Matt B is a Chicago-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter., known globally for crafting romantically-driven, chart topping R&B: His debut, Love & War and his sophomore album Dive landed at #1 on the iTunes R&B charts. Building upon a rapidly growing profile, 2018’s Bryan-Michael Cox-produced EP Rise and his 2021 Cox and Tricky Stewart-co-produced Stateside debut, 2021’s EDEN landed in the Top 40 on Billboard‘s R&B Albums, Digital Albums, Heatseekers and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Charts.
The Chicago-born, Los Angeles-based global R&B artist’s highly-anticipated forthcoming EP ALKEBULAN is slated for a spring release through Vitae Records. The EP derives its name from the ancient name of African, and sees the acclaimed, chart-topping artist paying homage to his African ancestry while further tapping into the Afrobeats-inspired sound he has developed and honed over the course of the past couple of releases.
“ALKEBULAN is a body of work that searches for identity and the longing to reconnect with the Motherland and my people,” Matt B explains. “In search of this identity, I found that the heartbeat of it all is rooted in love. When I first stepped foot on the continent of Africa, that longing for home and search of identity was finally fulfilled. This EP encompasses the summation of this journey.”
The EP features the previously released “Get Down Mami,” and “Gimme Love,” feat. Eddy Kenzo, which received a Best Global Music Performance nomination at this year’s Grammy Awards. The track has also received critical acclaim and commercial success, debuting in the Top 50 on Billboard US Afrobeats Songs Charts, and took home top prizes at the MUSE Creative Awards, Global Music Awards, LIT Talent Awards, and New York International Film Awards — all while amassing over five million streams across digital platforms.
“Gimme Love” is a crowd-pleasing, bop rooted in slick, modern production featuring glistening synth arpeggios, processed and chopped up vocal samples, skittering tribal-influenced beats paired with euphoric hooks, serving as a silky, sultry bed for Mike B’s plaintive and achingly vulnerable delivery and Eddy Kenzo’s smooth, easy-going and soulful flow. The end result is a song that’s both club and lounge friendly while being a sweetly earnest love song.
Directed by PhillyFlyBoy, the accompanying video for “Gimme Love” featuring the two collaborations and a collection of some of the most beautiful sisters I’ve ever seen — in beautiful Africa. Give me this all the time!
