Aaliyah Earns Her First Adult R&B Airplay No. 1 With Posthumous Single, “Gone” Featuring Tank

Over 30 years after Aaliyah‘s debut, the beloved singer has posthumously earned her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart with her newest single, “Gone” featuring Tank.

It rose from No. 2 following a 23% surge in weekly plays, according to Luminate. Previously, Aaliyah’s “Back and Forth” peaked No. 6 back in June 1994 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart while her cover of The Isley Brothers’ “At Your Best (You Are Love),” peaked No. 4 that November. Prior to her August 2001 death, she made it onto the chart nine times.

“Gone” marks Tank’s 10th No. 1 Adult R&B Airplay hit. He ties with Charlie Wilson and Usher for the most hits among male artists and is the sixth artist overall to reach double digits on the chart mark since its ranking began in September 1993. Alicia Keys ranks first overall with 14.

The “Gone” feat comes nearly two months after the crooner spoke out against the song’s release.

When it dropped on Aug. 1, Tank wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post, “The Aaliyah song you are hearing featuring myself I did out of love for her. I had concerns and I expressed them. From the track, to the vocals, to the mix, and to the visual. I STILL went forward knowing I would at least be able to approve the final products. I haven’t approved one thing you’ve heard or seen.”

He explained that he heard the final result when fans did. “Me thinking people had changed was my mistake and I own it,” Tank continued. Fans assumed the “people” he was referring to was Barry Hankerson of Blackground Records, but he didn’t namedrop anyone specific.

Tank concluded the post by noting, “Aaliyah deserves better! My silence would only imply that I support this and I can no longer…” He captioned the statement by saying that “Gone” was “supposed to be something good to preserve and continue the legacy of the amazing Aaliyah.”

Tank added, “This is not it. I’m out.”

“Gone” is reportedly set to appear on a full-length posthumous Aaliyah album.