State Champ Radio Chart Beat
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Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated May 8, extending its record to 14 weeks atop the tally.
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The hip-hop hit dominated the chart for most of this year after it first hit No. 1 on the chart released Jan. 31 and stayed there for 13 straight weeks. The MASHLE Season 2 opener slipped to No. 2 last week (May 1) but returned to score its 14th week atop the list. The track has increased in all metrics of the chart’s methodology except streaming compared to the previous week. Downloads for the long-running hit are up by 117%, radio airplay and video views by 105%, and karaoke by 120%. And it’s far from doing poorly in streaming as well; weekly streams remain almost the same as the week before and the total has surpassed 300 million at the second fastest pace in Japan chart history.
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Moving 4-2 this week is Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac.” The song gained 130% in downloads, 127% in karaoke, and notably, 425% in radio from the week before, hitting its highest position yet.
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Debuting at No. 3 is SixTONES’ 12th single “Neiro.” The theme song for the drama series Omukae Shibuya-kun starring member Taiga Kyomoto launched with 540,564 CDs sold, outselling the group’s previous single “CREAK” (471,285 first-week sales). The track tops sales and comes in at No. 9 for radio and No. 18 for video.
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In other chart moves, the theme song of a project by TOBE’s artists, called “Be on Your side,” re-enters the chart at No. 12 after selling 75,157 copies in its first week, and the first single “MORNING SUN” by EXILE B HAPPY — the new EXILE TRIBE music group led by EXILE TETSUYA — bows at No. 15.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Apr. 29 to May 5, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
GloRilla’s anthem “Yeah Glo!” wins the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as the single crowns the list dated May 11. It climbs from No. 2 after a 14% surge in plays made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the April 26 – May 2 tracking week, according to Luminate.
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“Yeah Glo!,” promoted by CMG/Interscope Records/ICLG, gives rapper GloRilla, whose real name is Gloria Woods, her third No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. She previously reigned with her first two appearances: “FNF,” with producer Hitkidd, topped the list for one week in August 2022, while “Tomorrow 2,” with Cardi B, ruled for 10 nonconsecutive weeks in December 2022 – February 2023.
The “Yeah Glo!” radio rise parallels the song’s strong streams due to viral buzz on social media. It’s been especially prominent on TikTok, where users have used the song in clips in two common ways. In one version, two people rock side to side – one delivering the hook’s main lyrics, while the other acts as a hype act and lip syncs the “yeah, Glo!” ad-lib between lines. The song has also inspired a dance challenge, which GloRilla herself has noticed and participated in during her latest concerts. One video of the rapper from a stop at Louisiana State University, by user @amyroselin, has drawn 10.6 million views on the platform.
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In addition to its Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay triumph, “Yeah Glo!” drives 7-3 on the Rap Airplay chart through a 16% increase in weekly audience. It likewise cracks the top five on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, which ranks songs through combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, it pushes 6-5 and registers 12.6 million in audience, up 15% from the previous week. On Rhythmic Airplay, “Glo!” grows 22-21 thanks to an 18% boost in plays at the format in the tracking week. Combined, the mounting radio activity thrusts “Glo!” 37-27 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, where it tallied 17.4 million in total audience, a 16% week-over-week gain.
Swelling radio activity, in turn, helps fuel “Yeah Glo!” on the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, which combines radio airplay results with streaming and sales data for its ranks. It climbs 13-11 on the list thanks to 17.4 million in airplay audience, 12.6 million official U.S. streams (up 7%) and 1,000 in sales (down 5%). The same statistics also spark its 59-38 swing on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
“Yeah Glo!” appears on GloRilla’s Ehhthang Ehhthang EP, released on April 5. The set debuted at No. 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and has remained in the top 10 for its first four weeks, sitting at No. 8 on the current edition.
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. Next week (for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated May 18), the Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef that’s dominated pop culture for the past month sets its sights on also taking over the Billboard charts.
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Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us” (pgLang/Interscope/ICLG): Though it arrived as the fourth diss track in Kendrick Lamar’s anti-Drake campaign – fifth if you count “Like That” — “Not Like Us” appears on its way to being the rapper’s biggest single since at least that initial Future and Metro Boomin collab, which topped the Hot 100 in its first three weeks on the chart in April. Since debuting on Saturday night (May 4), the Mustard-produced banger has simply swept through pop culture, being played on NBA on TNT broadcasts and as MLB walk-up music and inspiring mash-ups and club chants and general West Coast fan hysteria.
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The public response has been overwhelming enough that even with its late Saturday release – meaning it will only have a little over five days of consumption in its debut tracking week – “Not Like Us” should still be a strong contender for a No. 1 Hot 100 debut next week. The song shot to the top of essentially every relevant daily or real time chart (including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Trending and iTunes) and is currently still gaining steam, with its eye-popping most recent Spotify U.S. total of over 6.8 million plays (for Tuesday, May 7) being its highest yet.
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Competition for the top spot will still be stiff in such a loaded period for new hits, including from other songs by Kendrick himself. But “Not Like Us” is outpacing the competition enough right now to likely be the frontrunner for next week’s chart – and regardless is certainly on pace to be one of the defining hits of this year, as well as one of the biggest songs of Lamar’s decade-plus hitmaking career.
Kendrick Lamar, “Euphoria” (pgLang/Interscope/ICLG): Before the arrival of “Not Like Us,” it still seemed like Lamar would have the inside track on the Hot 100 with the first shot from his recent attack wave, “Euphoria.” That track, a vicious six-minute assault on Drake’s character that also became a pop culture phenomenon upon its release two Tuesdays ago (April 30), managed to debut at No. 11 on this week’s Hot 100 (dated May 11) from just two and a half days of tracking.
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Following its first full week of release, “Euphoria” should also be a major contender for the top of the Hot 100, as it has been holding strong near the top of most daily DSP charts in the days since. (Both “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us” are just getting going on radio, each drawing a little over a million airplay impressions in the first four days of the tracking week, May 3-6, according to Luminate.) With “Not Like Us” lapping it basically across the board as the popular favorite from this back and forth, however, “Euphoria” might have missed its best shot at nabbing the No. 1 spot, and will likely have to settle for the silver or bronze on the chart next week.
Kendrick Lamar, “Meet the Grahams” (pgLang/Interscope/ICLG): Perhaps the nastiest of Lamar’s invectives against his rival, “Meet the Grahams” arrived on Friday night (May 3), a day before “Not Like Us.” The song doesn’t quite have the invigorating punchiness of “Euphoria” or the sheer club-readiness of “Us,” and so it hasn’t quite taken over the culture like those two certified hits. But its performance since arriving on all DSPs on Sunday (after a YouTube-only debut) has been notable enough – with the song currently ranking in the top 10 on both the Spotify and Apple Music updating charts, as well as on iTunes – that it should still be ticketed for a fairly high debut on next week’s Hot 100.
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There is of course a fourth Lamar song from song from the feud that was released the past weekend, in Friday morning’s “6:16 in L.A.” — but that song was an Instagram-only release, meaning its streams will not contribute to Billboard chart calculations, and it will not be eligible for the charts next week. However, “Like That” — the Future and Metro Boomin collab that kicked all of this off a month and a half ago — is also still hanging around the Hot 100’s top 10 (No. 8 this week, following its three-week reign), and is up in consumption following the brighter spotlight on the beef, so it will also certainly be in the mix for next week (if no longer a likely top-spot contender).
IN THE MIX
Drake, “Family Matters” (OVO/Republic): Don’t forget about the other guy in the beef! Though Drake is obviously trailing both in terms of public opinion and in overall streams/sales count in this back-and-forth – as well as in terms of total songs, with just two this past weekend to Lamar’s stunning four – his “Family Matters” is still on pace for a very high bow on the Hot 100, as the Friday night-released diss track is still ranking in the top 10 on both Spotify and Apple Music. (Sunday night’s follow-up “The Heart Part 6” has only been released on YouTube so far.)
Tommy Richman, “Million Dollar Baby” (ISO Supermacy/Pulse): You gotta feel for Tommy Richman a little: If not for the Kendrick-Drake showdown generating more drama and attention than the entirety of the NBA playoffs, he’d very likely be the biggest story in the music world right now. The little-before-known Virginia singer-rapper debuts at No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week with his runaway breakthrough hit “Million Dollar Baby,” and the song has only been rising on streaming and in airplay and sales in its second week of release. But unless interest in the beef (or at least Kendrick’s musical part in it) tails off mightily in the last couple days of the tracking week, Richman’s likely gonna have to wait at least one more week to climb that last spot and take over the Hot 100’s apex.
Mark Ambor scores his first career entry on the Billboard Hot 100, thanks to his breakthrough viral hit “Belong Together.” The song, which he self-released Feb. 16 in partnership with Hundred Days Records and Virgin Music Group, debuts at No. 87 on the May 11-dated Hot 100 with 7 million official chart-eligible U.S. streams (up […]
One of the wildest weeks in hip-hop history is set to make a huge impact on next week’s Billboard charts (dated May 18) as several diss tracks from the ongoing Drake – Kendrick Lamar beef look prime to dot the Billboard Hot 100 and other charts.
The rappers’ feud dates back at least a decade, but the latest campaign ramped up in March with “Like That,” Lamar’s collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin, in which the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s verse contained alleged disses at Drake and J. Cole. Since then, Lamar, Drake, J. Cole and a heavyweight supporting roster – including The Weeknd, Rick Ross, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), A$AP Rocky – have all been involved, either as targets or lobbing disses of their own.
While Cole bowed out and apologized after he released his “7 Minute Drill” rebuttal on April 5, Drake and Lamar have each released multiple tracks in just a few weeks, with personal attacks and serious allegations, including threats of violence and pedophilia within artists camps.
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Given the whirlwind of releases — some of which have been widely released on streaming services, others that were only available on social media and at least one that has been willingly removed from platforms — here’s a guide to how each track could factor onto the Hot 100.
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The Ones That Have Already Charted
“Like That” / “7 Minute Drill” / “Push Ups” / “Euphoria”
Four tracks have already appeared on the Hot 100, which includes streaming, radio airplay and sales data for its calculations. In chronological order, they are “Like That” (No. 1 for three weeks, beginning on the chart dated April 6), J. Cole’s “7 Minute Drill” (No. 7, April 20), Drake’s “Push Ups” (No. 17, May 11) and Lamar’s “Euphoria” (No. 11, May 11).
As J. Cole had “7 Minute Drill” pulled from streaming services and digital retailers one week after its release, the song has since fallen off the chart. Unless “7 Minute Drill” is once again made available to consumers, the only avenue for a Hot 100 return would be through radio airplay. But don’t expect it – “7 Minute Drill” has declined in radio play for the last two weeks, according to Luminate, before it was even able to make any Billboard radio chart.
In addition to continued availability on streaming services and digital retailers, “Like That,” “Push Ups” and “Euphoria” all sport an active radio presence. The foremost ranks at No. 4 on the latest R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (dated May 11), the middle track rises 29-28 and while the lattermost does not appear on the chart, its 149,000 audience total, according to Luminate – in just three days of a seven-day, Friday-Thursday tracking week due to its Tuesday drop date – ranks just outside the 50-position cutoff, at 192,000 in audience for the week.
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The Ones That Could Chart Next
“Family Matters” / “Meet the Grahams” / “Not Like Us” / “The Heart Part 6”
The heaviest barrage is likely to come on next week’s Hot 100 (dated May 18), with five songs released between Drake and Lamar since May 2, the start of the current Hot 100 tracking week.
Of the five, three – Drake’s “Family Matters” and Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” – are widely available across streaming serves and digital retailers, setting them up for the chance at huge consumption figures that would translate into strong Hot 100 arrivals. All three, though, will have shortened periods in the Friday-Thursday tracking window after they were released mid-week: “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams” both arrived on Saturday, May 3, while “Not Like Us” premiered on Sunday, May 4.
Despite the handicap, however, they seem to be making up ground — quickly. Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” for example, was the No. 1 streamed song in the U.S. on Spotify on Monday, May 6, (6.59 million clicks) and Tuesday, May 7, (6.81 million), clearing each day’s second-place title — his own “Euphoria” on Monday and Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” on Tuesday — by more than 2 million plays.
Returning to the two remaining tracks released during the current tracking week, one — Drake’s “The Heart Part 6,” released on Sunday, May 4 — notably remains available only through YouTube.
As for the final track …
The Outliers
“6:16 in LA” / “Taylor Made Freestyle” / “Buried Alive Interlude, Pt. 2”
Lamar’s “6:16 in LA,” which arrived on Saturday, May 3, was released solely through the Compton rapper’s Instagram page. As it was not made available on streaming services or digital retailers that contribute to Billboard’s charts (and has received no registered radio play), it has no chance of appearing on the Hot 100 without an official release.
But all’s fair. Two more Drake tracks released in the beef — the “Taylor Made Freestyle” and “Buried Alive Interlude, Pt. 2” — were likewise social media exclusives, and, by the same token, would need an official release to streamers and digital stores or substantial radio activity for a Hot 100 debut. The former, notably, is unlikely to gain any traction after its use of artificial intelligence vocals imitating Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg prompted Shakur’s estate to threaten a lawsuit, and the song was removed the next day. The latter, meanwhile, appeared on an Instagram story and looks to only have been a teaser for “Family Matters.”
The top 10 of the Hot 100 dated May 18 is scheduled to be announced on Billboard’s website on Monday, May 13, with the full chart revealed on Tuesday, May 14.
Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism will be hard to catch in the U.K. chart race.
Based on midweek sales and streaming data captured by the Official Charts Company, the British pop singer’s third studio album has a healthy lead.
Radical Optimism is outselling the next-best-placed LP, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, by 2 to 1, and should storm home for Lipa’s second leader.
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Assuming it continues on its path, Radical Optimism will become Lipa’s first album to debut at No. 1. Her self-titled 2017 debut Dua Lipa peaked at No. 3 and has logged 354 weeks on the frame, while her sophomore effort from 2020, Future Nostalgia, climbed to No. 1 in its second week. Future Nostalgia logged four weeks at No. 1, and has now clocked 203 weeks on the Official Chart – and counting.
Radical Optimism is already a U.K. hit, yielding three top 10 singles chart entries: “Houdini (No. 2 peak), “Training Season” (No. 4) and “Illusion” (No. 9).
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With Dua Lipa’s latest effort flying high, Swift’s Tortured Poets looks set to dip 1-2 after two weeks at the chart penthouse. It’s TayTay’s 12th U.K. No. 1 album.
Meanwhile, Hampshire, England rock artist Frank Turner is on track for a podium finish with Undefeated. It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and is set to become Turner’s sixth U.K. top 10 appearance.
Kelly Jones, frontman of Welsh indie-rock favorites Stereophonics, could nab his solo career best with Inevitable Incredible, his second LP. Inevitable Incredible is on course for a No. 4 start, well ahead of the No. 8 best for his debut solo effort Don’t Let The Devil Take Another Day from 2020. As a member of Stereophonics, Jones has eight U.K. No. 1s.
Finally, Scottish indie-pop act Camera Obscura is peering in on a first-ever U.K. top 10 appearance with Look To The East, Look To The West, their first studio album in over a decade. It bows at No. 10 on the chart blast, and should give Camera Obscura a third U.K. top 40.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, May 10.
Myke Towers captures his highest-charting hit yet on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart as “Adivino,” with Bad Bunny, debuts at No. 2 on the list dated May 11. It’s the 52nd chart hit for the former, and 11th to reach the top 10. For Bunny, the collab marks his record-extending 75th top 10 out of 170 total chart hits (again, a record).
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“Adivino,” released April 25 on One World International/Warner Latina, traces its No. 2 debut on Hot Latin Songs almost entirely to streaming activity. The song logged 9.9 million official U.S. streams in the U.S. during the April 26-May 2 tracking week, according to Luminate. That sum yields an equal No. 2 start on Latin Streaming Songs, Towers’ highest debut, and it equals his highest charting song (“La Jeepeta,” with Nio Garcia, Anuel AA, Brray and Juanka).
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As “Adivino” launches at No. 2 on Hot Latin Songs, which blends streaming data, airplay, and digital sales for its results, it pushes Xavi’s former No. 1 “La Diabla” from 2-3, following its 14-week domination which started in January. The track marked the second-longest run at No. 1 this decade (Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” dominated for 19 consecutive weeks in 2023). Meanwhile, FloyyMenor and Cris MJ’s “Gata Only” remains at No. 1 four a fourth consecutive week.
By reaching No. 2, Towers outpaces his career-best, as he previous topped out at No. 3 on the multi-metric tally with both “La Jeepeta” (Nio Garcia, Anuel AA, Towers, Brray and Juanka), and “Caramelo” (Ozuna, Karol G and Towers), a week from each other in August 2020.
Benito, meanwhile, scores his first debut on the chart since the Oct. 28, 2023-dated list, when he landed 19 concurrent debuts alongside the release of his Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana album, including the entire top 10, led by “Mónaco.” The track spent 10 weeks at No. 1 – the second-most of any No. 1 in 2023, trailing the 19 weeks of “Ella Baila Sola.”
Notably, as “Adivino” becomes the third song to debut at No. 2 or higher in 2024 –after two Peso Pluma songs– Bad Bunny extends his record for the most top 10s, with 75.
On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, “Adivino” opens at No. 63, Towers’ highest-debut yet. Only one other Latin song ranks higher: FloyyMenor and Cris MJ’s “Gata Only” continues its winning streak, as it rallies 58-44 on the Hot 100 and continues at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs for a fourth turn.
While streaming activity fuels the bulk of “Adivino’s” high start, sales assist its launch in the upper tier: the 1,000 downloads sold in the tracking week targeted for a No. 1 debut on Latin Digital Song Sales.
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Just two weeks after Usher tied Charlie Wilson for the most No. 1s by a male artist on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, the latter legend reclaims the title for himself as “Superman” tops the list dated May 11.
“Superman” jumps from No. 3 after an 8% increase in plays that made it the most-played song as U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week of April 26-May 2, according to Luminate. The new leader ousts Usher’s record-tying “Risk It All,” a collaboration with H.E.R., from the top spot after the latter’s two-week command.
With “Superman,” Wilson achieves his 10th No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay. In addition to resetting the benchmark for the most champs among male artists, the R&B legend becomes only the third artist to reach double-digit No. 1s on the list. Here’s a recap of the artists with the most No. 1s on the Adult R&B Airplay chart since its launch in 1993:
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14, Alicia Keys11, Toni Braxton10, Charlie Wilson9, Usher8, Mary J. Blige8, H.E.R.8, Kem8, Bruno Mars8, Maxwell8, Tank
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“I am incredibly grateful and humbled by the overwhelming support for ‘Superman’,” Wilson said in a press release highlighting his achievement. “To have another [No.] 1 hit on the Billboard Adult R&B chart is truly an important achievement to me, especially with a song so personal highlighting my wife’s endless love and support of me. She truly put the cape back on my back after very rough times. I want to thank my fans for their unwavering loyalty and love throughout my career. This song is also for all women, their strength, love and support is appreciated more than they know.”
Elsewhere, “Superman” dips 26-27 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 radio stations. There, the song registered 4.4 million in audience for the tracking week, a 1% drop from the prior period.
In addition to Wilson’s successful run as a solo artist, listeners may also know the man known as “Uncle Charlie” as the lead singer of his former group, The Gap Band. The trio – comprised of brothers Charlie, Robert and Ronnie – achieved 15 top 10s on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart between 1979 and 1990, including classics such as “Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me),” “Outstanding” and “You Dropped a Bomb on Me.”
BE:FIRST’s “Masterplan” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated May 1, ending Creepy Nuts’ consecutive run atop the chart at 13 weeks.
The title track of the septet’s concept single released April 24 on CD, “Masterplan” debuts at No. 2 for CD sales with 115,963 copies sold in its first week, and comes in at No. 7 for streaming with 7,955,802 weekly streams. It also rules downloads (35,174 units), radio airplay and video views, dominating three metrics to take the top spot on the Japan Hot 100 like the group’s previous release, “Mainstream.” This is BE:FIRST’s sixth No. 1 hit, having previously ruled the tally with “Gifted,” “Bye-Good-Bye,” “Scream,” “Boom Boom Back,” and “Mainstream.”
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Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” slips to No. 2 after 13 straight weeks atop the Japan Hot 100. While it yields the top spot this week, the number of downloads for the MASHLE Season 2 opener increased by 105% from the week before, and points for karaoke and radio also increased, resulting in only a slight decrease in overall points.
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Omoinotake’s “IKUOKU KONEN” rises 5-3 this week. The three-man band hit the stage for its first headlining show at the Osaka Jo Yaon outdoor concert hall on April 28, celebrating the day the band was formed, and downloads increased slightly probably due to this event. Omoinotake is set to digitally release a new single called “Tsubomi” (Bud) on May 5, to be featured as the ending theme of the anime series My Hero Academia Season 7.
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WEST.’s “Heart” bows at No. 6. “Heart” is the anniversary single commemorating the tenth anniversary of the seven-member boy band’s CD debut on April 23. The track ruled sales with 263,585 CDs sold in the first week, while also coming in at No. 19 for radio.
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The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from April 22 to 28, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.
Tommy Richman scores his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated May 11), as his new single, “Million Dollar Baby,” soars in at No. 2.
Released April 26 on ISO Supremacy/PULSE Records, the song debuts with 38 million official U.S. streams, 302,000 in early radio airplay audience and 4,000 downloads sold in its first week of release (April 26-May 2), according to Luminate.
Since the Hot 100 began in 1958, only five other acts have debuted in the top two with no prior history on the chart. Lauryn Hill first achieved the feat on the Nov. 14, 1998 survey, when “Doo Wop (That Thing)” launched at No. 1; before that, though, Fugees charted three songs with her as a member. Fantasia was second, with a No. 1 start for “I Believe” after she won American Idol in 2004. In 2013, Baauer opened at No. 1 with his viral hit “Harlem Shake.” Zayn followed in 2016, when his debut solo single “Pillowtalk” arrived at No. 1; similar to Hill, One Direction had charted 29 songs with him as a member. Most recently prior to Richman, last August Oliver Anthony Music became the first act to premiere atop the Hot 100 with no prior chart history on any ranking when “Rich Men North of Richmond” debuted at No. 1.
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(Also notably, Artists for Haiti debuted at No. 2 in 2010 with its charity single “We Are the World 25: For Haiti.” The supergroup featured dozens of A-list artists and chart veterans, including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, P!nk and Usher.)
Before this week, Richman had notched one chart appearance: Brent Faiyaz’s “Upset,” featuring Richman and Felix!, reached No. 12 on Hot R&B Songs and No. 33 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs last November.
“Million Dollar Baby” has benefitted from attention on TikTok, where it has soundtracked over 150,000 clips on the platform to date.
Richman hails from Woodbridge, Va., and was the first artist signed to Faiyaz’s ISO Supremacy imprint, in partnership with PULSE Records. Richman also opened for Faiyaz on his F*ck the World, It’s a Wasteland Tour. “I’m grateful and amazed at the support from Brent, ISO Supremacy and the team at PULSE Records, which motivates me,” Richman said at the time. “To have the opportunity to open for Brent on his sold-out tour is an absolute honor and to sign to PULSE Records, a creative community that really understands music and supports artists, I couldn’t ask for more.”
In a 2023 interview with the Miami New Times, Richman discussed the difficulties of breaking into the music industry as a Virginia-based artist. “There’s a lot of passion through the scene back home, and I feel like it’s because a lot of people don’t get a fair shake,” he said. “It’s really hard to have your voice heard there. That’s probably why a lot of people from Virginia left, like Pharrell and Timbaland. It’s kind of key for an artist to leave their nest. That way, you can appreciate where you come from.”
Richman released his debut album, Alligator, in 2022 on Boom.Records. In September, he dropped the five-track The Rush, via ISO Supremacy.
Richman Rules Streaming Songs
Richman lands his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart via the chart-topping entrance for “Million Dollar Baby.” He’s the second act to land a first Streaming Songs ruler with an initial entry in 2024, following Benson Boone, whose “Beautiful Things” led for a week in February.
Unlike “Million Dollar Baby,” “Beautiful Things” rose to No. 1 in its third week on the chart. The last act before Richman to debut atop the list with a first charting song? Kim Petras, whose “Unholy,” with Sam Smith, started at the summit in October 2022. Splitting the accomplishment one level further: Since Petras was a co-lead on “Unholy,” the last act, like Richman, to launch a first entry atop Streaming Songs with no billed collaborators before this week was Olivia Rodrigo, with “Drivers License” in January 2021.
Notably, “Million Dollar Baby” represents the sixth No. 1 debut on Streaming Songs in 2024. Comparatively, nine songs debuted atop the ranking in all of 2023.
Richman Banks First R&B/Hip-Hop No. 1
Richman also storms onto the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts at No. 1 with “Million Dollar Baby.”
Meanwhile, Faiyaz’s “Upset,” featuring Richman and Felix!, returns to Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at No. 40, spurred by 4.2 million streams, up 94% from the prior week.
Similarly, after “Upset” originally hit No. 12 in Richman’s sole prior visit to Hot R&B Songs in November, he simultaneously ups his top 10 count to two as, concurrent with “Million Dollar Baby” bowing at No. 1, “Upset” reenters at No. 7.
—Kevin Rutherford and Trevor Anderson contributed to this report
