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ON THE RISE
There’s a time for looking back. For R&B singer Morgan Taylor, it’s all about moving forward.
In her new R&B single, “Outside That’s PeriodT,” Morgan wants the world to know that “Imma still do me.” And nothing is going to hold her down.
The song starts with what sounds like keyboards recorded backwards, evoking the love she is leaving in the past. But with the first line, the beat drops and she makes it clear that she has no plans of moving backwards herself, singing, “I can say I love you / But I really don’t.”
Morgan explains the song as follows: “Well, ‘Outside That’s PeriodT’ is that 90s early 2000s vibe, nostalgic feeling. It’s about being in the cuffing season in the winter and fall, and then when you hit summer…you outside. By yourself…loving on yourself and doing you.”
Just like “Outside That’s PeriodT” is an anthem for moving on, Morgan Taylor doesn’t like to stay in one place. Based in St. Louis, she recently completed a degree at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. She recorded “Outside That’s PeriodT” at the Atlanta Sound Factory, where she has worked with a production and writing team including Jeremiah Adkins, Amore Jones, Gavin Gray, and Xavier (Eks) Hayes.
Morgan’s rise has been moving at a rapid pace. With a handful of early singles beginning in 2020, Morgan broke through in early 2025 with her debut EP. This concept project traces the arc of a relationship from first spark to heartbreak. It resonated with fans, racking up more than 1.5 million streams.
As those numbers suggest, Morgan’s audience is growing fast. Her YouTube channel alone jumped from just over 300 subscribers to more than 8,500 in the past year. Her fans there praise her throwback R&B sound and powerhouse vocals.
For Morgan Taylor, though, it’s more than numbers. In addition to her deep admiration for classic R&B, including the great singers like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, Morgan sees herself as a voice for her generation. Her songs particularly speak to young women, in a way that is both confessional and empowering.
As Morgan says, “It's about recognizing your own value and having the bravery or the courage to want something better. I want to create a community where young women can celebrate themselves.”
“Outside (That’s PeriodT)” is a teaser for big things coming. The single will be the lead single on a new EP due in early 2026. And with plans for a college tour and live performances in St. Louis and beyond, Morgan is eager to showcase her dynamic voice and performance style, and to make closer contact with her fans.
In other words, Morgan Taylor isn’t just outside, and she isn’t just moving on. She’s moving up.
Stream “Outside (That’s PeriodT)” everywhere now. Follow Morgan Taylor at the links below:
ON THE RISE
Clinton Brand III – better known as CBIII – is a California-based rapper. His new single, titled “I Won’t Quit,” is a motivational and relatable message for everyone “going through it.”
The track, with a beat by Tunna Beats, has a Blurry Face vibe. It starts with a violin and the soft “ahh”s of featured singer Alex Brinkley. When the beat drops, piano, bass and drums enter along with CBIII’s lyrical meditations on “overthinking, contemplating, and debating” why he “won’t quit.”
As the final line makes clear, the song is a study in contradictory mindsets. There’s the fear of failure – what if I’m not good enough? – and then the contrast of relentlessness as stated in the title.
The lyrics of the song’s final quattrain are especially strong. Beginning with an example of CBIII’s wordplay (phenomenal and astronomical anomaly), the final message is one of inspiration: I’m tired of this, so I’m going to make it better.
This struggle with nagging self-doubt and overthinking makes “I Won’t Quit” very relatable. In the end, CBIII wants listeners to be inspired, to not give in when they find themselves in similar circumstances.
Brand’s inspiration for “I Won’t Quit” was intensely personal. Following the death of his parents at a young age, he was raised by his grandmother and then was placed in foster care. A recent visit found his grandmother’s memory fading; this was painful, considering that she had once been his biggest supporter.
This episode left him feeling abandoned, in a dark place.
He says, “I wrote the song ‘I Won’t Quit’ because at that time I was suicidal. I didn’t have nobody else to turn to because my grandma didn’t really care anymore.”
The vulnerability expressed in the lyrics made CBIII unsure if he wanted to release the song at all. He says, “I actually sat on the song for like five months before even thinking about releasing it because it’s so close to home that I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have the courage to share it.”
Now that the song is out, its vulnerability is its strength. Brand’s struggle is real, and the general contours – missing family support, doubting yourself, knowing you need to persevere – will be familiar to many.
In addition to his personal desire to live up his dream of greatness, Brand has another reason not to give up: his younger brother, who is currently in foster care. Knowing his brother looks up to him, he wants to remind him that giving in to doubt is the easy way out.
Brand says, “I want to encourage him, to show him that if you set your mind to it, bro, there’s nothing you can’t do.”
In the end, CBIII wants listeners to learn from his pain, to ask themselves, “What if I don’t give up?”
Stream “I Won’t Quit” now, wherever you listen to music.
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