Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip-hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by Billboard. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity.[1] The chart has 50 positions.[2][3]

The chart is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, rock and roll, soul, and funk, it is today dominated by contemporary R&B and hip hop. Since its inception, the chart has changed its name many times, in which to accurately reflect the industry at the time.[4]

History

Between 1948 and 1955, there were separate charts published for Best Sellers and Juke Box plays, and in 1955 a third chart was added, the Jockeys chart based on radio airplay. These three charts were consolidated into a single R&B chart in October 1958.

From November 30, 1963, to January 23, 1965, there were no Billboard R&B singles charts. The chart was discontinued in late 1963 when Billboard determined it unnecessary because that there was so much crossover of titles between the R&B and pop charts in light of the rise of Motown.[5] The chart was reinstated with the issue dated January 30, 1965, as "Hot Rhythm and Blues Singles" when differences in musical tastes of the two audiences, caused in part by the British Invasion in 1964, were deemed sufficient to revive it.

Beginning August 23, 1969, the rhythm and blues was replaced in favor of "soul", and the chart was renamed to "Best Selling Soul Singles". The move was made by a Billboard editorial decision that the term "soul" more accurately accounted for the "broad range of song and instrumental material which derives from the musical genius of the black American".[6] In late June 1982, the chart was renamed again, this time to "Black Singles" because the music that African-Americans were buying and listening to had a "greater stylistic variety than the soul sound" of the early 1970s. Black was deemed an acceptable term to encompass pop, funk, and early rap music popular in urban communities.[7]

R&B returned to the name of the chart in 1990, and hip hop was introduced to the title in the issue dated December 11, 1999, when Billboard changed the name to "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks" to recognize the influence and relationship of hip hop to the genre. That lengthy title was shorted to Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs on April 30, 2005. The chart's methodology was changed starting with the October 20, 2012, issue to match that of the Billboard Hot 100, incorporating digital downloads and streaming data and combining it with airplay of R&B and hip-hop songs across all radio formats to determine song position, along with the chart also being shortened to 50 positions.

Date range Title
October 1942 – February 1945 The Harlem Hit Parade
February 1945 – June 1949 Race Records
June 1949 – October 1958 Rhythm & Blues Records (two or three separate charts—see above)
October 1958 – November 1963 Hot R&B Sides
November 1963 – January 1965 No chart published (see above)
January 1965 – August 1969 Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles
August 1969 – July 1973 Best Selling Soul Singles
July 1973 – June 1982 Hot Soul Singles
June 1982 – October 1990 Hot Black Singles
October 1990 – January 1999 Hot R&B Singles
January 1999 – December 1999 Hot R&B Singles & Tracks
December 1999 – April 2005 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
April 2005 – present Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Significant chart achievements

Artists with most number-one hits on the chart

(source:[8])

Songs with most weeks on the chart

Other achievements

Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles

The Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles is a chart composed of 25 positions that represent songs that are making progress to chart on the main R&B/hip-hop chart. Many times, singles halt their progress at this chart and never debut on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart can also be seen as a 25 position quasi-addendum to the chart, since the chart represents the 25 songs below position number 50, that have not previously appeared on the main chart.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Current Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop So I 'm in love with the coco". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Billboard Shakes Up Genre Charts With New Methodology". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  3. ↑ "The Year In R&B/Hip-Hop 2012: Drake, Nicki Minaj Among Year's Chart Champs". Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  4. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-115-2.
  5. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. xiii. ISBN 0-89820-115-2.
  6. ↑ "R&B Now Soul". Billboard 81 (34): 3. August 23, 1969. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  7. ↑ George, Nelson (June 26, 1982). "Black Music Charts" What's in a Name?". Billboard 94 (25): 10, 43. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
  8. ↑ Mendizabal, Amaya (February 6, 2015). "Usher Earns 13th No. 1 On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs : Feb 20, 2010 - (Weeks on chart) | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard.com. 2010-02-20. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  12. ↑
  13. ↑
  14. ↑
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs : Oct 13, 2012 - (Weeks on chart) | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard.com. 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  17. ↑
  18. ↑ "Keyshia Cole - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs : Page 1". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  20. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs : Aug 18, 2012 - (Weeks on chart) | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard.com. 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  21. ↑
  22. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs : Mar 23, 2013 - (Weeks on chart) | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard.com. 2013-03-23. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
  23. ↑ "Drake Tops Jay-Z For R&B/Hip-Hop Chart No. 1s Record". Billboard. Retrieved Aug 11, 2012.

External links