adult R&B
Coco Jones achieves her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” crowns the list dated Dec. 14. The single advances from No. 2 after a 9% surge in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending Dec. 5, according to Luminate.
“Here We Go (Uh Oh),” released and promoted through High Standardz/Def Jam/Republic, captures the top slot with the weekly Greatest Gainer honor, given to the song with the largest play increase among the chart’s 30 titles. With the rise, Jones topples fellow Def Jam labelmate Muni Long, whose “Ruined Me,” last week’s leader, slips to No. 2 after two weeks in charge.
Prior to “Here We Go,” Jones’ best showing on Adult R&B Airplay was the No. 2 finish for her breakthrough single, “ICU.” The track peaked in the runner-up spot for two weeks in September 2023, trailing October London’s “Back to Your Place.” In addition to the pair of hits, Jones also has placed a third track on the radio ranking: “Spend the Night,” a collaboration with BJ the Chicago Kid, reached No. 21 in January.
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The coronation also returns an R&B classic to the conversation, thanks to “Here We Go” sampling Lenny Williams’ “’Cause I Love You.” The scorching ballad, released in 1978, has been the backbone of several other hits, perhaps most known in Twista’s “Overnight Celebrity,” which reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004.
Elsewhere, “Here We Go” rises 12-11 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, the single returns within two spots of its No. 9 peak after reaching 8.6 million in audience impressions for the week, a 2% gain. Before triumphing at the adult R&B format, “Here We Go” was a hit with mainstream audiences in recent months and climbing to No. 7 on the plays-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.
Airplay gains, in turn, help “Here We Go” breaks into the top five (6-5) on the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart, which blends radio audience with streaming and sales data for its standings. With its climb, it becomes Jones’ highest-charting hit there, surpassing the No. 6 result of “ICU.”
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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
Maxwell captures the No. 1 rank on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart for the first time in over two years as his single “Simply Beautiful” crowns the list dated Oct. 12. Rising from No. 2, the track was the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the tracking week of Sept. 27 – Oct. 3, according to Luminate, and improved 9% in plays.
With his chart-topping cover, Maxwell collects his ninth No. 1 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart. He matches Tank and Usher for the fourth-most leaders since the list began in 1993; the trio trail only Alicia Keys (14), Toni Braxton (11) and Charlie Wilson (10) on the overall leaderboard.
“Simply Beautiful,” distributed through Musze/BMG, is a cover of an Al Green track that the soul legend released on a 1972 album, I’m Still In Love With You. Though the cover is Maxwell’s first studio-released rendition of the song, the singer has performed the track live for years, including at the 2008 BET Awards when Green received the lifetime achievement award.
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“Hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay radio chart for a ninth time with my take on an Al Green’s ‘Simply Beautiful’ is an honor,” Maxwell tells Billboard. “Al is a true legend and force, and I was amazed from the first time I heard his music. It reminds me of the impact that great music can have, and I’m just thankful to be part of it.”
As “Simply Beautiful” joins Maxwell’s No. 1 collection on the radio chart, here’s an updated recap of his nine champs:
“Fortunate,” 18 weeks at No. 1, beginning May 22, 1999“Lifetime,” 15, Sept. 29, 2001“Pretty Wings,” 12, July 4, 2009“Bad Habits,” nine, Oct. 10, 2009“Fistful of Tears,” two, April 17, 2010“Fire We Make,” with Alicia Keys, seven, June 22, 2013“Lake By The Ocean,” 10, June 18, 2016“Off,” two, April 2, 2022“Simply Beautiful,” one (to date), Oct. 12, 2024
Maxwell’s last three Adult R&B Airplay appearances – 2019 single “Shame,” which reached No. 8, “Off” and “Simply Beautiful” – have so-far been standalone singles. The Grammy Award-winner’s last album, blackSUMMERS’night, was released in 2016.
Elsewhere, “Simply Beautiful” advances 15-12 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, the cover single registered 5.7 million in audience, an 18% jump from the prior week. The three-spot climb makes it Maxwell’s best showing on the chart since “Lake By the Ocean” also reached No. 12, in 2016.
After earning a Grammy Award for best R&B performance with her 2022 R&B/pop breakthrough hit “Hrs and Hrs,” Muni Long is back with a new album, Revenge, today (Aug. 30) on The Muni Long Inc./Def Jam Recordings. The sophomore follow-up to Public Displays of Affection: The Album also arrives with two hits already in tow: “Made for Me” and “Make Me Forget.” The latter recently marked Long’s first No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay.
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The singer-songwriter describes the 14-track Revenge (listen HERE) in press materials as “one big diary entry.” Aside from its latest single, the soulful ballad “Ruined Me,” the project features more noteworthy songs like the introspective “30s” (“The first song I actually wrote for the album”), opening anthem “Superpowers” and uptempo BFF ode “Bessie.”
From start to finish, Revenge brims with frank, raw emotion and relatable scenarios. That’s thanks to Long’s insightful penmanship, like this line from “Superpowers”: “How come my superpowers don’t work on you and me.” There’s also Long’s appealing voice, for which she shouts out vocal producer Kuk Harrell: “We just mesh; he knows how to pull it out of me.” Additional Revenge collaborators include hitmakers Christopher “Tricky” Stewart (“Make Me Forget,” which includes an interpolation of D’Angelo’s “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”), Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman (“Ruined Me”) and Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox (“Made for Me”).
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Long had recently ended her opening act stint on Chris Brown’s 11:11 Tour, which wrapped in early August, when Billboard caught up with her during an airport layover. At one point in the phone interview, she said Revenge is going to be “the R&B album of the year.
“First of all, you have to be a bit deluded to do this [music],” she continued with a laugh. “But I have to believe that even before the album is finished. I had to know that’s what I wanted to do as I’m doing it because that energy and that frequency have to be infused into the music. That’s something a lot of music is missing on the energetic and confidence level — before anyone else validates you. You can tell that I didn’t just throw these tracks together. This project was well thought out and well-intentioned. People are going to appreciate that, and resonate with the music on a deeper level.”
What lessons did you learn as an opening act on your first arena tour?
It was like a big singalong every night. I’ve done three shows on my own since Chris’ tour ended and these crowds came with the expectation of hearing great songs. They want to hear R&B music. I understand it’s not normal for a new artist to be on their first tour doing arenas, right? So I don’t take that for granted. I learned a lot: how to work the crowd; how to coexist with the audience and not be up there like I’m separate from them. It felt like a masterclass working with Chris because he’s such an incredible live performer. I only had 30 minutes. So I don’t know how he was doing it for two-and-a-half hours at the energy level he was giving, dancing and full-out singing. It was a crazy, amazing experience.
What was it like working with Mariah Carey on the “Made for Me” remix?
The fact that she even said yes was just like, wow. I grew up listening to her, Whitney [Houston] and Celine [Dion]. So not only was it an honor but I got to have my name next to hers [laughs]. Mariah is also an excellent vocal producer, producer and songwriter. I don’t think she gets the credit she deserves. Working with her as an artist and, prior to that a songwriter, was probably one of the most memorable, precious experiences that I’ve had in music. But working with her, she never made you feel like she’s this big personality. It was always, “I have you here because I want your essence, your vibe. I want you to do what you do.”
Now you’re in promotion mode for Revenge. What sparked the creative direction behind this album?
Sometimes I’ll get the itch that I just need to write. Or I’ll hear a conversation or a piece of music that will inspire a lyric. I didn’t really have a specific theme as to what this album was going to be about. It was, “I like this song. It’s really good and I want to keep it.” From there it was about narrowing them down. I had like 18 songs when I first got with Tricky. So I let him shape the album and the track listing — something I normally would have done. But I kind of stepped back, allowing myself to make the art and let somebody else help me form the picture. This is the first time I’ve done that.
How did the title track come about?
We were in the studio, and The-Dream came by just to visit. I remember looking around the room, and there’s Tricky, Kuk Harrell, Theron Thomas, The-Dream and me. There’s no way I’m about to have all these powerful people in this room and not get a song [laughs]. And if you’ve ever been around The-Dream, you know he loves to go back and forth. So we get to arguing about relationships, men and women and how we treat each other … what’s the angle? Somehow we get to where, at a certain point, all the tit for tat isn’t necessary: It’s I don’t even want revenge. I just want you to go on somewhere. That’s when we started writing the lyric. Actually, Dream texted what I said, went into a booth and freestyled the entire melody for the verse and chorus. He’s like, “OK, I’m done.” Then Theron and I took that and just basically wrote my story; like, this is what I’m going through right now. Because it’s so close to home I was like, “This is the title.” The best revenge is success.
In your press materials, you note the journey to this career moment took 17 years. Did you ever lose faith while pivoting from songwriter to singer-songwriter?
If I’d known that it was going to take this long, I’d have probably done something else [laughs]. I got super impatient. I was ready to quit many times. But I think there’s something to be said about listening to your gut. Every time I wanted to walk away, I was like, “No, what else am I going to do?” This is where my heart is and that really kept me going. I spent a lot of time writing songs for other people [Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson]. But I don’t regret that because I learned so much. That’s why I’m able to write songs the way that I do. So everything happens exactly how it should.
Usher completes an R&B/hip-hop radio takeover as “Good Good,” featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage, ascends to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. The track climbs from No. 3 to lead the list dated Nov. 18, after a 20% improvement in weekly plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending Nov. 9, according to Luminate.
With the coronation, “Good Good” has now topped all three of Billboard’s core R&B/hip-hop airplay charts. Prior to its Adult R&B Airplay reign, the single ruled the plays-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and audience-based R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts for two weeks each. It’s the second song this year to pull off the triple-play, following Tems’ “Free Mind.”
Thanks to “Good Good,” Usher achieves his eighth No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay, pushing him into a five-way tie for the second-most champs among male artists in the chart’s history. He now equals Bruno Mars, Kem, Maxwell and Tank’s career totals on the radio ranking, with all just one behind Charlie Wilson’s nine leaders. Among all acts, Alicia Keys ranks first, with 14 No. 1s.
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As “Good Good” brings Usher more good news on the charts, here’s an updated review of his No. 1 collection on Adult R&B Airplay:
“Here I Stand,” seven weeks at No. 1, beginning Dec. 6, 2008“Papers,” three, Jan. 2, 2010“There Goes My Baby,” one, July 31, 2010“Climax,” one, July 7, 2012“Don’t Waste My Time,” featuring Ella Mai, two, June 13, 2020“Bad Habits,” one, Dec. 5, 2020“GLU,” two, June 24, 2023“Good Good,” featuring Summer Walker & 21 Savage, one (to date), Nov. 18, 2023
Summer Walker claims her third Adult R&B Airplay No. 1. She first led through another guest spot on Trey Songz’ “Back Home,” a three-week champ in 2020, and followed with her own “Unloyal,” with Ari Lennox, which led for one frame in 2022.
21 Savage, meanwhile, nabs his first Adult R&B Airplay champ with his first entry on the list.
“Good Good” will appear on Usher’s next album, Coming Home, which will be released on Feb. 11, the same day that the superstar will headline the halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, Nev.
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