Rihanna’s 2016 album, Anti, has reached a new milestone, cracking the top 40 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart, a decade after its initial release, according to Forbes reporting on Wednesday.
The unexpected resurgence of Anti coincides with heightened anticipation for the singer’s long-awaited ninth studio album. Rihanna first hinted at new music nearly a year ago, in February 2025, telling Harper’s Bazaar she had spent eight years working on the project and finally “cracked the code” regarding its direction. She described the forthcoming album as something “not going to be anything that anybody expects,” and explicitly stated it would not be “commercial or radio digestible.”
Rihanna has been largely absent from music since the release of Anti in January 2016. Her last credited musical appearance was on N.E.R.D.’s 2017 song, “Lemon.” During her hiatus, she has focused on expanding her Fenty business empire, encompassing Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin and Savage X Fenty.
The artist acknowledged the pressure to deliver a worthy successor to Anti, telling Harper’s Bazaar she needed to show fans “the worth in the wait” and avoid releasing “anything mediocre.” She also dismissed rumors that the new album would be reggae-focused, stating it has “no genre.”
Fans have referred to the upcoming album as “R9” throughout the nine-year period since Anti’s release. Rihanna has released eight studio albums to date, with her discography including two remix albums, one reissue, seven box sets, and three extended plays, according to Wikipedia. She has earned nine Grammy Awards throughout her career.
Rihanna’s annual Savage X Fenty fashion show is scheduled to be released on Amazon Prime Video on November 9th, featuring performances by Burna Boy and Anitta, and appearances by Sheryl Lee Ralph, Cara Delevingne and Simu Liu.
