast. The singer is known for his hit

single “The River” and his CD that he put out last year “City Heart, Southern Soul“.

In this podcast, we talk about the art of R&B duets and what makes

them special. We also talk about the integrity of R&B and what we

need to do to preserve it. The food discussion for this week: What is

your favorite type of pie?

Our special guest for this episode is Gaetano. He's an up-and-coming artist and also a good friend of ours on the site. We talk about the usual music stuff (Janet Jackson and Tamar's latest releases) and we also give new artists some advice when they're submitting music to the site. Gaetano gives us some insight on his career as an indie artist and some of the barriers that come his way. And the food discussion: What's your favorite Halloween candy?

Bobby V joins us on this podcast to talk about his favorite group of all time Jodeci! We talk about their legacy and the impact that their latest album has on it. We also touch on Atlanta culture and how it affects R&B with all the turning up that's going on. He gives us an update on his upcoming project. And if you listen to the whole thing, you'll get to find out how Bobby V, Edd, Tom and Kyle like their eggs done.

RL (formerly of the R&B group Next) joins us on this podcast to talk about the effects of social media on the careers of Justin Bieber and Chris Brown. He brings up the "Why You Always Lying" video that's been floating around Vine. We also discuss if everyone believes Timbaland is the best R&B producer in the post 90's R&B era. We also touch on his upcoming project and the various challenges that come with putting it out. And the food discussion for this week? Find out what RL's childhood sandwich consisted of.

Readers note: This podcast was actually recorded before Podcast #14 which may explain why some of the topics are the same. In this podcast, we highlight some of the producers and artists who have really supported the website. We share some stories and encounters we've had with artists like RL, Musiq Soulchild and Eric Benet. We also talk about the struggle for artists that came from the 2000's to make an impact on radio these days.

Is there an R&B artist that you're looking for? This is the "where

are they now?" edition. We talk about artists like Maxwell, Keri HIlson,

Tevin Campbell and Total. Edd, Tom and Kyle also start their "open mic"

segment where they discuss random R&B topics. The one that sticks

out on this podcast is "What if Timbaland and Ginuwine continued working

together"?