Rated R&B

Every Friday, Rated R&B brings you the most essential releases of the week. In this week’s edition, Jhené Aiko returns with her first album in six years, while John Legend launches a new era. Plus, Tinashe spoils her fans with a dual drop. Dive into it all below. Jhené Aiko – Westside Whimsy On Jhené Aiko’s first album in six years, Westside Whimsy, the singer chronicles a soul-searching journey that begins with pain and evolves into healing.

Chart Brief is Rated R&B’s weekly column tracking the latest trends across R&B charts. Each week, we’ll break down and analyze the R&B artists making moves on the Billboard, radio, and streaming charts. This edition covers the charts dated Sept. 12, 2026. Billboard Charts Tracks the week’s top Adult R&B hits via 24/7 airplay data from Mediabase and Luminate.

Beyoncé has a new hit on her hands. “Morning Dew (Donk),” a bonus track on the B’Day (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition), rises to No. 1 in its sixth week on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart. It marks Beyoncé’s fourth No. 1 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart and her first visit to the summit since 2022.

Jhené Aiko is back with Westside Whimsy, her first album in six years, via Def Jam. The 20-track set includes the previously shared “Break,” plus features from Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Larry June, Tyga and OHMA. Lamar, a frequent collaborator, appears on “So Good.” The two previously collaborated on “Stay Ready (What a Life)” from Aiko’s 2013 EP Sail Out, and before that “Growing Apart (To Get Closer)” from Lamar’s Overly Dedicated mixtape.

Prince’s vault has yielded another victory. The virtuoso’s posthumous album, Timeless, has debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart. Amid a slate of new arrivals, Timeless is the only new entry on this week’s chart, which remains led by Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The Purple One’s latest offering is his 16th visit to the top 10 and his first since the super deluxe reissue of Diamonds And Pearls peaked at No. 10 in 2023.

Victoria Monét will embark on a headlining tour this fall. This Grammy-winning singer has revealed the dates for her Frequency of Love Tour. “AHHH!! IM SO READY TO SEE YOUUUU,” Monét told her 2.1 million Instagram followers on Thursday (Sept. 10). The 27-city North American leg kicks off Oct. 27 at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh. From there, Monét will visit New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, New York and more. The tour will conclude Dec. 17 at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

If you asked three people to define love, you’re bound to get three different answers. Sure, there may be some overlap in the language, but each person will draw on their own experience to articulate what it means. On Aaron Taylor’s new album “Tell Me of Love!,” the British singer-songwriter and producer spends over 30 minutes contemplating the four-letter word. Taylor balances his deep thoughts with warm, delicate acoustic guitar chords that show up throughout the project.

The Estate of Wilson Pickett has entered into a deal with Primary Wave, an independent music publishing company. Under the partnership, Primary Wave and the estate will work together on Pickett’s iconic music publishing catalog, as well as share in his name, image and likeness rights.

Spotify and Live Nation Urban are bringing RNB X Live to Dallas on Nov. 1 for a one-day festival at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory. Headlined by Dallas native Erykah Badu — who recently returned with Before The World Blows, her first album in 16 years — the festival will include additional performances by H.E.R., kwn, Destin Conrad, Jai’Len Josey and RJTheWeirdo. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday (Sept. 11) at noon CT.

Rising R&B singer Joyce Wrice will release her second album, Machiko, Oct. 9 via BMG Records. The album’s title, which means ‘city girl’ in Japanese, is also Wrice’s middle name and symbolizes a wish for boundless hope.