adult R&B
Summer Walkerâs âHeart of a Womanâ beats the competition on Billboardâs Adult R&B Airplay chart this week as the single rules the list dated May 23. The new leader, released and promoted through LVRN/Interscope/ICLG, climbs from No. 2 and was the most-played song on U.S. panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations in the tracking week of May 9-15, according to Luminate.
As âHeart of a Womanâ rises, it ejects Leon Thomasâ âMuttâ from the chartâs prime spot after a two-week lead. âMuttâ retreats to No. 3 after a 12% slide in plays for the week. (Between the current and former leader, 803Freshâs âBoots on the Groundâ pushes 4-2; the track, best known for soundtracking a viral line dance, enjoys an 9% gain in weekly play count.)
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With âHeart of a Woman,â Walker captures her fourth Adult R&B Airplay No. 1. She first reigned through a featured role on Trey Songzâs âBack Home,â a three-week champ in November-December 2020, followed with her own âUnloyal,â featuring Ari Lennox, for one week in September 2022 and logged six weeks in charge thanks to âGood Good,â a collaboration with Usher and 21 Savage, in November-December 2023.
Improvements in the adult R&B sector help âHeart of a Womanâ maintain its top-five status 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 single spends a fourth consecutive week at No. 5 â after having previously reached a No. 3 best â but falls to 12.7 million in total audience, a 6% drop from the prior weekâs total.
Elsewhere, âHeart of a Womanâ slides 8-12 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (down 14%).
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Beyond âHeart of a Woman,â Walker enjoys a second current chart single, new track âSpend It.â The song, released May 2, opened at No. 12 on the Hot R&B Songs chart (dated May 17) and at No. 30 on the corresponding Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ranking.
âHeart of a Womanâ and âSpend Itâ preview Walkerâs forthcoming studio album, Finally Over It. The set, which was announced last October, is the third installment of the singerâs album series, following Over It (2019) and Still Over It (2022).
All Billboard charts dated May 24 will update on Tuesday, May 20, on Billboard.com.
Muni Long extends her hitmaking run on Billboardâs Adult R&B Airplay chart (dated April 19) as âSuperpowersâ climbs one spot to reach No. 1 on the radio ranking. The single ascends after its 1% gain in weekly plays made it the most-played song on U.S. panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations in the tracking week of April 4-10, according to Luminate.
As âSuperpowersâ asserts its supremacy, it replaces Chris Brownâs âResidualsâ after a two-week stint. The former champ slides to No. 2 with an 8% decline in plays for the week.
Thanks to âSuperpowers,â Muni Long achieves her third No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay, after âMake Me Forget,â a one-week leader in August 2024, and âRuined Me,â which logged two weeks on top last November.
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Further, with all three singles from her Revenge album, the set is the first to produce a trio of champs since Tankâs R&B Money launched three leaders in 2021-2022 from its standard edition â âCanât Let It Show,â âI Deserve,â and âSlow,â featuring J. Valentine â and another from its 2024 deluxe reissue, âSee Through Love,â featuring Chris Brown.
Among albums by women, Revenge becomes just the third set with three No. 1s in the 31-year history of the Adult R&B Airplay chart. It joins Toni Braxtonâs self-titled debut, which spawned four leaders, âAnother Sad Love Song,â âBreathe Again,â âSeven Whole Daysâ and âYou Mean the World to Meâ in 1993-94, and Alicia Keysâ The Diary of Alicia Keys, which sent âYou Donât Know My Name,â âIf I Ainât Got Youâ and âDiary,â feat. Tony! Toni! Tone! to the summit in 2004.
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Elsewhere, âSuperpowersâ slips 14-13, dropping one rung from its peak, 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 track registered 7 million in audience for the week, down 3% from the prior weekâs total.
Beyond its radio results, âSuperpowersâ debuts at No. 25 on Hot R&B Songs, a multi-metric chart that combines radio airplay with streaming and sales data for its rankings. The arrival gives Muni Long her 12th entry on the list, a count that includes three top 10s: the three-week No. 1 âHrs and Hrsâ in 2022, and a pair of 2024 hits, âMade for Meâ (No. 2) and âRuined Meâ (No. 10).
Chris Brown crowns Billboardâs Adult R&B Airplay chart for a sixth time, as âResidualsâ climbs from the runner-up spot to lead the list dated April 5. The single was the most-played song on U.S. panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations in the tracking week of March 21-27, according to Luminate, and rose 12% in week-over-week plays. […]
SZA isnât the only artist topping charts with an âSOSâ release.
Victoria MonĂŠtâs âSOS (Sex on Sight),â featuring Usher, wins the crown on Billboardâs Adult R&B Airplay chart, leaping 4-1 to lead the list dated March 1. The pairâs sultry duet gives MonĂŠt her second leader on Adult R&B Airplay, while Usher collects his 10th champ and ties for the most among male artists in the chartâs 31-year history.
âSOS,â released on Lovett/RCA Records, tops Adult R&B Airplay as the most played song on U.S. panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations in the tracking week of Feb. 14-20, according to Luminate. The single improved 14% in plays for the week compared with the previous frame.
MonĂŠt previously topped Adult R&B Airplay with her breakout hit, âOn My Mama,â for three weeks in March 2024.
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In addition to entering the double-digit No. 1s club on Adult R&B Airplay, Usher ties Charlie Wilson for the most leaders by a male artist since the chart launched in September 1993. Hereâs a look at the overall leaderboard:
14, Alicia Keys
11, Toni Braxton
10, Mary J. Blige
10, Usher
10, Charlie Wilson
9, Maxwell
9, Tank
8, H.E.R.
8, Kem
8, Bruno Mars
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To review Usherâs milestone moment, here are the superstarâs 10 No. 1 titles on the Adult R&B Airplay chart:
âHere I Stand,â seven weeks at No. 1, beginning Dec. 6, 2008
âPapers,â three, Jan. 2, 2010
âThere Goes My Baby,â one, July 31, 2010
âClimax,â one, July 7, 2012
âDonât Waste My Time,â featuring Ella Mai; two, June 13, 2020
âBad Habits,â one, Dec. 5, 2020
âGlu,â two, June 24, 2023
âGood Good,â with Summer Walker & 21 Savage; six, Nov. 18, 2023
âRisk It All,â with H.E.R., two; April 27, 2024
âSOS (Sex on Sight),â Victoria MonĂŠt featuring Usher; one (to date), Feb. 28, 2025
âSOSâ is on the deluxe edition of MonĂŠtâs debut album, Jaguar II, which was reissued in October 2024. The original version, released in August 2023, won two Grammy Awards in 2024: best R&B album and best engineered album, non-classical.
Elsewhere, âSOSâ pushes 25-21 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 single improved to 4.6 million audience impressions, an 18% climb from the prior tracking week.
All charts dated March 1 will update on Billboard.com on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Coco Jones achieves her first No. 1 on Billboardâs Adult R&B Airplay chart as âHere We Go (Uh Oh)â 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.
âHere We Go (Uh Oh),â 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 chartâs 30 titles. With the rise, Jones topples fellow Def Jam labelmate Muni Long, whose âRuined Me,â last weekâs leader, slips to No. 2 after two weeks in charge.
Prior to âHere We Go,â Jonesâ best showing on Adult R&B Airplay was the No. 2 finish for her breakthrough single, âICU.â The track peaked in the runner-up spot for two weeks in September 2023, trailing October Londonâs âBack to Your Place.â In addition to the pair of hits, Jones also has placed a third track on the radio ranking: âSpend the Night,â 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 âHere We Goâ sampling Lenny Williamsâ ââCause I Love You.â The scorching ballad, released in 1978, has been the backbone of several other hits, perhaps most known in Twistaâs âOvernight Celebrity,â which reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004.
Elsewhere, âHere We Goâ 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, âHere We Goâ 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 âHere We Goâ 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 Jonesâ highest-charting hit there, surpassing the No. 6 result of âICU.â
The combined might of Eric BenĂŠt and Tamar Braxton helps both artists reclaim the No. 1 spot on Billboardâs Adult R&B Airplay chart after a considerable absence. Their duet, âSomething We Can Make Love To,â 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 â 14 tracking week, according to Luminate.
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With its ascent, âSomething,â released on BenĂŠtâs JBR label, bumps Tyreseâs âWildflowerâ from the summit after the latterâs two-week command.
âSomethingâ gives BenĂŠt his fourth No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay and first leader in 14 years. He first ruled in 1999 with âSpend My Life With You,â featuring Tamia, a five-week champ, and followed with âYouâre The Only Oneâ (five weeks, 2008) and âSometimes I Cryâ (five, 2010).
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The decade-plus wait for a new No. 1 puts BenĂŠt among peers who recently completed spells between leaders: Wildflowerâ was Tyreseâs first Adult R&B Airplay No. 1 in nine years, while Kenny Lattimoreâs âTake a Doseâ topped the chart in February 2023, the performerâs first coronation since âFor Youâ in April 1997 â just two months shy of 26 years.
Braxton, meanwhile, achieves her second No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay, after âLove and Warâ conquered the radio ranking for nine weeks in 2013.
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Between their last leaders, both BenĂŠt and Braxton have been within one spot of adding a new No. 1 to their counts. BenĂŠtâs âSunshineâ reached a No. 2 peak in 2016, having been held back from the top spot by Ro Jamesâ âPermission.â
In Braxtonâs case, both of the singerâs two most recent entries on the chart, 2020âs âCrazy Kind of Loveâ and 2023âs âChanged,â both peaked at No. 2. The former parked in the runner-up rank for two weeks, unable to overcome Charlie Wilsonâs âWhat I Got,â while the latterâs five-week stretch with the silver medal fell behind Janelle Monaeâs âLipstick Loverâ for one frame and October Londonâs âBack to Your Placeâ for a month.
Elsewhere, âSomethingâ 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 trackâs 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 BenĂŠtâs second visit to the 12-year-old list, after âNews for Youâ in 2013, and Braxtonâs ninth appearance.
Maxwell captures the No. 1 rank on Billboardâs Adult R&B Airplay chart for the first time in over two years as his single âSimply Beautifulâ 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 â 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.
âSimply Beautiful,â distributed through Musze/BMG, is a cover of an Al Green track that the soul legend released on a 1972 album, Iâm Still In Love With You. Though the cover is Maxwellâs 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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âHitting No. 1 on Billboardâs Adult R&B Airplay radio chart for a ninth time with my take on an Al Greenâs âSimply Beautifulâ is an honor,â Maxwell tells Billboard. âAl 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 Iâm just thankful to be part of it.â
As âSimply Beautifulâ joins Maxwellâs No. 1 collection on the radio chart, hereâs an updated recap of his nine champs:
âFortunate,â 18 weeks at No. 1, beginning May 22, 1999âLifetime,â 15, Sept. 29, 2001âPretty Wings,â 12, July 4, 2009âBad Habits,â nine, Oct. 10, 2009âFistful of Tears,â two, April 17, 2010âFire We Make,â with Alicia Keys, seven, June 22, 2013âLake By The Ocean,â 10, June 18, 2016âOff,â two, April 2, 2022âSimply Beautiful,â one (to date), Oct. 12, 2024
Maxwellâs last three Adult R&B Airplay appearances â 2019 single âShame,â which reached No. 8, âOffâ and âSimply Beautifulâ â have so-far been standalone singles. The Grammy Award-winnerâs last album, blackSUMMERSânight, was released in 2016.
Elsewhere, âSimply Beautifulâ 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 Maxwellâs best showing on the chart since âLake By the Oceanâ also reached No. 12, in 2016.
After earning a Grammy Award for best R&B performance with her 2022 R&B/pop breakthrough hit âHrs and Hrs,â 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: âMade for Meâ and âMake Me Forget.â The latter recently marked Longâs 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 âone big diary entry.â Aside from its latest single, the soulful ballad âRuined Me,â the project features more noteworthy songs like the introspective â30sâ (âThe first song I actually wrote for the albumâ), opening anthem âSuperpowersâ and uptempo BFF ode âBessie.âÂ
From start to finish, Revenge brims with frank, raw emotion and relatable scenarios. Thatâs thanks to Longâs insightful penmanship, like this line from âSuperpowersâ: âHow come my superpowers donât work on you and me.â Thereâs also Longâs appealing voice, for which she shouts out vocal producer Kuk Harrell: âWe just mesh; he knows how to pull it out of me.â Additional Revenge collaborators include hitmakers Christopher âTrickyâ Stewart (âMake Me Forget,â which includes an interpolation of DâAngeloâs âUntitled (How Does It Feel)â), Jeff âGittyâ Gitelman (âRuined Meâ) and Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox (âMade for Meâ).
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Long had recently ended her opening act stint on Chris Brownâs 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 âthe R&B album of the year.
âFirst of all, you have to be a bit deluded to do this [music],â she continued with a laugh. âBut I have to believe that even before the album is finished. I had to know thatâs what I wanted to do as Iâm doing it because that energy and that frequency have to be infused into the music. Thatâs something a lot of music is missing on the energetic and confidence level â before anyone else validates you. You can tell that I didnât 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.â
What lessons did you learn as an opening act on your first arena tour? Â
It was like a big singalong every night. Iâve done three shows on my own since Chrisâ tour ended and these crowds came with the expectation of hearing great songs. They want to hear R&B music. I understand itâs not normal for a new artist to be on their first tour doing arenas, right? So I donât 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 Iâm separate from them. It felt like a masterclass working with Chris because heâs such an incredible live performer. I only had 30 minutes. So I donât 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 âMade for Meâ 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 donât 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 Iâve had in music. But working with her, she never made you feel like sheâs this big personality. It was always, âI have you here because I want your essence, your vibe. I want you to do what you do.â
Now youâre in promotion mode for Revenge. What sparked the creative direction behind this album?
Sometimes Iâll get the itch that I just need to write. Or Iâll hear a conversation or a piece of music that will inspire a lyric. I didnât really have a specific theme as to what this album was going to be about. It was, âI like this song. Itâs really good and I want to keep it.â 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 â 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 Iâve 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 thereâs Tricky, Kuk Harrell, Theron Thomas, The-Dream and me. Thereâs no way Iâm about to have all these powerful people in this room and not get a song [laughs]. And if youâve 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 ⌠whatâs the angle? Somehow we get to where, at a certain point, all the tit for tat isnât necessary: Itâs I donât even want revenge. I just want you to go on somewhere. Thatâs 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. Heâs like, âOK, Iâm done.â Then Theron and I took that and just basically wrote my story; like, this is what Iâm going through right now. Because itâs so close to home I was like, âThis is the title.â 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 Iâd known that it was going to take this long, Iâd have probably done something else [laughs].  I got super impatient. I was ready to quit many times. But I think thereâs something to be said about listening to your gut. Every time I wanted to walk away, I was like, âNo, what else am I going to do?â 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 donât regret that because I learned so much. Thatâs why Iâm 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 âGood Good,â featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage, ascends to No. 1 on Billboardâs 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, âGood Goodâ has now topped all three of Billboardâs 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. Itâs the second song this year to pull off the triple-play, following Temsâ âFree Mind.â
Thanks to âGood Good,â 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 chartâs history. He now equals Bruno Mars, Kem, Maxwell and Tankâs career totals on the radio ranking, with all just one behind Charlie Wilsonâs nine leaders. Among all acts, Alicia Keys ranks first, with 14 No. 1s.
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As âGood Goodâ brings Usher more good news on the charts, hereâs an updated review of his No. 1 collection on Adult R&B Airplay:
âHere I Stand,â seven weeks at No. 1, beginning Dec. 6, 2008âPapers,â three, Jan. 2, 2010âThere Goes My Baby,â one, July 31, 2010âClimax,â one, July 7, 2012âDonât Waste My Time,â featuring Ella Mai, two, June 13, 2020âBad Habits,â one, Dec. 5, 2020âGLU,â two, June 24, 2023âGood Good,â 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 Songzâ âBack Home,â a three-week champ in 2020, and followed with her own âUnloyal,â 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.
âGood Goodâ will appear on Usherâs 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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