THE WEEK IN R&B, November 1, 2026
nomi. and Qiuntellii lead a busy Friday, Usher and Chris Brown top the Boxscore, and B2K's ECLIPSE is next.
THE BIG FRIDAY
nomi. released this wolf may cry on October 30 via earth angel records, 13 songs including “r u?” and “right/left.” Qiuntellii followed with Room Service, 10 songs led by “J.L.U” with BJRNCK, and Aaron Frazer's six-song Corners EP arrived on Dead Oceans.
Kirk Franklin's I Am What I Am brings in Jelly Roll on “Free Me Tonight” and Davido on “Hope In You,” and Mariah Carey marked 25 years of Glitter with a deluxe edition expanded to 27 tracks.
SINGLES WORTH YOUR TIME
Snoh Aalegra shared “Just Friends” on October 28, her third single ahead of Legendary Love on November 13, and opened a sign-up asking fans where she should play in 2027. Leela James released “What U Need” with a video, Lalah Hathaway and J. Ivy shared “47th Street (Remix),” and Sentury brought in Jagged Edge for “Enough.” Bobby V and Nivea teamed up on “Quiet Storm,” Goapele returned with “Way You Love Me,” and Keith Sweat and Pleasure P dropped the video for “Make a New Body.” From the vault, Prince's “Time Of Ur Life” previews the 3121 expanded edition due December 11.
THE NEWS
Usher and Chris Brown's The R&B Tour topped Billboard's monthly Boxscore for September with $77.4 million and 423,000 tickets across 10 shows. They are the first co-headliners to share No. 1 since the monthly chart began in 2019, and it is Usher's first monthly No. 1. BET named Elmiene the recipient of the New Soul Honor at the Soul Train Awards, where he will also perform when the show airs November 27 on BET and CBS.
We also said goodbye to Melvin Sephus, a founding member of Cleveland's The Rude Boys, whose “Written All Over Your Face” and “Are You Lonely For Me” both reached No. 1 on Billboard's R&B chart. He was 61.
ON SOUND RNB
SOUND RNB WEEKLY was refreshed Friday with six new songs, led by nomi.'s “r u?,” which also tops this week's Friday Rankings. SOUND RNB RISING added five, including Debbie's “Superwoman” and Tanerélle's “Save Me,” and “Just Friends” joined SOUND RNB SLOW JAMS. We also launched SOUND RNB HOLIDAY on Spotify and Apple Music, a seasonal collection of R&B Christmas classics and modern holiday songs.
NEXT WEEK
B2K release ECLIPSE on Friday, November 6, the reunited group's new album with Omarion, J-Boog, Raz-B and Lil Fizz. Louis York, the duo of Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony, share their third album, The Heart of the Matter, the same day via Weirdo Workshop, led by “I Found a Home.” Dawuna's Love's Arp, BINA.'s SOFT RAGE mixtape and Justin Garner's songs you can feel + round out the Friday.
ON STAGE
Victoria Monét brings the Frequency Of Love Tour to Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte on Thursday, November 5, after the show moved indoors. LAYA opens her Lipstick N Leather Tour on Saturday, November 7 in Atlanta, a five-city run through November 24 in Philadelphia, with Atlanta and Los Angeles already sold out.
See you Friday.
