Tems now has four No. 1s on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, and the path she took to get there is genuinely unlike almost anyone else’s in recent memory. “What You Need,” out via Since 93/RCA Records, climbed from No. 2 to the top of the chart dated July 4, making it the most-played song on panel-contributing mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the U.S. for the June 19-25 tracking week, per Luminate.
What makes this run particularly worth tracking is how different each of her four No. 1s has been. Her first came as a featured artist on Wizkid’s “Essence,” which spent 10 weeks at the top in 2021 and essentially announced to American radio that Afrobeats wasn’t going anywhere.
From there, she appeared on Future’s “Wait for U” alongside Drake in 2022, a track that went on to hold the No. 1 spot for a then-record 16 weeks. That’s a number that still stands out when you look at the chart’s history.
She also topped the chart that same year with her own solo cut “Free Mind,” which led for two weeks and showed she could carry a No. 1 without a co-sign from one of rap’s biggest names. Now “What You Need” adds a fourth, this time on her own terms again and with the momentum of a late-night TV performance at the 2026 BET Awards behind it.
The song knocked Rick Ross, French Montana, and Max B’s “Minks in Miami” off the top spot, sending that track sliding from No. 1 down to No. 5 in a single week. That’s a sharp drop, and it signals that “What You Need” isn’t just edging past the competition.
From a radio programming perspective, the climb from No. 2 to No. 1 reflects a steady build in spins rather than a sudden spike, which tends to suggest sustained listener demand rather than a one-week push. That kind of airplay pattern usually means a song has real staying power at the format.
Tems’ Vibe Initiative also recently released a mini documentary called “72 Hours in Lagos,” spotlighting three rising female producers, which keeps her name in cultural conversations beyond just chart performance. She’s been deliberate about building something larger than a singles run, and that context matters when you’re looking at why radio programmers keep coming back to her music.
Four No. 1s across five years, spanning featured appearances, major collaborations, and solo records, puts her in a category of artists who’ve managed to stay relevant at American radio without compromising the Afrobeats core of what she does. That’s not easy, and plenty of artists who had one crossover moment never found a way back.
What You Need” is still climbing, and with the BET Awards performance adding fresh visibility to the track, the conversation around how long it holds the top spot is just getting started.
