After releasing K.T.S.E. in 2018, Teyana Taylor dropped her third studio album, titled The Album, on June 19, or Juneteenth—a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States.

As for the Juneteenth release date, Taylor “felt like it was only right” because “it’s a celebration for my culture and my people, to show that no matter what we go through, we always pull through.”

The Album has several unique features; Taylor’s husband Iman Shumpert, their daughter Junie, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Kehlani, Big Sean, Future, Quavo, Rick Ross and more.

After some controversy over the release of K.T.S.E., Taylor felt unhappy with the length and lack of control when GOOD Music released her second studio album. With The Album, however, Taylor expresses her full “creative control with great features,” according to hip-hop analyst Quran Maiben. “The Album demonstrates Taylor’s complete authority with 23 tracks, compared to her shorter, previous albums,” Maiben added.

The Album debuted at 8 on the Billboard 200, Taylor’s first top ten album, and the project is split up into smaller “studios”:

According to Teyana, each studio is matched with an emotional profile:

• Studio A (tracks 1-5): love songs
• Studio L (tracks 6-10): sexuality
• Studio B (tracks 11-14): self-worth
• Studio U (tracks 15-18): vulnerability
• Studio M (tracks 19-23): triumph

🔥 Best Tracks: “Come Back to Me”, “Wake Up Love”, “Lowkey”, “69” and “Try Again”.

🎥 Visuals: Check out the music video for “Wake Up Love (ft. IMAN)”, which is nearing four million views in three weeks, below ⬇