‘Something’ Special: Eric Benét & Tamar Braxton Top Adult R&B Airplay

The combined might of Eric Benét and Tamar Braxton helps both artists reclaim the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart after a considerable absence. Their duet, “Something We Can Make Love To,” climbs from the runner-up spot to lead the list dated Nov. 23 and was the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the Nov. 8 – 14 tracking week, according to Luminate.

With its ascent, “Something,” released on Benét’s JBR label, bumps Tyrese’s “Wildflower” from the summit after the latter’s two-week command.

“Something” gives Benét his fourth No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay and first leader in 14 years. He first ruled in 1999 with “Spend My Life With You,” featuring Tamia, a five-week champ, and followed with “You’re The Only One” (five weeks, 2008) and “Sometimes I Cry” (five, 2010).

The decade-plus wait for a new No. 1 puts Benét among peers who recently completed spells between leaders: Wildflower” was Tyrese’s first Adult R&B Airplay No. 1 in nine years, while Kenny Lattimore’s “Take a Dose” topped the chart in February 2023, the performer’s first coronation since “For You” in April 1997 – just two months shy of 26 years.

Braxton, meanwhile, achieves her second No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay, after “Love and War” conquered the radio ranking for nine weeks in 2013.

Between their last leaders, both Benét and Braxton have been within one spot of adding a new No. 1 to their counts. Benét’s “Sunshine” reached a No. 2 peak in 2016, having been held back from the top spot by Ro James’ “Permission.”

In Braxton’s case, both of the singer’s two most recent entries on the chart, 2020’s “Crazy Kind of Love” and 2023’s “Changed,” both peaked at No. 2. The former parked in the runner-up rank for two weeks, unable to overcome Charlie Wilson’s “What I Got,” while the latter’s five-week stretch with the silver medal fell behind Janelle Monae’s “Lipstick Lover” for one frame and October London’s “Back to Your Place” for a month.

Elsewhere, “Something” drives 19-15 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by combined audience totals from the panel-monitored adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, the single jumps to 5.9 million in format audience, up 9% from the prior week.

Airplay gains, in turn, power the track’s No. 24 debut on the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart, which blends streaming, radio airplay and song sales for its calculations. The entrance marks Benét’s second visit to the 12-year-old list, after “News for You” in 2013, and Braxton’s ninth appearance.

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