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Drake scores another pair of top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as “You Broke My Heart” and “Evil Ways,” featuring J. Cole, debut at Nos. 5 and 10, respectively, on the list dated Dec. 2. Both songs spring from the deluxe “Scary Hours” edition of the rapper’s latest studio album, For All the Dogs, which rebounds to No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and grabs a seventh straight week in charge of Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

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In addition to a top-five start on the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart — which combines streaming, radio airplay and sales into its rankings — “You Broke My Heart” also leads the six new deluxe Dogs additions in streams for the week. The cut registered 18.3 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week of Nov. 17 – 23, according to Luminate, and opens at No. 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart.

“Evil Ways,” meanwhile, wins the sales race among the new half-dozen tunes. The collaboration sold 2,500 downloads in the week, enough to nab a No. 3 entrance on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales.

With two new top 10 deposits, Drake’s account swells to 130 such hits on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It extends his record for the most top 10s among all artists, which the superstar took from James Brown in February 2018. Here’s an updated count of the acts with the most top 10s on the chart, dating to October 1958, when the chart became the first all-encompassing songs survey for the genre:

130, Drake

57, James Brown

52, Aretha Franklin

51, Lil Wayne

48, Stevie Wonder

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Plus, the “Evil Ways” arrival secures J. Cole’s 27th top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and third of 2023. Both prior visits this year – also through featured roles – captured the No. 1 slot, with the Lil Durk-collab “All My Life” leading the list for seven weeks and another Drake teamup, “First Person Shooter,” reigning for one frame.

Beyond the new top 10s, the other four deluxe Dogs cuts all land in the top 25 on this week’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. “Red Button” begins at No. 15, with “The Shoe Fits” (No. 16), “Stories About My Brother” (No. 18) and “Wick Man” (No. 23) closely behind.

Drake blasts into another orbit on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as the list’s most frequent chart-topper adds to his staggering total, earning a 39th career No. 1 with “Rich Baby Daddy” featuring Sexyy Red and SZA.

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“Rich Baby Daddy” jumps from No. 3 to lead the chart dated Dec. 2. The song’s advance comes after a 24% spike in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored rhythmic radio stations in the week ending Nov. 23, according to Luminate. By reaching the summit in its sixth chart week, “Rich Baby Daddy” becomes Drake’s eighth leader to have wrapped its run to No. 1 in six weeks or less. Here’s a look at his quickest climbs to the penthouse among the 39 chart-toppers:

Weeks to No. 1, Song Title, Artist (if other than Drake), Date Reached No. 1

4, “In My Feelings,” Aug. 11, 2018

5, “God’s Plan,” March 3, 2018

5, “Toosie Slide,” May 9, 2020

6, “Work,” Rihanna featuring Drake, March 19, 2016

6, “One Dance,” featuring Wizkid & Kyla, May 28, 2016

6, “Nice for What,” May 26, 2018

6, “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future & Young Thug, Oct. 23, 2021

6, “Rich Baby Daddy,” featuring Sexyy Red & SZA, Dec. 2, 2023

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As he banks his newest Rhythmic Airplay victory, Drake extends his record for the most champs among all artists. His latest, though, comes with a bonus. With 39 No. 1s, he now has at least three times as many leaders as every other act who has ever hit the top of the list — save for only Rihanna, who has 17 No. 1s. Here’s a look at the current leaderboard for the most No. 1s in Rhythmic Airplay history, which dates to October 1992:

39, Drake

17, Rihanna

13, Bruno Mars

13, Chris Brown

13, The Weeknd

13, Usher

12, Beyoncé

12, Lil Wayne

For Sexyy Red, “Rich Baby Daddy” secures the breakout rapper her first Rhythmic Airplay No. 1 with her third appearance. She previously landed hits on the radio ranking with two viral-turned-radio hits: “Pound Town 2” with Tay Keith and Nicki Minaj, which reached No. 19 in August, and “SkeeYee,” which repeats at its No. 13 peak for a second frame.

SZA, meanwhile, nabs her fifth Rhythmic Airplay champ and third of 2023, tying Drake and Ice Spice for the most this year. The R&B hitmaker first ruled the radio chart via a featured spot on Doja Cat’s two-week champ “Kiss Me More” in 2021. Between “Kiss Me More” and “Rich Baby Daddy,” SZA ruled with three of her own tracks: “I Hate U” (one week, 2021), “Kill Bill” (three weeks, 2023) and “Snooze” (two weeks, 2023).

“Rich Baby Daddy” appears on Drake’s latest studio album, For All the Dogs, which gave the superstar his 13th champ on all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart. Thanks to the arrival of a deluxe edition release with six new tracks, the set rallies from No. 4 to earn a second week at the summit on this week’s chart.

Tyla takes over Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as her breakthrough single, “Water” rises to No. 1 on the list dated Dec. 2. The track springs from No. 4 to crown the chart after a 14% surge in plays that made it the most played song on U.S. monitored mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the week ending Nov. 23, according to Luminate.

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Through its double-digit gain, “Water” wins the Greatest Gainer honor, awarded each week to the song with the largest increase in plays among the chart’s 40 titles. As it reaches the summit, “Water” pushes Victoria Monet’s “On My Mama” to second place after two weeks in charge.

Thanks to “Water,” released on Fax Records/Epic Records, Epic Records returns to No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay for the first time in just over a year. Future’s “Wait for U,” featuring Drake and Tems, was the label’s last leader, completing a record 16th week at No. 1 on the chart dated Oct. 29, 2022.

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As “Water” reigns on the plays-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, the radio smash repeats at a No. 5 high on the audience-based R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay list, which ranks songs by combined audience impression totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, “Water” added 14% in weekly audience to reach a new best of 15.8 million.

In addition to the R&B/hip-hop wins, “Water” flows 7-4 on Rhythmic Airplay, following a huge 27% increase in weekly plays at the format. Pop radio also has embraced the tune, with a 28-21 on the newest Pop Airplay list after a 41% hike in weekly plays. Armed with strong results from the R&B/hip-hop, rhythmic and pop sectors, “Water” is knocking on the door of the top 10 of the all-genre Radio Songs chart with a 17-11 ascent and 24% weekly improvement in audience to 38.4 million.

The rapid “Water” radio rise joins with the song’s growing sales and streaming profile to fuel the track’s high placements on several Billboard multimetric charts. Notably, the song wins a seventh week atop the sales and streaming-powered U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart, while also climbing the radio, sales and streaming-driven Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (5-4) and Billboard Hot 100 (15-10) charts.

ENHYPEN score their sixth top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Dec. 2), as the Korean pop ensemble’s Orange Blood bows at No. 2. The set sold 87,000 copies in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 23, according to Luminate.

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Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, Dolly Parton notches her first No. 1 on the 32-year-old list with the arrival of Rockstar; Taylor Swift has half of the top 10 thanks to sale pricing and promotions for Black Friday, and Cher’s Christmas vaults 23-10 after its release on vinyl.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of the 87,000 copies sold of Orange Blood, physical sales comprise 86,000 (all on CD) and digital download album sales comprise 1,000. Its sales were bolstered by its availability across a dozen collectible CD packages (including exclusive versions sold by Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart; all with branded merchandise inside, some with randomized elements).

As previously reported, Parton’s Rockstar rules Top Album Sales with her biggest sales week of the modern era (since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991), with 118,500 copies sold. Its sales were enhanced by a variety of iterations available on vinyl and CD.

Swift has half of the top 10 on Top Album Sales for a third time, thanks to sale pricing and promotions previewing the Black Friday shopping holiday on Nov. 24. (Swift previously had five of the top 10 on the Nov. 11-dated list, and six of the top 10 on the July 22-dated chart.) On the latest Top Album Sales ranking, Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) falls 2-3 (64,000; down 7%), Folklore jumps 14-6 (20,000; up 77%), Midnights rallies 11-7 (19,000; up 57%), Lover leaps 16-8 (18,000; up 80%) and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) shoots 15-9 (17,000; up 72%). All are former No. 1s on the tally.

Stray Kids’ ROCK-STAR falls 1-4 in its second week on Top Album Sales, selling 46,000 copies (down 78%). Jung Kook’s chart-topping Golden dips 4-5 with 20,000 sold (down 42%).

Rounding out the top 10 is Cher’s Christmas, which returns to the region, zipping 23-10 with 14,000 sold (up 82%) following the set’s release on vinyl on Nov. 17. It sold a little over 6,000 copies on vinyl. Christmas debuted and peaked at No. 5 on the Nov. 4-dated chart.

In the week ending Nov. 23, there were 2.34 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 1.7% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.98 million (up 2.6%) and digital albums comprised 361,000 (down 3.1%).

There were 923,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Nov. 23 (down 3.4% week-over-week) and 1.046 million vinyl albums sold (up 8.6%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 31.921 million (up 2.9% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 41.441 million (up 17.1%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 90.474 million (up 6.1% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 73.857 million (up 10.4%) and digital album sales total 16.617 million (down 9.4%).

Ozuna captures his seventh straight top 10 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as Cosmo, his sixth studio album, debuts at No. 9 on the Dec. 2-dated ranking.
Cosmo opens in the upper region with 11,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. during the Nov. 17-23 tracking week, according to Luminate. Streaming contributes most of the album’s opening sum, with 8,000 streaming-equivalent album units. That figure equates to 12.1 million streams official on-demand streams of the album’s songs. Meanwhile, the remaining 3,000 stem from traditional album sales.

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Cosmo was a surprise release, with the first announcement on Nov. 14, three days ahead of its Nov. 17 drop via Aura/Sony Music Latin. The 15-track includes collaborations with renowned producers and artists such as David Guetta, Jhayco, Chencho Corleone, Sky Rompiendo, Anuel AA, Lito MC Cassidy, Maldy, Chris Jedi and De La Ghetto.

On his eighth Top Latin Albums chart visit, Ozuna claims his seventh top 10, five of which hot No. 1 for at least one week. The 46-week champ Odisea still ties with Bad Bunny’s X100PRE for the fourth-most weeks at No. 1 among all albums since the chart launched in 1993. Here’s an updated look at Ozuna’s collection of top 10 albums on the overall Latin albums tally:

Peak Position, Album, Artist, Date, Weeks at No. 1No. 1, Odisea, Sept. 16, 2017, 46No. 1, Aura, Sept. 8, 2018, 17No. 1, Nibiru, Dec. 14, 2019, oneNo. 1, Enoc, Sept. 19, 2020, OneNo. 1, Los Dioses, with Anuel AA, Feb. 6, 2021, oneNo. 5, Ozutochi, Oct. 22, 2022No. 9, Cosmo, Dec. 2, 2023

Elsewhere, Cosmo kicks off at No. 116 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, while also launching at No. 5 on Latin Rhythm Albums.

As Cosmo lands, two of the set’s songs debut across the charts: “Baccarat” bows at No. 40 on the overall Latin Airplay ranking and at No. 17 on Latin Rhythm Airplay. Meanwhile, “Vocation,” with Guetta, gives Ozuna his fourth chart appearance on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, at No. 11. Plus, the Puerto Rican ups his top 10 career entry to 60 on Latin Digital Song Sales, as “Vocation” arrives at No. 10 –still the second-most among all acts (after Bad Bunny’s record 74 top 10s).

Taylor Swift, Drake and now Jack Harlow. That’s the complete list of artists who’ve scored No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in each of the past three calendar years — with the latter artist completing the trifecta with his new chart-topper “Lovin on Me.”

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“Lovin” climbs from 2-1 on the Hot 100 this week (dated Dec. 9), following his Lil Nas X collab “Industry Baby” (2021) and his solo smash “First Class” (2022) to the chart’s apex. Like “First Class,” the song was extensively teased on TikTok before its release, building up anticipation for its debut.

How has Harlow continued scoring these smashes? And will he one day also have the consistent major album success of a Drake or Swift? Billboard staffers debate these questions and more below.

1. Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me” climbs 2-1 on the Hot 100 this week, giving him a No. 1 hit in a third straight year — the only artist besides Drake and Taylor Swift on as long a streak. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you to see Harlow’s name along with those two others for that benchmark?

Eric Renner Brown: I’d quantify my mild surprise as a 3. Not so much because Harlow strung together three consecutive years with a Hot 100 topper – even in 2021, it was fairly clear he had the juice as far as pop-rap goes – but because only him, Drake, and Taylor have achieved this distinction. To come at this question another way, my surprise is primarily in terms of the artists who scored Hot 100 No. 1s in 2021, and then missed the chart’s top slot in at least one of the two following years. At the end of 2021, Lil Nas X and BTS were both omnipresent and it felt like a strong possibility that Cardi B would have a new album (with ostensibly huge singles) the following year. Instead, 2021 was the last year any of them topped the chart.

Kyle Denis: Maybe about a 6? When you think about it, it’s not really that surprising. Jack Harlow is a charismatic young talent with really broad appeal, and it’s not like he makes music that staunchly rejects mainstream conventions. Nonetheless, after the soft commercial reception of Jackman earlier this year and his relative absence from the headlines, another No. 1 hit does come as a bit of a surprise. Then again, when you have a hold on TikTok in the way that Jack Harlow does, there’s always a hit in your back pocket. 

Josh Glicksman: A high 7. Sure, Harlow has become one of the bigger names in music over the past few years, but I doubt that your casual top 40 listener would know him as an answer to that trivia question. Still, he’s done an excellent job of picking collaborations, samples and, perhaps most importantly, the right singles since 2021. It’s hard to overemphasize the last point: Three of his last five singles as a lead artist have gone to No. 1. Harlow and his team clearly have a spot-on understanding of what is going to latch onto the mainstream ear in a moment’s notice.

Jason Lipshutz: A 9 — and that’s not due to anything against Jack Harlow, but just because of how his singles discography has oscillated between quickly evaporating tracks and No. 1 smashes. Unlike artists like Taylor Swift and Drake, who routinely send singles to the top of the Hot 100 regardless of the commercial rollout or affiliated project, Harlow has the ability to put out singles and projects with little Hot 100 heat (this year’s Jackman album didn’t produce a single top 40 entry, for instance), but then follow them up with songs that build TikTok anticipation and immediately explode on streaming services. It’s a singular skill, which makes a feat like “Lovin on Me” so unexpected.

Andrew Unterberger: A 7. Clearly Harlow’s crossover instincts are strong — we even named him one of the 10 greatest pop stars of 2022 — but it does feel like he has to prove himself each time out in a way that most cemented A-listers are mostly beyond needing to do. Striking gold like this three years in a row is quite tough to do for an artist on Harlow’s (still very high) commercial level.

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2. Like “First Class” before it, “Lovin on Me” built excellent pre-release buzz on TikTok, essentially minting it as a hit before its debut. What about the song — or about Harlow’s singles in general — do you think makes it so viral-ready?

Eric Renner Brown: It has to help that the sheer density of his rhymes means that Harlow can simply squeeze more into a bite-sized clip, right? Harlow songs have this funny quality: Wherever you drop in, you’ll get to a punchline (or perhaps more accurately, an intended punchline) within a few seconds. (On “Lovin On Me,” don’t miss “I keep it short with a b–ch, Lord Farquaad” tucked away in the second verse – easily rap’s best Shrek moment of 2023.) More generally, I think Harlow’s classic production sensibilities give his songs a sense of familiarity. There’s nothing particularly grating or challenging about his music, which greases the virality wheels.

Kyle Denis: Definitely the sample. That melody coupled with a beat that feels familiar to enough to recall Drake’s “The Motto,” but distinct enough to feel like its own entity, makes for a track with several key components to latch onto. More importantly, like “First Class,” “Lovin on Me,” finds Jack rapping to the ladies – and there isn’t much of that happening in rap music right now (at least from the men in the mainstream). Of the 50 songs on Billboard’s 2023 Year-End Hot Rap Songs ranking, just a handful can be described as songs that fit that bill. 

Josh Glicksman: The man knows how to pick an earworm of a sample! Like “First Class” before it, it only takes a listen or two before “Lovin on Me” will be fully stuck in your head, humming Cadillac Dale’s pitched-up, sped-up pre-chorus again and again. He’s been doing it for years: Don’t forget about 2019’s “Thru the Night” — released just a few months before breakthrough hit “Whats Poppin” — which similarly used a lift from Usher’s “U Don’t Have to Call” to wrap its way around listeners’ hearts.

Jason Lipshutz: “First Class” and “Lovin on Me” follow a similar blueprint: rhythmic sample prominent in the production, Harlow flex-singing on the hook, then packing his verses with sexual innuendos. Harlow did not become a star with that formula — breakthrough single “What’s Poppin” sounds nothing like either No. 1 hit — but the one-liners are ripe for TikTok trends, and the sample-heavy choruses translate well to radio. “First Class” was a viral juggernaut before it became a traditional hit, and I expected “Lovin on Me” will function similarly.

Andrew Unterberger: Yeah, it’s the samples. While “Lovin on Me” is built around a significantly less-familiar sample (Cadillac Dale’s “Whatever”) than the Fergie-reviving “First Class,” it’s another immediately grabbing hook that Harlow does an excellent job interacting with and wrapping himself around. It arrives already feeling like a song we’ve known for a decade or longer, and that’s of incredible value when it comes to pop music at pretty much any point in history.

3. “First Class” not only had an excellent debut, it hung around long enough — spending half a year in the top 40 — to end up one of the biggest Hot 100 hits of 2022. Do you think “Lovin” will display similar endurance?

Eric Renner Brown: “First Class” was released a year-and-a-half before “Lovin On You,” which means it was also released a year-and-a-half closer to Harlow’s white-hot 2020 and 2021. In 2022, Harlow was still enjoying that afterglow, and I think “First Class” was a prime example. The two singles are comparable in quality – “Lovin On Me” has a little more edge to it, but “First Class” bests it in terms of originality – so Harlow’s current cultural cachet will likely be the differentiating factor here when it comes to commercial performance.

Kyle Denis: I think it has the potential. If it can survive the Christmas onslaught and grow its presence on radio in the new year, “Lovin on Me” could very well be one of those Q4 releases that truly explode in Q1. 

Josh Glicksman: Candidly, “Lovin on Me” sounds more to me like a song that gets released in late spring and has the energy to last on the radio all summer long. My worry for Young J-A-C-K here is that, try as he might, Christmas music is already beginning its inevitable annual takeover of the charts. Regaining the track’s momentum following several weeks where people may push it aside is no easy feat. Pulling off another half year in the top 40 would be no Christmas miracle for him, but maybe more of an unexpected present under the tree. 

Jason Lipshutz: It’s hard to say: we’re entering a pretty wonky chart moment, with a slew of holiday music about to dominate the Hot 100 and some longer-running hits like Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” and Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” already entrenched as counter-programming at radio. If “Lovin on Me” is going to hang around as a hit, it needs to transcend the next six weeks of Christmas fare and come out within the top 20 or so on the other side. I think the song has legs, but we’ll truly know if it does in January.

Andrew Unterberger: I think so. As demonstrated by a song like Sam Smith’s & Kim Petras’ “Unholy” — which had a massive, TikTok-accelerated debut in late 2022, and still hung around long enough to finish No. 11 on our 2023 Year-End Hot 100 — just because a song becomes a pop hit due to internet virality, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily likely to fade as quickly as it sparked. The streaming numbers are still robust, and radio is coming on fast, with multiple formats likely thrilled to receive a pre-minted hit like this so late in the calendar year. We’ll be hearing from “Lovin on You” well into 2024.

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4. While Harlow has become a near-household name on the strength of his hit singles and feature appearances, his albums have not yet garnered the same consistency of success. Do you see it as only a matter of time before that follows, or is he more of an old-school singles artist who doesn’t necessarily need smash albums to thrive?

Eric Renner Brown: First, I’d push back on the notion that Harlow’s albums haven’t been consistently successful: Not No. 1s, but all three have charted in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, which is nothing to sneeze at. But with that said, Harlow is a little-goes-a-long-way artist for me – and, I would assume, for many other listeners as well. The showboat cadence, the “is this the dumbest or most clever thing I’ve ever heard?” jokes… they get exhausting after a while.

His first two albums weren’t long relative to mainstream rap’s data dumps – each is roughly the length of a single vinyl LP – but this is why I thought this year’s even-shorter Jackman, at 24 minutes, was savvy. Get in, show the listeners how skilled a technician you are, and get out before you wear out your welcome. Then again, it’s also unclear what Harlow’s goals are for his albums. Come Home The Kids Miss You had four A-list features, but otherwise had a slimmer guest list than many of Harlow’s peers’ albums; Jackman had no features at all. If Harlow wanted these albums to have charted higher, there are straightforward ways he could have achieved that – and could achieve that in the future.

Kyle Denis: When it comes to albums, Jack Harlow is in a weird place. His official debut studio LP (2020’s Thats What They All Say) arrived at the right time to capitalize on the success of “Whats Poppin” and “Tyler Herro,” but he hadn’t yet really fleshed out who he was as a pop star and brand beyond those hits. He was able to do all that by the time his sophomore record (2022’s Come Home the Kids Miss You) rolled around, but tepid critical reception made it remarkably easy for “First Class” to overshadow the rest of the set. Then we have 2023’s Jackman, which was a conscious step away from the crossover aspirations of his first two records, obviously netting even less outstanding commercial returns. 

Clearly, Jack doesn’t need a smash album to have a fruitful career, but I think he has at least one of those in him. I still think, had it not been for the pandemic, his debut could have been that record for him. 

Josh Glicksman: As Billboard recently covered, the album is alive and well, though I have Harlow as an old-school singles artist — or at least, that’s where he’s going to have the most mainstream success. He has proven time and again that he knows how to captivate an audience with a one-off, and if you can string a handful of those together across a few albums, you’ll have a long and healthy career. That shouldn’t stop him from continuing to try, though. For everyone clamoring for another “Lovin on Me,” I’ll be waiting in line for the next installment of Jackman.

Jason Lipshutz: I think more consistency is in his future, because he’s more of a known entity — complete with major live shows, feature film roles and TV ad appearances — than a hit-single merchant without any artistic identity. It will be interesting to see if Harlow decides to take a few more swings of the Jackman bat and establish a stronger foothold in mainstream hip-hop, or if he becomes more focused on crossover hits as a way of extending his commercial run; in either lane, I’d bet on him establishing a dependable artistic tone and catering to its fan base.

Andrew Unterberger: Feels like a singles artist to me. Jackman was an admirable attempt to appeal to a more of a J. Cole-like audience, but while the album was more impressive than I would have expected, it simply didn’t attract the listenership to suggest that it’s what most people want to hear from Harlow. Meanwhile, Come Home had a stronger commercial debut but a worse reception from fans and critics, who didn’t seem to feel that the “First Class” version of Harlow could really sustain interest (or even likability) for an entire album. It’ll be a challenge for him to find a way to really split the difference between the two versions of himself — but having three Hot 100 No. 1s in three years should buy him a decent amount of time to try to figure it out, anyway.

5. Fill in the blank: Jack Harlow will end up being this generation’s _____.

Eric Renner Brown: John Mayer, maybe? Young heartthrob with undeniable and flashy skills scores some early hits then struggles to define himself artistically in the face of (often inaccurate or overblown) popular stereotypes… maybe this all ends with Harlow pinch-hitting as a key member in a hip-hop legacy act.

Kyle Denis: Jack Harlow will end up being this generation’s late-career Ludacris – he’ll always have a hit waiting in the wings, his albums won’t make much of an impact, and he’ll retain his crossover appeal by remaining a relevant figure across entertainment for as long as he desires. 

Josh Glicksman: Thanksgiving is over, but let’s stay in theme: Jack Harlow will end up being this generation’s pumpkin pie. Do with that what you will.

Jason Lipshutz: Let’s go with Fat Joe, a respected rapper with some huge pop hits, plenty of animated guest spots and loyal support within the hip-hop community. Harlow is not all the way up quite yet, but he’s getting there.

Andrew Unterberger: Wiz Khalifa. But also sorta its Pitbull.

U2 wrapped the first leg of the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency on Nov. 4 with unprecedented box-office results. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, U2’s 17 Sphere shows in Las Vegas grossed $109.8 million and sold 281,000 tickets. Opening night at Sphere was Sept. 29. U2 played another show the next […]

Warren Zeiders rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart (dated Dec. 2), becoming the top up-and-coming act in the United States for the first time, thanks to his single “Pretty Little Poison,” and his debut full-length of the same name.

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The single – Zeiders’ first Billboard Hot 100 hit – ranks at No. 53 on the chart, with 13.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 13%), 8.6 million official streams (up 7%) and 1,000 downloads sold (up 35%) in the U.S. Nov. 17-23, according to Luminate. It also climbs 10-8 for a new high on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Further boosting Zeiders’ Emerging Artists coronation is his new song “Sin So Sweet.” The track, released Nov. 17, debuts at No. 39 on Hot Country Songs with 3.3 million streams and 4,000 sold earned in its opening week.

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Plus, Zeiders’ debut LP Pretty Little Poison ranks at No. 35 on the Top Country Albums chart, after reaching No. 12 in September, with 8,000 equivalent album units.

Zeiders is the sixth country act to top Emerging Artists in 2023, following Jelly Roll, Nate Smith, Megan Moroney, Colter Wall and Cooper Alan.

Rounding out the top five of the latest Emerging Artists chart, Teddy Swims drops to No. 2, Nate Smith descends 2-3, Victoria Monet dips 3-4 and Kenya Grace holds at No. 5.

Among other Emerging Artists moves, Austin Williams debuts at No. 10 thanks to his song “90s Rap Mashup.” The track, released Nov. 17 on Truth or Dare Records, starts at No. 1 on Country Digital Song Sales and No. 9 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart with 4,000 sold. It interpolates classic hip-hop hits, including DMX’s “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem,” Nelly’s “(Hot S**t) Country Grammar,” Afroman’s “Crazy Rap” and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “1st of tha Month.” Williams scored his first chart entry in September, with “Wanna Be Saved.”

The Emerging Artists chart ranks the most popular developing artists of the week, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Hot 100 and Billboard 200. (The Artist 100 lists the most popular acts, overall, each week.) However, the Emerging Artists chart excludes acts that have notched a top 25 entry on either the Hot 100 or Billboard 200, as well as artists that have achieved two or more top 10s on Billboard’s “Hot” song genre charts and/or consumption-based “Top” album genre rankings.

A week after making their first appearances on Billboard charts, Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce are No. 1 for the first time. The brothers’ “Fairytale of Philadelphia” rises from No. 2, where it debuted, to No. 1 on the Rock Digital Song Sales tally dated Dec. 2. It also lands at No. 1 on the […]

Taylor Swift spends a record-extending 87th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Dec. 2), thanks to the continued success of her latest re-recorded LP, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), as well as nine additional albums on the Billboard 200 and six songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

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1989 (Taylor’s Version) logged its first two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and ranks at No. 2 in its fourth week on the list with 137,000 equivalent album units earned Nov. 17-23, according to Luminate. It debuted with 1.653 million equivalent album units – the largest one-week total since the debut of Adele’s 25 (3.482 million; Nov. 15, 2015).

Here’s a recap of Swift’s current Billboard 200-charting albums:

No. 2, 1989 (Taylor’s Version)No. 6, MidnightsNo. 8, LoverNo. 9, FolkloreNo. 17, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)No. 23, Red (Taylor’s Version)No. 27, reputationNo. 31, EvermoreNo. 40, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)No. 59, 1989

This is the fifth week that Swift has charted four albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 simultaneously, after she did so on the charts dated July 22 and 29 and Aug. 19 and 26. Only two other acts have each charted at least four albums in the top 10 simultaneously: Herb Albert, who landed four on April 2, 1966, and Prince, who charted five on May 14, 2016, after his death that April.

On the Hot 100, Swift charts six songs, led by “Cruel Summer” at No. 2, following four weeks on top. Next up, all from 1989 (Taylor’s Version): “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” (No. 9, after spending one week at No. 1); “Now That We Don’t Talk (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” (No. 56); “Slut! (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” (No. 76); “Say Don’t Go (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” (No. 81); and “Style (Taylor’s Version)” (No. 91).

Dolly Parton re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 3, a new high, thanks to the opening week of her album Rockstar. The set debuts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 – a new personal best for Parton – and No. 1 on both the Top Country Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts with 128,000 units.

ENHYPEN returns to the Artist 100 at No. 5, powered by the group’s new set Orange Blood. The album arrives at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 90,000 units, becoming the act’s third top 10.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.