Chart Beat
Page: 125
By 2004, Usher had achieved a level of success that any artist would envy. Just shy of seven years since his commercial breakthrough, the star had become one of the leading R&B/pop crossover artists, his last two albums had collectively produced six top five Billboard Hot 100 hits, and he was fresh off a pair of Grammys — the two-time champ for best male R&B vocal performance. Yet for all the accolades, there was little intrigue about the man behind the music.
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“The media wasn’t completely sold on Usher and Usher’s interest inside and outside of the music,” Jermaine Dupri, the singer’s frequent collaborator, told Billboard in 2014. “‘How do we make him interesting?’ was the conversation.”
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From discussions with Dupri and other A-list creators — including Bryan-Michael Cox, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Just Blaze and Lil Jon — the creative hive found its answer: Confessions. Just 25 at the time, Usher broke new artistic ground with songs that explored the painful subject of infidelity that many speculated were references to his failed relationship with TLC’s Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas.
Dupri has since claimed that some of the songs — including perhaps the album’s central track, “Confessions Part II” — were inspired by his own personal drama, but whatever the case, Confessions‘ intimate tone unlocked a new public fascination with Usher. Its lead single, the crunk-laced club-banger “Yeah!” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, earned resounding approval from audiences and flew to No. 1 on the Hot 100, holding the spot for 12 consecutive weeks.
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The next two Confessions singles, torching breakup ballad “Burn” and the tell-all “Confessions Part II,” were also clear winners. “Burn” knocked “Yeah!” from the Hot 100’s apex in May and logged its own eight-week nonconsecutive reign (interrupted for one week by American Idol winner Fantasia’s “I Believe,”), but soon gave way to “Confessions Part II,” a two-week champ in June.
After a dominant spring and summer, Confessions didn’t relent for the autumn. An expanded special edition landed in stores that October, led by a new duet that united the reigning king and queen of R&B: Usher and Alicia Keys. With both artists on a hot streak, their collaboration “My Boo” was a no-brainer hit that landed a six-week Hot 100 domination from October to December.
Confessions-mania, of course, made the album a titan as well. The set debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 1.1 million in its first week, according to Luminate. Thanks to the parade of hit singles, Confessions ruled the albums chart for nine weeks and was the top-selling album of 2004.
Since that Confessions tidal wave, Usher kept churning out more hits in the ensuing years, with two more Hot 100 No. 1s. “Love in this Club,” featuring Young Jeezy (2008), and “OMG,” featuring Will.i.am (2010), and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs leaders “There Goes My Baby” (2010) and Climax” (2012) were among the highlights.
While his output cooled in the 2010s, his momentum was reinvigorated to huge acclaim in the early 2020s. His Las Vegas residency, My Way, was a major commercial success and cultural discussion point, with several videos from the show translating into viral social media moments. That triumph set him up for the biggest stage of all: Usher headlined the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show, the highest-rated in U.S. history and, of course, featured tracks from his most successful album. Keys joined for a much-memed rendition of “My Boo,” while “Yeah!,” with Lil Jon and Ludacris in attendance, wrapped the set.
Singer-songwriter Seph Schlueter’s rookie single “Counting My Blessings” rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart (dated April 13), becoming the first leader for the 24-year-old from Sunbury, Ohio. The song increased by 15% to 6.4 million audience impressions March 29-April 5, according to Luminate.
Concurrently, the track dominates Christian AC Airplay for a second week, up 3% in plays.
Schlueter — who signed with Sony Music’s Provident Entertainment in early 2023 — co-authored the song with Jonathan Gamble and Jordan Sapp, the latter of whom also produced it. It’s the lead track from Schlueter’s debut eight-song album of the same name, released in March.
“To see how much of an impact this song has had with people all over the world is so moving and inspiring,” Schlueter tells Billboard. “The whole reason I do this is so that people would come to know Jesus more, and hearing the stories of how God has used ‘Counting My Blessings’ to encourage, remind and touch listener’s hearts, particularly through radio, has been an incredible blessing beyond what I could have imagined.”
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Schlueter places the first freshman single atop Christian AC Airplay since Ben Fuller’s “Who I Am” led for a week last November. Meanwhile, “Counting My Blessings” ranks at No. 4 on the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs list. It drew 1.6 million official U.S. streams and sold 1,000 during the tracking week.
Schlueter is currently touring with Matt Maher and Lizzie Morgan. They make their next stop in Naperville, Ill. on Thursday (April 11).
Brown Clark’s ‘Good’ Week
On Billboard’s Gospel Airplay tally, Maurette Brown Clark’s “I See Good” becomes her third No. 1. The song, which she solely wrote, increased by 8% in plays. It’s from her eight-song set He Loves Me, released last November.
Brown Clark last led as featured on James Grear & Company’s “I Wanna Say Thank You,” for a week last November. Before that, “It Ain’t Over (Until God Says It’s Over)” ruled for five frames in 2009. Her first of eight entries, and five top 10s, “One God,” hit No. 2 in 2007.
“La Cumbia Triste” is a cause for celebration for Los Ángeles Azules and Alejandro Fernández, who each bank a new No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart, as their first collaboration ascends 3-1 to rule the April 13-dated list.
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“La Cumbia Triste” rolls to No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay boosted by a 13% gain in audience impressions, to 7 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending April 4, according to Luminate. The song sends Christian Nodal and Peso Pluma’s “La Intención” to No. 5, after two weeks in charge, with a 41% decrease in impressions, to 4.6 million.
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As “La Cumbia Triste” seizes the throne on Regional Mexican Airplay, Los Ángeles Azules adds their fourth career No. 1. Further, they extend its span of hits to 24 years, dating to the the cumbia sonidera group’s first week at No. 1 on Feb. 3, 2004, when “El Listón De Tu Pelo” commenced a seven-week reign. As Los Ángeles Azules collection of champs grows, here are their Regional Mexican Airplay chart-toppers:
Peak Date, Title, Artist, Weeks at No. 1Feb. 5, 2000, “El Listón De Tu Pelo,” sevenJan. 26, 2019, “Nunca Es Suficiente,” featuring Natalia Lafourcade, threeMay 20, 2023, “Tú Y Tú,”with Cazzu & Santa Fe Klan, oneApril 13, 2024, “La Cumbia Triste,” with Alejandro Fernández, one
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Fernández, meanwhile, collects his eighth No. 1, and first through a collaboration in almost two years, since “Nunca Dudes en Llamarme,” with La Arrolladora Banda El Limón de René Camacho, ruled for one week in Sept. 2022. In between, “No Es Que Me Quiera Ir” and “Difícil Tu Caso” led for one week each last August and November, respectively.
In total, two other co-billed songs from Fernández have topped Regional Mexican Airplay: “Decepciones,” with Calibre 50 (one week, Oct. 2020) and “Duele,” with Christian Nodal (one week, April 2021).
“La Cumbia Triste” will appear on Los Ángeles Azules’ forthcoming 30th studio album, Se Agradece, to be released April 12. Two other top 10-charting songs previewed the project: “Tú y Tú,” with Cazzu and Sant Fe Klan, an equal Regional Mexican Airplay winner, for one week in charge (May 2023) and “El Amor de Mi Vida,” with Maria Becerra, which nearly missed the penthouse, reaching No. 2 last October.
The news arrives in midst of Los Ángeles Azules’ 31-date El Amor De Mi Vida tour which kicked off in Nashville, TN. on Feb. 13 and will take the Mejía Avante family to a double booking on Napa County, CA on June 1-2.
Beyond its Regional Mexican Airplay coronation, “La Cumbia Triste” rebounds to its No. 5 high on the overall Latin Airplay chart (lifts 9-5) thanks to a 12% gain, to 8 million.
Alternative went mainstream in the mid-1990s, and No Doubt was at the forefront of pop radio’s segue to playing more modern rock.
The group, fronted by lead singer Gwen Stefani, first appeared on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart dated March 23, 1996, with “Just a Girl.” The wry empowerment song — which builds from Stefani’s “little old me” coo to its exasperated closing shriek, “I’ve had it up to he-re!” — became the band’s first of three hits on the chart that year, reaching No. 24 in April.
The ska-infused “Spiderwebs” hit No. 11 on Pop Airplay that October. As that song peaked, programmers were already intrigued by the band’s ballad “Don’t Speak,” a more down-the-middle choice for the format. The song went on to rule the ranking for 10 weeks in 1996-97. (Only 4% of all No. 1s in the chart’s 31-year history have led for double-digit weeks.)
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All three hits were released on No Doubt’s third album, Tragic Kingdom, which dominated the Billboard 200 chart for nine weeks beginning in December 1996. To date, the set has earned 9.4 million equivalent album units in the United States, according to Luminate. In addition to their pop radio success, the three tracks all reached the top 10 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart.
The band remained a chart force into the 2000s and beyond, upping its count to five Pop Airplay top 10s, including two more No. 1s in 2002: “Hey Baby,” featuring Bounty Killer, and “Underneath It All,” featuring Lady Saw. The group most recently reached the list with the top 20 entry “Settle Down” in 2012.
Ahead of No Doubt playing Coachella on April 13, count down the band’s top-charting songs on the Pop Airplay survey below.
“I already know what it’s going to feel like because we’re just so in sync when we’re onstage,” Stefani recently told Nylon of No Doubt’s Coachella appearance. “It’s going to feel like riding a bike again. We’re going to be laughing, and we’re going to look at each other and go, ‘Oh my gosh – there you are.’ ”
No Doubt’s Biggest Billboard Hits chart is based on actual performance on Billboard’s weekly Pop Airplay chart through April 13, 2024. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 40 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.
“Sunday Morning”
If it felt like Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter was the only album anyone was talking about last week, there was a reason for that: It was on pace to post the biggest single week for an album so far in 2024 by a wide margin.
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The album, Bey’s long-awaited pivot to a country-rooted sound and the second part of her expected Renaissance trilogy, bows atop the Billboard 200 with 407,000 units in its first frame, galloping past the 251,000 units moved by Future & Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You in its debut, previously the top single-week mark for any album in 2024. It’s also well clear of the 332,000 units posted by Renaissance Act I in its first week, making it Beyoncé’s best entrance since Lemonade notched over 650,000 units upon its 2016 debut.
How was Beyoncé able to outdo her Renaissance comeback? And what could we possibly expect to come with her eventual Act III? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
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1. We once again have a new high-water mark for a 2024 first week with the 407,000 units moved by Cowboy Carter in its first frame — a solid 75k higher than the 332,000 moved by Renaissance in its debut week. What do you think is the biggest reason beyond the superior first-week number for Beyoncé’s latest?
Kyle Denis: The biggest reason is the same as the one I gave when we broke down the massive streaming debut she garnered with Cowboy Carter lead single “Texas Hold ‘Em” a few weeks ago — Beyoncé is finally playing ball with new solo music after completing her transition to the streaming era. Renaissance’s numbers, while nothing to scoff at, were indicative of its circumstances — Beyoncé’s first solo studio album to receive a simultaneous wide release across all major streaming platforms. Now that Renaissance has run its course and done the job of introducing Queen Bey’s new music to younger streaming audiences, Cowboy Carter is riding off into the sunset off the back of that foundation. Couple that with both the natural curiosity of an artist like Beyoncé delving into country music and the current commercial power of that genre, and you’re left with Cowboy Carter’s robust first-week units total.
Jason Lipshutz: Track length, curiosity and quality. The fact that Cowboy Carter is 11 songs longer than Renaissance undoubtedly helped its streaming totals, as did the incalculable number of casual listeners who had heard about Beyoncé releasing her version of a country music album and pressing play with their interests piqued. But also, Cowboy Carter does not play out like a gimmick — the album has earned raves from both the BeyHive and neutral observers, and stands as one of the boldest mainstream projects of the year. We’ll see how it endures in her overall discography, but immediately, Cowboy Carter was a lightning rod too interesting to deny.
Taylor Mims: There was a lot more build up and marketing for Cowboy Carter than there was for Renaissance. We had the Verizon announcement, as well as two lead singles that really set the tone. There is no greater marketing than a single as good as “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The song was a great encapsulation of country music, made for brilliant line dancing videos and has been on repeat for months. While people might have been hesitant to listen to dance music or trust Beyoncé in a non-pop/R&B space, she proved that she can take on just about anything with Renaissance and even more fans were onboard for round two with Cowboy Carter. Being part of the Renaissance world last year was a big deal, and a lot of people did not want to miss out on the next big thing she did.
Melinda Newman: While a Beyoncé release always dominates headlines and charts, this one got an incredible start based on the Super Bowl commercial and the drop of “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” That started non-stop chatter for six weeks about the album and the reaction it would get from the country community, so by the time the album dropped, “Texas Hold ‘Em” had already topped a number of Billboard charts and the cultural discourse had reached a fever pitch.
Andrew Unterberger: The hype here was arguably even greater than for Renaissance, and it built on both the wildly positive reception for that album and the ensuing, headline-capturing Renaissance Wrold Tour. Plus, never hurts in the streaming era to have 27 tracks instead of just 16.
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2. Unlike with the recent blockbuster bows from albums by Ariana Grande and Future & Metro Boomin, which both spawned No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 debuts as well, the highest-charting song from Cowboy Carter in its first week is still prior Hot 100-topper “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which returns to No. 2 on the chart. Is there another track on the album that you think could be ticketed for a similar level of chart success, or is it all just parts of a bigger whole outside of “Texas”?
Kyle Denis: It’s a great problem to have, but there are many potential smashes on Cowboy Carter. Obviously “Jolene” and the Miley Cyrus-assisted “II Most Wanted” garnered the most traction during release week, but I’ve seen a lot of love for “Bodyguard,” “Ya Ya,” Riiverdance,” “II Hands II Heaven,” “Tyrant” and “Levii’s Jeans” (with Post Malone). If I had to choose one or two songs to directly follow in the footsteps of “Texas,” I’d put my money on “Bodyguard” and “II Most Wanted,” with “Ya Ya” right behind them.
Jason Lipshutz: I think “Bodyguard” eventually gets there, after the initial plays of Cowboy Carter prioritized her rendition of “Jolene” as well as the Miley Cyrus duet “II Most Wanted” (both of which debuted in the top 10 of the Hot 100). “Bodyguard” may have started below them both at No. 26, but the song offers the most thrilling distillation of Beyoncé’s country-pop approach on the album, as well as a hook and tempo that could work at multiple radio formats. Of course fans wanted to see what Bey did with “Jolene” and alongside Miley, but when the dust settles, I’d expect “Bodyguard” to keep climbing.
Taylor Mims: “Riiverdance” and “Bodyguard” seem like a clear frontrunners given the attention they have already received on TikTok and beyond. But there is still plenty of room for “II Hands II Heaven” and “Levii’s Jeans” to get love on streaming and radio. “Ya Ya” also has a wonderful sample of “These Boots Are Made for Walking” by Nancy Sinatra, and feels both familiar and new in a way that I think will carry it further than the first week numbers suggest.
Melinda Newman: There are a few. Though it’s not in line stylistically with what’s hitting on the Hot 100, “Blackbiird” is simply beautiful, and deserves the biggest audience possible. Beyoncé takes the 1968 Beatles’ classic, which Paul McCartney said he wrote about the civil rights movement, and reinvents it into a glorious testimony, with the help of rising Black women country artists Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts and Brittney Spencer. The arrangement, which includes part of the Beatles’ original version and stunning backing vocals from the four newcomers, is too good not to find the broadest possible audience.
Andrew Unterberger: “Bodyguard” seems like the most obvious Cowboy Bey Bop, one that multiple radio formats could glom onto for the entire summer if so inclined. And even though it wasn’t actually Taylor Swift providing those sighing backing vocals as many fans theorized…. maybe it’s not too late for her to actually do so for the song’s remix? Needless to say, that would certainly seal the deal.
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3. There are a whole host of guests on Cowboy Carter who have already gotten a considerable bump from their appearance on the album. Either from a legacy standpoint or a rising popularity standpoint, which outside collaborator do you think will benefit the most from their involvement with Cowboy Carter?
Kyle Denis: I would say Shaboozey and Tanner Adell. Shaboozey – who appears on “Spaghettii” and “Sweet ★ Honey ★ Buckiin” — is launching a new album next month (titled, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, out May 31), which gives him a nice window to convert the initial Cowboy Carter boost into a larger fanbase that tunes in to his own releases.
Adell has the built-in narrative of people clowning her for hoping for Beyoncé collab just for her to appear on both “Ameriican Requiem” and “Blackbiird.” That, coupled with her low-key viral “Buckle Bunny” and marketability as a “Beyoncé with a lasso,” should result in a substantial career boost for her. Fellow “Blackbiird” collaborator Brittney Spencer should also benefit nicely from this moment, given that it coincides with the current momentum of her My Stupid Life album, which dropped on Jan. 19. Moreover, Tierra Kennedy is releasing a single titled “I Ain’t a Cowgirl” on April 26, so she also has a chance to parlay this new exposure into a hit of her own.
Of course, from a legacy standpoint, country pioneer Linda Martell stands to earn the biggest boost. People know and love Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, but Cowboy Carter introduces Martell to millions of new listeners and people generally unaware of her contributions to country music history.
Jason Lipshutz: Someone send Willie Jones the Shaq “I wasn’t familiar with your game” meme on my behalf, because, holy cow, I could wait to hear more from him after listening to his Cowboy Carter duet “Just for Fun” for the first time. I could see the song serving as a springboard to legitimate mainstream interest for Jones, a former X Factor contestant who’s carved out a country following but has yet to score a crossover hit. “Just for Fun” could be that hit if it becomes a single from Cowboy Carter, but if not, Jones is deservedly experiencing an upswing now.
Taylor Mims: It has to be Linda Martell. Folks are already listening to Miley Cyrus and Post Malone, so I doubt their numbers will be as significant as Martell’s. A lot of people either weren’t familiar with her legacy before Cowboy Carter or they are going to be excited to return to her work. And she deserves renewed attention. Dolly Parton will also certainly continue to see a bump in streaming for at least “Jolene.” Beyoncé’s version is great, but it definitely makes you want to go back and listen to the original.
Melinda Newman: Beyoncé has not only created a work that honors the roots of country music and serves as an educational and entertaining work, she knowingly used her currency to shine the light on country legends and newcomers. While Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson don’t need the extra attention from Beyoncé, the legacy artist most likely to get the biggest boost from her presence on the album is Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry. Though Martell’s country career was brief — she registered only three top 40 Country Airplay hits — it was very significant, and her spoken-word inclusion on two tracks on Cowboy Carter has already helped introduce her to millions of Beyoncé and country fans and burnished her place in the history books. The timing couldn’t be better, as Martell’s granddaughter is working on a documentary about her 82-year-old grandmother.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s Martell. Maybe not everyone who hears Cowboy Carter will go digging for 1970’s Color Me Country — though many listeners already have — but at the very least, her name now rings out with casual country (and pop and R&B) fans in a way that it perhaps never quite has before thanks to the major bump in exposure she’s getting from being one of this set’s spiritual elders. That increase in recognition of her legacy should long outlive any short-term streaming bump.
4. Cowboy Carter is the third album in four weeks to set a new mark for the best single-week performance of 2024, with a fourth very possibly coming via Taylor Swift in another couple weeks. Is there any particular reason you think the past month or so has seen such a glut of successful big-ticket releases, or is it mostly just a fluke of timing?
Kyle Denis: I think it’s a mixture of a fluke of timing and people trying to get their records out before the imminent Taylor Swift hurricane. That’s not to say that every artist who released before Swift was trying to get their moment in the sun before Tortured Poets Department, but I’m sure that crossed the minds of their labels and teams, at the very least.
Jason Lipshutz: Nope, just a timing fluke. New albums from Beyoncé, Future & Metro Boomin and Ariana Grande are always going to be big deals regardless of when they’re released, and after a relatively sleepy release calendar in January and February, things started to heat up in March, with Taylor, Billie and more Future/Metro around the corner as well. It’s been a fun month for pop fans (although I do fear that the summer will be comparatively barren — somebody save an album for July, please!).
Taylor Mims: Since roughly the Grammy awards in early February, big stars have been priming fans for a big year. Taylor Swift announced her new album. Kacey Musgraves announced hers the same day. We already had Ariana Grande and new Dua Lipa on the horizon. The music industry decided 2024 was going to be a big year for music and fans are paying attention. Beyoncé and Swift had a huge impact on music sales and touring last year and, rather than relying on two mega stars like 2023, it looks like there will be several other big names filling in the spaces around them this year.
Melinda Newman: There was a time before streaming’s rise when the fourth quarter was the repository for all the year’s biggest releases in order to take advantage of the holiday giving season, but that went out the window years ago when listeners switched to streaming instead of wanting a new CD in their stocking. That has led to big releases dropping year round, so I think the quick succession of record-setters is just coincidence. If anything, I imagine the acts would like a little more breathing room between releases so they could get more time at No. 1 instead of a revolving door at the top.
Andrew Unterberger: Some years, everybody just kinda gets in the pool at once. I do think we’re also just in a particularly rich period for new music at the highest commercial levels, both in terms of the established A-list artists and in the rising artists/sounds starting to properly crystalize within the mainstream. Maybe it’s just that we’re deep enough into the 2020s now (and out of the COVID-19 pandemic) for artists to feel more comfortable diving in with new projects. Regardless of the reasons behind it, it’s a fun time to be a pop fan.
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5. Act I was largely based in dance, and Act II has mostly come from the country world. Assuming it’s also rooted in a genre/history exploration, would you most be interested in hearing Beyoncé do with her potential Act III of Renaissance?
Kyle Denis: Rock is the genre most people expect for Act III, and I wouldn’t be mad at that. Nonetheless, there was already a solid amount of rock on Cowboy Carter, so how about a funk album? Let’s see Bey in her Parliament era! Completely selfishly, I’d love for Act III to be an album of jazz standards or musical theatre covers. This is just my truth!
Jason Lipshutz: Rock, for sure. We’ve got the expansion of the “Daddy Lessons” universe, now it’s time for “Don’t Hurt Yourself” to get one, too.
Taylor Mims: The rumor is rock and I would love that. As a big fan of rock, especially old rock’n’roll that came from legends like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thornton, Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, etc. – I think Beyoncé could do wonders with old school rock’n’roll, as well as reinvigorate a genre that has lost a lot of steam with a younger audience. If she could tap Brittany Howard, Amythyst Kiah, Gary Clark Jr., Stevie Nicks, St. Vincent, The Linda Lindas or HAIM — or get Jada Pinkett back into her metal roots — it would be a hell of an album. We’ve already heard her flirting with the genre on Lemonade’s “Don’t Hurt Yourself.” She’s got this.
Melinda Newman: The prevailing rumor is that Act III will be rock based and if her past Grammy Awards performances with Prince and Tina Turner are any indication, it should be another home run. She’s already shown on record— whether it’s 2016’s “Don’t Hurt Yourself” or Cowboy Carter’s “Ya Ya”— that she’s very comfortable in the rock world, though as she stresses on the new album, Beyoncé is way bigger than any one genre.
Andrew Unterberger: We want the funk. Give up the funk, Beyoncé!
For more than a decade, Future has stood as a hip-hop powerhouse, setting trends, notching countless hit records and helping shift the sound of popular music with each new album. Ahead of the release of We Still Don’t Trust You — his second Metro Boomin joint album of 2024 — Billboard has put together a brief roundup of the Grammy winner’s most impressive chart achievements.
Future made his Billboard Hot 100 debut back in 2011 with his appearance on YC’s “Racks” (No. 42), which also reached No. 4 on Hot Rap Songs. Since then, the rap superstar has racked up a whopping 185 career entries on the Hot 100, the fourth-most for any artist in Billboard history behind Drake (329), Taylor Swift (232) and Lil Wayne (186).
Of those 185 Hot 100 entries, 15 have hit the top 10, including 2017’s “Mask Off” (No. 5) and 2020’s Drake-assisted “Life Is Good” (No. 2). The “Tony Montana” rapper has also earned three Hot 100 chart-toppers: 2021’s “Way 2 Sexy” (with Drake and Young Thug), 2022’s “Wait for U” (with Drake and Tems) and 2024’s “Like That” (with Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar).
Over on the Billboard 200, Future has notched nine No. 1 titles, including 2015’s DS2, 2022’s I Never Liked You and this year’s We Don’t Trust You (with Metro Boomin). In 2017, with the back-to-back releases of Future and Hndrxx, Future became the first soloist in Billboard 200 history to debut two different albums at No. 1 in consecutive weeks.
With just a few days to go until We Still Don’t Trust You, Future could add a few more major achievements to his impressive Billboard chart history.
After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.
Two years after his first entry on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, Eladio Carrión captures his first No. 1 as “TQMQA” climbs 4-1 to lead the April 13-dated list.
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Carrión crosses off a new achievement with the dembow-pop tune — whose title stands for “Te Quiero Más Que Ayer” (which translates to “I love you more than yesterday”) — as it tops the overall Latin radio ranking. “TQMQA” lands at the summit seven weeks after it earned the Latin rapper his maiden champ on any Billboard chart (hit No. 1 on Latin Pop Airplay in March).
“The intention behind ‘TQMQA’ was to give my parents the recognition that they deserve,” Carrión tells Billboard. “It’s an honor for me that the track landed at No. 1, but when I make music, I’m never thinking about what numbers or awards I’m gonna get. My main intention is always to be authentic to myself and share that with my fans. Everything else that comes after that is just a bonus that I’m extremely grateful for. It never gets old.”
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“TQMQA” advances to the lead with a 26% gain in audience impressions, to 9.5 million, earned in the U.S. during the March 29-April 4-tracking week, according to Luminate.
“TQMQA” is the first cut from Carrión’s fifth studio album, Sol María (released via Rimas Entertainment). The 17-track set, an ode to his mother, debuted at Nos. 6 and 3, respectively, on Top Latin Albums and Latin Rhythm Albums (Feb. 3-dated rankings).
“When I first told my parents about the concept for ‘TQMQA,’ they were taken aback by how personal the song and video were,” Carrión shares. “But it was special to us because we pieced together all these old clips from our home movies to make this time capsule of my upbringing. It’s emotional to see how far we’ve come and how they’ve been there for me every step of the way. But none of us were prepared for how many people the song would resonate with.”
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Carrión breaks the No. 1 barrier on Latin Airplay as a soloist and on his fourth try. Plus, he bests his first and only top 10: “Nunca y Pico” with Yandel and Maluma, which took the Puerto Rican-American to No. 6 in November 2022.
Carrión has charted two other times on Latin Airplay: “Alejarme De Ti” with Jay Wheeler (No. 22 in March 2022) and “Coco Chanel” with Bad Bunny (No. 42 in June 2023).
Of the 15 songs that have been No. 1 on Latin Airplay in 2024, a third of them were credited to a singular artist with no accompanied acts, including Carrion’s new No. 1. Here they are:
Peak Date, Title, Artist, Weeks at No. 1
Jan. 27, 2024, “Monaco,” Bad Bunny, one
Feb. 10, 2024, “La Diabla,” Xavi, two
Feb. 24, 2024, “La Falda,” Myke Towers, one
March 30, 2024, “Baccarat,” Ozuna, one
April 13, 2024, “TQMQA,” Eladio Carrión
Elsewhere, “TQMQA” rebounds to its No. 1 high on Latin Pop Airplay for its third week in charge (rising 2-1). Further, thanks to its radio gain, it re-enters at No. 44 on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart, which blends airplay, digital sales, and streaming data.
While Beyoncé makes history on Billboard’s latest charts with her new album, Cowboy Carter, many of the set’s featured guests score their first Billboard Hot 100 appearances.
Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, Shaboozey, Linda Martell, Willie Jones and Beyoncé’s daughter Rumi Carter all earn their first entries on the chart dated April 13 thanks to their credited billings on the album.
Adell, Spencer, Kennedy and Roberts all debut via their team-up on Beyoncé’s cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbiird.” The song debuts at No. 27 with 14 million U.S. official streams and 7,000 downloads sold in its first week, according to Luminate. It also opens at No. 6 on Hot Country Songs.
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The update is also just the second, and top-charting, version of the song to hit the Hot 100, after the Glee cast’s version spent a week at No. 37 in 2011. (The Beatles’ original, from 1968, was never released as a single and therefore wasn’t eligible to chart at the time.)
Not only does “Blackbiird” earn the four up-and-coming singer-songwriters their first Hot 100 visits, but it’s also their first overall appearances on Billboard’s charts.
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Adell, from Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Star Valley, Wyo., released her debut LP Buckle Bunny in July 2023 via Columbia Records. The set’s standout track “Love You a Little Bit” has garnered 27.2 million on-demand official U.S. streams to date. In an interview with Billboard at the CMT Music Awards (April 8), Adell said of singing alongside Beyoncé, “It’s been a grind and just to have someone of that caliber reach down and lift [me] up, it’s really, really special and I’m just very honored.”
Spencer, from Baltimore, released her debut album, My Stupid Life, in January via Elektra Records. She initially broke through with her EPs Compassion in 2020 and If I Ever Get There: A Day at Blackbird Studio in 2022.
Kennedy, an Alabama native, has released more than a dozen songs on streaming services since 2020, including the five-track Tiera in 2021 on Big Machine Label Group. The set includes a collaboration with three-time Hot 100-charting artist Breland.
Roberts hails from Alabama and California, and released her debut studio project, Bad Girl Bible, Vol. 1, in 2023 on ReynaRed Records/EMPIRE. She has been releasing songs since 2019.
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Shaboozey lands his first two Hot 100 entries: “Spaghettii” with Beyoncé and Martell, and “Sweet * Honey * Buckiin’” with Beyoncé. The tracks debut at Nos. 31 and 61, respectively. Shaboozey has been releasing hip-hop-inspired country/Americana-focused songs for a decade and has dropped two full-lengths in that span: Lady Wrangler in 2018 and Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die in 2022. In 2019, he scored a placement on the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack with “Start a Riot” with Duckwrth.
While Martell is a first-timer on the Hot 100, she’s one of the most commercially successful Black female country stars in history. The country pioneer, 82, became the first Black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in 1970, and charted three singles on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in 1969-70: “Color Him Father” (No. 22 peak), her cover of Duane Dee’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (No. 33) and “Bad Case of the Blues” (No. 58).
When “Color Him Father” peaked at No. 22, it marked the highest charting song by a Black woman in the chart’s history at the time. She has released one full-length project: Color Me Country, which peaked at No. 40 on the Top Country Albums chart in 1970. In a review of the set, Billboard praised, “She has a terrific style and a true feeling for a country lyric.”
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Willie Jones, from Shreveport, La., debuts for the first time with his Beyoncé team-up “Just For Fun.” He has released two studio albums: Right Now in 2021 and Something to Dance To in June 2023, the latter on Sony Music. He also competed on The X Factor in 2012 and appeared on the Netflix reality show Chasing Cameron in 2016.
Beyoncé’s daughter Rumi Carter also debuts on the Hot 100 for the first time thanks to “Protector” with Beyoncé. At six years old, she passes her older sister, Blue Ivy Carter, to become the youngest charting female artist in Hot 100 history.
As previously reported, Cowboy Carter debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Top Country Albums and Americana/Folk Albums charts with 407,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States March 29-April 4 – the biggest one-week total of 2024. She becomes the first Black woman ever to lead Top Country Albums in the chart’s 60-year archives.
On Tuesday (April 9), Billboard announced the launch of the Billboard Hot 100 Challenge: Predict the Hits app. The first-of-its-kind mobile game lets fans “predict the hits” by applying fantasy-sports-style gameplay to the music business. To play, participants will listen to a new song each day — Monday through Friday — and guess the ultimate […]
Benson Boone’s bounce-back is in full effect, as “Beautiful Things” leads the U.K. chart race.
Following the release last Friday (April 5) of his debut full-length album Fireworks & Rollerblades (via Warner Records), Boone’s global hit “Beautiful Things” rebounds 3-1 on the midweek U.K. chart and is closing in on its third non-consecutive week at the summit.
There’s not much in it. Based on early sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, “Beautiful Things” holds a lead over its closest rivals of fewer than 1,000 chart units.
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That competition includes Hozier’s “Too Sweet” (Island), which flies 9-2 on the Official Chart Update. If it holds its course, “Too Sweet” would give the Irish singer and songwriter his equal career best chart position, drawing level with his signature song “Take Me to the Church,” which peaked at No. 2 in 2013.
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Beyoncé bagged the chart double last week, though she’s set to lose both crowns. “Texas Hold ‘Em” drops 1-3 on the midweek singles tally, and Cowboy Carter (via Columbia/Parkwood Ent) looks likely to be bumped from the albums chart, with the Libertines’ latest, All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade, all set for the title.
Meanwhile, Artemas’s “i like the way you kiss me” (Parlophone) cracked the top 10 for the first time last week. The British producer and artist’s viral track continues to climb, lifting 7-5 on the midweek singles survey.
Country came to the U.K. charts in a big way last week, thanks to Bey and her Cowboy Carter LP, which landed three singles in the top 10, including the leader with “Texas Hold ‘Em”. There’s another U.S. country song heading towards the top 10, Dasha’s “Austin” (Warner Records). It’s up 15-8 on the midweek tally, for what would be a new peak position.
The top new debut should belong to J. Cole with “H.Y.B.” featuring Bas and Central Cee. Lifted from Cole’s surprise-release mixtape Might Delete Later (Interscope), it’s predicted to arrive at No. 24 on the chart. Might Delete Later also houses the Kendrick Lamar diss track “7 Minute Drill,” which Cole has subsequently expressed regret for. “7 Minute Drill” is expected to bow at No. 28, while “Crocodile Tearz” could drop in at No. 36. If all three tracks holds their ground, Cole’s career tally of U.K. top 40 hits will lift to 14.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday, April 12.