Chart Beat
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Memphis-based rapper Finesse2Tymes (real name Ricky Hampton) scores his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 4), as his breakthrough single “Back End” debuts at No. 98.
The song, released in July via Bread Gang/FNG/Mob Ties/Duh Klan/Atlantic Records, debuts with 15.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 8%) and 3.2 million U.S. streams in the Jan. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate.
“Back End” has steadily gained on radio and in streaming. It concurrently ranks at No. 21 on the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart and No. 39 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Radio-wise, it holds at its bests on Rap Airplay (No. 7), R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 11) and Rhythmic Airplay (No. 14) and reaches the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay top 10 (11-9).
Finesse2Tymes first appeared on a Billboard ranking in August, when he debuted at No. 36 on the Emerging Artists chart; he stands at No. 15 on the latest chart.
The rapper has one additional chart entry outside of “Back End”: His album 90 Days reached No. 13 on Top Rap Albums, No. 21 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 57 on the Billboard 200 in December.
In 2012, Finesse2Tymes formed the rap collective Memphis Greatest Underrated, alongside fellow Memphis rappers Moneybagg Yo (who has tallied 27 Hot 100 entries) and Blac Youngsta (one). Moneybagg Yo is featured on 90 Days track “Black Visa”; the set also includes guest appearances from Lil Baby, Gucci Mane and Tay Keith.
Late legend David Crosby is remembered on Billboard‘s charts, as two titles vault to the top 10 of the Americana/Folk Albums survey (dated Feb. 4) among other moves for his catalog.
Crosby’s death, at age 81, was announced Jan. 19.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Deja Vu re-enters Americana/Folk Albums at No. 5 (after reaching No. 4 in 2021) with 9,000 equivalent album units, up 238%, in the Jan. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate. Plus, Crosby, Stills & Nash’s Greatest Hits returns to the tally at a new No. 7 best, with 8,000 units, a 287% surge.
The former set topped the all-genre Billboard 200 in 1970, becoming the first of three leaders for the supergroup of Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young. The latter debuted and peaked at No. 24 in 2005. The releases re-enter the chart at Nos. 129 and 156, respectively.
On Top Rock & Alternative Albums, the titles place, respectively, at Nos. 18 and 24.
Meanwhile, six songs featuring Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Crosby’s contributions, including one by The Byrds, which he co-founded, infuse the 25-position Rock Digital Song Sales chart:
No. 7, “Southern Cross,” Crosby, Stills & Nash; 2,700 sold, up 162%
No. 8, “Teach Your Children,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; 2,400 sold, up 298%
No. 16, “Our House,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; 1,700 sold, up 234%
No. 18, “Carry On,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; 1,600 sold, up 352%
No. 19, “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” Crosby, Stills & Nash; 1,500 sold, up 244%
No. 25, “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season),” The Byrds; 1,300 sold, up 204%
On the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart, the top three tracks listed above enter at Nos. 24, 26 and 48, respectively.
In addition to standing as Crosby’s top-selling song in the U.S. during the tracking week, “Southern Cross” ranks as his most-streamed, up 52% to 1.8 million official on-demand (audio and video) and programmed streams Jan. 20-26.
Canadian singer-songwriter ThxSoMch charts a song on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Feb. 4) for the first time, as his breakthrough track “Spit in My Face!” opens at No. 100.
The song, released independently Nov. 1, debuts almost entirely on the strength of streaming: 5.3 million official U.S. streams in the Jan. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate. It concurrently climbs 7-6 on Hot Alternative Songs and 10-9 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (both of which use the same streaming-, airplay- and sales-based methodology as the Hot 100).
TikTok has been a crucial factor in the song’s growing popularity, as a portion of the song has been used in more than 70,000 videos on the platform to date. (TikTok does not presently contribute directly to Billboard’s charts.)
“You crush my heart and say it’s nothing,” ThxSoMuch sings in the brooding but tempo-driven “Spit in My Face!” “I bleed for you, but you never cared.”
ThxSoMch is brand new to Billboard’s charts, as “Spit in My Face!” marks his first and, to date, sole chart entry. He also rises 23-21 for a new best on the Emerging Artists chart.
The track is also gaining support worldwide, as it pushes 123-121 on the Billboard Global 200 and 181-165 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.
Philadelphia rapper-songwriter 2Rare scores his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 4), as “Do It Again,” with NLE Choppa, debuts at No. 96.
The song, released Oct. 7 via NLE Choppa/Warner Records, bows with 12.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 11%) and 3.4 million U.S. streams (up 7%) in the Jan. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also rises 24-20 and 44-38 on the multimetric Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively. It also ascends 12-9 on Rap Airplay, 16-12 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, 15-13 on Rhythmic Airplay and 16-14 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.
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“Do It Again” notably contains a sample of Rose Royce’s classic “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” which reached No. 32 on the Hot 100 in February 1979.
TikTok has been a big factor in the song’s profile, as a portion of the track has been used in over 220,000 videos on the platform. The song also soundtracks the #doitagainchallenge on the app. (TikTok does not contribute to Billboard’s charts.) “Sped up” and “slowed down” versions of it have additionally generated buzz. NLE Choppa boasts more than 14 million followers on the platform, while 2Rare sports 1 million.
2Rare hadn’t charted a song on Billboard’s listings before “Do It Again.” For NLE Choppa, the cut marks his 10th Hot 100 entry, and first since “Shotta Flow 6” in February 2022.
Although “Do It Again” is his first charting hit, 2Rare has released other singles, including “Q-Pid,” with Lil Durk, and “Dump It Dummy,” with Zai1k and Tre Oh Fie. He also made a cameo in the official video for Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock,” which climbs to a new No. 12 high on the latest Hot 100.
Quevedo drives his Spanish rap to Billboard Latin charts as his maiden studio album, Donde Quiero Estar (which translates to Where I Want to Be) starts at No. 9 on the Latin Rhythm Albums chart and at No. 12 on Top Latin Albums chart (dated Feb. 4). The 16-track set becomes his first entry on any albums chart.
Donde Quiero Estar was released Jan. 20 via Taste the Floor Records, and begins with more than 5,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. after its first tracking week ending in Jan. 26, according to Luminate. As mentioned, the album’s arrival gives Quevedo his first top 10 on any albums chart, with its No. 9 start on Latin Rhythm Albums.
As with most Latin rhythmic albums, most of the set’s opening sum derives from streaming activity. The set’s songs generated 7.3 million on-demand official streams in the tracking week.
On both Top Latin Albums and Latin Rhythm Albums, each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.
The album’s top 10 debut is another achievement for the Spaniard, who broke through in 2022 with the No. 1 global hit “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” with Bizarrap. The track concurrently earned both artists their first top 10 on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs charts (a blend of airplay, digital sales, and streaming data) last November, and on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 (August 2022).
Donde Quiero Estar includes collaborations with Myke Towers, Ovy on the Drums, and others, including a spoken intro by Spanish rapper Cruz Cafuné.
Quevedo’s debut album was preceded by three songs on the global charts. On the Billboard Global 200, “Punto G” ascends 72-66, “Playa del Inglés,” with Myke Towers, soars 170-120, while “Vista al Mar” peaked at No. 114 last Oct. (rebounds 198-136 on the current chart). Meanwhile, over on Billboard Global Excl. U.S., “Punto G” rises 40-33, “Vista” climbs 116-76, while “Playa” rallies 107-77. Plus, “Ahora Qué” also debuts at No. 122 on the latter.
Elsewhere, Donde Quiero Estar bows at No. 12 on Top Latin Albums, also Quevedo’s first appearance there.
Taylor Swift extends her record run at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Feb. 4), as she tallies her 63rd week as the top musical act in the U.S.
Swift continues her dominance thanks to two tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 from her latest album, Midnights. Her former eight-week No. 1 “Anti-Hero,” which became her sole longest-leading hit two weeks earlier, ranks at No. 3, while “Lavender Haze” places at No. 30; the latter’s official video premiered Jan. 27.
Midnights holds at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 67,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. Jan. 20-26, according to Luminate, after spending five weeks at No. 1. Swift boasts nine sets on the survey, the most among all acts: Midnights, Folklore (No. 24), Lover (No. 27), 1989 (No. 34), Red (Taylor’s Version) (No. 41), Reputation (No. 59), Evermore (No. 80), Speak Now (No. 137) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (No. 141).
Elsewhere on the Artist 100, HARDY re-enters at No. 7 (a new peak), thanks to his new studio album The Mockingbird & The Crow. The set opens at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 (55,000 units), becoming his first top 10 album. It also starts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales, with 20,000 copies sold.
Just beyond the Artist 100’s top 10, Crosby, Still, Nash & Young re-enter at No. 20, sparked by gains for the legendary group after the death of David Crosby on Jan. 18. Two of the act’s albums return to the Billboard 200: Deja Vu at No. 129 and its Greatest Hits at No. 156.
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.
New York City-based rapper Ice Spice scores her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 4), as her new collaboration with Lil Tjay, “Gangsta Boo,” debuts at No. 82.
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The song, released Jan. 20 on her EP Like..? via Dolo/TenThousand Projects/Capitol Records, opens with 5.1 million U.S. streams, 727,000 radio airplay audience impressions and 3,000 downloads sold in its first week (ending Jan. 26), according to Luminate. It also debuts at Nos. 16 and 32 on the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively.
Like..? concurrently starts at No. 13 on Top Rap Albums, No. 19 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 37 on the all-genre Billboard 200 with 15,000 equivalent album units earned.
Ice Spice (real name Isis Gaston), who hails from the Bronx, is a newcomer to Billboard’s charts. She charted one track prior to “Gangsta Boo”: Her breakout hit “Munch (Feelin’ U)” reached No. 25 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs last September/October. It also peaked at No. 19 on Rap Airplay, No. 23 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, No. 27 on Rhythmic Airplay and No. 28 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Meanwhile, thanks to attention surrounding her new release, “Munch” surged by 67% to 2.3 million U.S. streams Jan. 20-26.
Notably, “Gangsta Boo” samples Diddy and Ginuwine’s “I Need a Girl (Part Two),” featuring Loon, Mario Winans and Tammy Ruggieri. The classic hit No. 4 on the Hot 100 in 2001.
“Gangsta Boo” is also a tribute to the late rapper of the same name. The Memphis-based rapper (born Lola Mitchell), who was a member of Three 6 Mafia, died Jan. 1 at age 43.
Another Ice Spice breakout track also debuts on multiple charts: “In Ha Mood,” also on Like..?, enters at No. 24 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 43 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Anointed Billboard‘s October R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month, Ice Spice shared that Lil Tjay, who also hails from the Bronx, is her go-to artist for advice. “We like to chat a lot,” she said. “[He] actually goes through similar situations. It helps a lot to be able to talk to somebody and just vent and for them to be like, ‘This is what I did when that happened to me.’ And learning from their mistakes, too.”
Ice Spice says that her inspiration for the new EP comes from Nicki Minaj, Lil Kim, Cardi … “all the greats. I’m definitely inspired by Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. But I definitely want to like have my own lane, where like, it’s just mine, and not like really copying somebody.”
It’s shaping to be a glorious week for Sam Smith, as their fourth studio album Gloria (Capitol) leads the race for the U.K. chart crown.
Gloria is projected to debut at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, following the Brit’s previous leaders In The Lonely Hour (from 2014) and The Thrill Of It All (2017).
Featuring the No. 1 hit single “Unholy,” a collaboration with Kim Petras, Gloria leads the Official Chart Update. It’s the followup to 2020’s Love Goes, which peaked at No. 2 in Smith’s homeland.
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Smith isn’t the only artist eyeing a splashing debut. Bob Dylan is on track for a No. 2 start with Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions Volume 17 (Sony Music CG), the latest instalment in the songsmith’s Bootlegs series, which collates new mixes, outtakes and rarities from sessions from 1997’s Time Out Of Mind, an album that peaked at No. 10 in the U.K. Fragments is set to become Dylan’s 42nd appearance in the U.K. top 10.
Further down the list, Albanian-American pop artist Ava Max is heading for a No. 5 debut with Diamonds & Dancefloors (Atlantic), her sophomore album. It’s the followup to 2020’s Heaven & Hell, which peaked at No. 2.
Meanwhile, new recordings from English prog-rocker veterans Uriah Heep (Chaos & Colour at No. 19 via Silver Lining Music) and U.S. rapper Lil Yachty (Let’s Start Here at No. 32 via EMI) are heading for the top 40.
Finally, just days after Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic landed a string of Academy Award nominations, the King of Rock & Roll is making a move on the U.K. chart. Elvis Presley’s Elv1s – 30 Number 1 Hits (RCA) lifts 23-20 on the chart blast, and Elvis On Tour (Sony Music CG), a six-CD, one-Blu-ray box set capturing performances from Elvis’ 1972 North America tour, is set to bow at No. 43. Elvis is nominated for eight Oscars, including best picture; it also earned a best actor nomination for Austin Butler, who portrayed Presley.
The Official U.K. Albums Chart is presented late Friday.
Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (via Columbia) is digging in for a third consecutive week at No. 1 in the U.K.
The U.S. pop star’s latest hit powers to the lead on the midweek chart, and is currently outselling its nearest rival, Raye’s “Escapism” (Human Re Sources) featuring 070 Shake, by more than two-to-one, the Official Charts Company reports.
“Flowers” is already Miley’s longest-reigning No. 1 in the U.K., beating the single-week runs for her previous leaders “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball,” both from 2013.
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Based on midweek data captured by the OCC, the highest new entry on the chart proper could belong to KSI and Oliver Tree with “Voices” (Atlantic). It’s on track for a No. 11 debut, for what would be KSI’s 18th and Tree’s third top 40 appearance.
Sydney-raised, Los Angeles-based singer and rapper The Kid LAROI is also targeting a top tier debut with his new track, “Love Again” (Columbia). It’s new at No. 22 on the Official Chart Update, for what should be the artist’s fifth top 40 appearance. “Love Again” is the second cut from the Kid’s forthcoming debut album, The First Time, which is set for release later this year.
Meanwhile, Miguel’s 2010 single “Sure Thing” (Jive) continues to enjoy a renaissance after going viral on TikTok. It’s up 13-7 on the Chart Update. The track entered the top 10 for the very first time last week, nearly 13 years after it originally dropped.
Further down the chart blast, singles by Tiësto and Tate McRae (“10:35” up 14-13 via Atlantic/Ministry of Sound), Cian Ducrot (“I’ll Be Waiting” up 19-18 via Polydor), Mimi Webb (“Red Flags” up 22-19 via Epic) and Coi Leray (“Players” up 37-20 via Uptown/Republic Records) are on the climb.
All will be revealed when the Official Charts are published late Friday.
In January 2018, Elton John announced his impending retirement from touring, but only after a worldwide, multi-year farewell tour to say goodbye. He kicked off the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in September of that year and began a record-breaking run, though it isn’t over yet.
According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour has grossed $817.9 million across 278 shows so far — more than any tour in Boxscore history. Bypassing Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour ($776.4 million), it is the first tour in Billboard’s archives to cross the $800 million benchmark.
The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour was promoted by AEG Presents, with select local partners in certain international markets.
Sheeran set the record in 2019 toward the end of his 258-show run, replacing U2’s The 360 Tour ($736.4 million). Both of those tours went far and wide, playing six and five continents, respectively, and spending most, if not all, of their time in stadiums. Conversely, John spent 2018-20 and the first quarter of 2022 in arenas in North America, Europe, and Oceania, before advancing to stadiums in each continent for the tour’s final year.
That advancement paid off. John’s first three North American legs combined to $268.2 million over 116 shows. His stadium run from July – Nov. 2022 brought in $222.1 million, or 83% of his arena grosses, in just 33 shows.
Similarly, his European stadium outgrossed his arena leg, $69.2 million to $49.9 million, despite playing 12 fewer shows. And most recently, his average per-show gross in Australia and New Zealand swelled from $2.5 million in 2019-20 in arenas to $5.1 million in stadiums.
In total, the January ’23 Oceania leg grossed $40.9 million and sold 242,000 tickets. Combined with updated North American grosses to account for previously unreported platinum lifts, the Farewell tour’s total revenue surges passed $800 million, with 51 European shows still to play through July 8.
While the tour’s first couple years in arenas certainly laid the foundation for John to scale the all-time ranking, it took three full legs in North America and Europe to hit the all-time top 40, at $217.8 million after 108 shows. His return to the U.S. and Canada in the Fall of 2019 lifted the tour’s total to $292.3 million, moving up to No. 20.
The following Oceania leg from Nov. 2019 – March 2020 (it was mercifully scheduled to end days before the global lockdown began) brought the gross up to $385.4 million, lifting to No. 13. John’s post-COVID North American arena run added $100 million, climbing into the all-time top 10 at No. 6 with $485.7 million. The stadium run in Europe brought him to No. 4, followed by a nudge to No. 2 with North American shows, finally ascending to the all-time crown with a brief run in Oceania from Jan. 8-24. 6
Sorting by tickets sold, John still has a way to go on the all-time ranking. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road has sold 5.3 million tickets, ranked behind Sheeran and U2’s previous record-holders, in addition to The Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge Tour (1994-95), Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams Tour (2016-17) and Guns N’ Roses’ Not in This Lifetime… Tour (2016-19). Sheeran’s Divide Tour still stands atop the all-time attendance chart with 8.9 million tickets.
While it’s next-to-impossible for John to catch up to the tickets-sold record with just one leg of shows, his European dates will allow him to pass Coldplay and GNR, presumably moving into fourth place on the all-time list. Returning to “intimate” arenas for the final leg, John could be setting his sights on another unprecedented benchmark, sure to approach and likely to cross $900 million by his final performance.
Dating back to reports for John’s Ice on Fire Tour (1986), and including his share of co-headline runs with Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Tina Turner, and, many times over, Billy Joel, John has grossed $1.863 billion and sold 19.9 million tickets over 1,573 reported shows. That’s the highest career gross and attendance for a solo artist in Boxscore history, having passed Bruce Springsteen and Madonna while on this tour. On Billboard’s 2019 recap of the top 125 artists of all time, John finished at No. 3, behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.