Hot 100 First-Timer: Bakar Debuts With Viral Smash & Established Radio Hit ‘Hell N Back’

Bakar’s “Hell N Back” first reached Billboard’s charts in December 2019, when the song debuted on Adult Alternative Airplay. More than four years later, it debuts on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated April 20), becoming the singer-songwriter’s first entry on the ranking.

The song, featuring Summer Walker, starts at No. 73 on the Hot 100 with 7.4 million official U.S. streams (up 61%) and 1 million radio airplay audience impressions April 5-11, according to Luminate. (All versions of the song are combined into one listing on Billboard’s charts.) Bakar released the track’s remix with Walker in September 2023.

“Hell N Back” became Bakar’s first overall Billboard chart hit. During its initial run in 2019-20, it spent two weeks at No. 1 on Adult Alternative Airplay and reached No. 10 on Alternative Airplay and No. 16 on Rock & Alternative Airplay. Last year, the song was pushed to pop and adult pop radio and reached No. 18 on Adult Pop Airplay and No. 20 on Pop Airplay. On the all-format Radio Songs chart, it reached No. 48 in September.

When “Hell N Back” hit No. 1 on Adult Alternative Airplay, it made history by completing the longest trip to the top: 27 weeks (passing the 25-week trek of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” in 2009).

The song’s longevity can partly be attributed to multiple viral moments. Particularly, it has been a staple on TikTok. One version has soundtracked more than 120,000 clips, while the Walker remix has been used in more than 800,000. Another portion has been used in more than 60,000. The song was also featured in the trailer for the 2023 Disney/Pixar film Elemental.

Along with debuting on the Hot 100, the single re-enters Hot Alternative Songs at No. 8 and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs at No. 9 (nearly matching its No. 7 peak from last July).

Bakar has charted five other songs on Adult Alternative Airplay, all since “Hell N Back”: “1st Time” (three weeks at No. 1 in 2021), “The Mission” (No. 32 peak, 2021), “Free” (No. 39, 2022), “Good News” (No. 32, 2023) and “Alive!” (No. 7, this February). When “1st Time” hit No. 1, he became the first artist to send two initial chart entries to No. 1 since Lorde in 2013-14 (“Royals” and “Team”).

Bakar (full name Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr) hails from Camden in North London. He has released two studio albums: Nobody’s Home in 2022 and Halo in September. He is currently on his Halo Tour, which runs through September.

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