Alt-R&B singer 6LACK has unleashed his fourth album, Love is the New Gangsta, via LVRN/Interscope Records.
The 15-track set is a meditation on the various shades of love: the intricacies of romance, the fulfillment of family, the joys of friendship and community and the necessary work of self-healing. It’s 6LACK as we know him — his signature monotone delivery that he occasionally trades for poetic rhymes — but a more mature version that he has been climbing towards since 2016’s FREE 6LACK.
6LACK told Rolling Stone that he began conceptualizing the album shortly after he and his partner, Quiñ, a fellow alt-R&B artist, welcomed their daughter, Blaze, in 2025. “Before the pregnancy, our relationship was on the rocks,” he told the publication. “I just started to vent and have open conversations about what I was going through, and we just knew we had to make an album about it.”
Love is the New Gangsta was preceded by the singles “Bird Flu,” “Sunday Again” with 2 Chainz and “Ashin’ the Blunt” with Young Thug. The album features additional collaborations with Leon Thomas, AZ Chike, Odeal, Mereba and Quiñ.
“All That Matters,” featuring Thomas and Chike, captures the yearning tunnel vision 6LACK has for his lover, while the Odeal-assisted “On Me” is a vow to protect that union. “Gotta hold it down if you got one,” he sings over jazzy instrumentation.
Quiñ joins him on “Out of Body,” where the two harmonize about a love that transcends time and space. “I’ll love you ’til the moon runs out / Love you ’til the wheels fall off / Love you when I’m feelin’ lost / Love you ’til I found myself,” they sing.
Tracks like the soulful “Vision” and the pop-tinged “I Guess” further highlight 6LACK’s artistic range.
Love is the New Gangsta is the follow-up to 2023’s Since I Have A Lover, another introspective body of work.
Regarding Since I Have A Lover, 6LACK said, “The album is a collection of songs about love, and learning through the pains that come with growth. It’s a reminder that regardless of the outcome, choosing to better yourself, and sharing that experience with the people around you, has a lasting effect.”
The Grammy-nominated project featured collaborations with Don Toliver, India Shawn, QUIN, Ty Dolla $ign and Wale. 6LACK supported the album on his Since I Have A Lover World Tour.
Stream 6LACK’s Love is the New Gangsta below.
