Alicia Keys' 'Here' Turns 10 on Nov. 4: 50K No. 2 Debut and 5 Deep Cuts Ranked

Alicia Keys released her sixth studio album, Here, on Nov. 4, 2016, through RCA Records, which makes today, Nov. 4, 2026, its 10th anniversary. It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 50,000 units, according to Rolling Stone's chart report and the Associated Press. Critics praised its raw, urgent sound, Swizz Beatz co-produced several tracks, and A$AP Rocky is the only feature.

What we know

• Release: Nov. 4, 2016, on RCA. It was her first album in four years, following Girl on Fire (2012), per the album's Wikipedia entry).
• Producers: Keys, Mark Batson, Swizz Beatz, Illangelo, Jimmy Napes and Pharrell Williams. A$AP Rocky, on "Blended Family (What You Do for Love)," is the only guest.
• Rollout: Keys headlined the Here in Times Square concert special on Oct. 9, 2016. BET aired it on Nov. 3, the night before the album dropped.
• Debut week: No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 50,000 units, behind Bon Jovi's This House Is Not for Sale at 129,000, Rolling Stone reported. Of those 50,000, 42,000 were pure album sales, per Wikipedia's Billboard-sourced chart section).
• Same chart, different energy: Rae Sremmurd's SremmLife 2 jumped back to No. 5 that week, pushed by "Black Beatles" and the Mannequin Challenge, per Rolling Stone.
• R&B crown: Here became Keys' seventh No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It also hit No. 1 on the UK R&B Albums chart, though it peaked at No. 21 on the main UK Albums Chart.
• Reviews: A Metacritic score of 76 from 14 reviews.
• Singles: "In Common" (May 4, 2016), which only made the international editions, and "Blended Family" (Oct. 7, 2016).

Context

Here was the second of Keys' six studio albums to miss No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The other, 2009's The Element of Freedom, also stalled at No. 2, Rolling Stone noted. By May 2017 it had sold 131,000 copies worldwide, per figures cited on Wikipedia).

Keys wasn't worried. Asked about her goals in an AP interview during release week, she said, "I already won." She told the AP she felt she had carved out her own lane.

For rap fans, this is the Keys album that rewards a revisit. The samples come straight from the canon: Wu-Tang and Tribe, with Swizz Beatz producing alongside Keys and Mark Batson on the best of them.

5 deep cuts, ranked

Our picks, not a chart. The credits and runtimes come from the album's track listing).

1. "She Don't Really Care_1 Luv" (6:07). The centerpiece. It samples A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum," and Kamaal Fareed (Q-Tip) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad get writing credits.
2. "The Gospel" (3:01). The real opener. It samples "Shaolin Brew," written by RZA, Inspectah Deck and Raekwon.
3. "Pawn It All" (3:10). Keys, Batson and Swizz Beatz producing, with Harold Lilly among the writers. Short, blunt and one of the hardest-hitting beats on the album.
4. "Illusion of Bliss" (5:23). The second-longest track on the standard edition, built by the same Keys, Batson and Swizz trio.
5. "Holy War" (4:22). The standard edition's closer, produced with Illangelo, who also produced "In Common."

What's unconfirmed

We found no official 10th-anniversary reissue, vinyl or tour date for Here from Keys or RCA as of Nov. 4, 2026. If one gets announced, we'll update.

Which Here track belongs at No. 1: "She Don't Really Care" or "Blended Family" with Rocky?