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 had 100 positions but was shortened to 50 positions in October 2012.^[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 order 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 due to 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 Singles 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. Shortly after that time, the crossover of R&B titles on pop charts was so significant that all Top Ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 11, 2003 were by black artists.^[8] The lengthy title was shortened 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 (R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs) and combining it with airplay of R&B and hip-hop songs across all radio formats (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) to determine song position, along with the chart also being shortened to 50 positions.

Significant song achievements

Most weeks at number one

18 weeks

• "One Dance" (2016) – Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla^[12]

16 weeks

• "Blurred Lines" (2013) – Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams^[13]

15 weeks

• "Be Without You" (2006) – Mary J. Blige^[13]

14 weeks

• "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" (1998–1999) – Deborah Cox^[13]
• "We Belong Together" (2005) – Mariah Carey^[13][14]
• "Blame It" (2009) – Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain^[13]
• "Pretty Wings" (2009) – Maxwell^[13]
• "Diamonds" (2012–2013) – Rihanna^[13]
• "Thrift Shop" (2013) – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz^[13]
• "See You Again" (2015) – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth

13 weeks

• "Can't Be Friends" (2010–2011) – Trey Songz^[13]
• "The Monster" (2013–2014) – Eminem featuring Rihanna
• "Fancy" (2014) – Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX

12 weeks

• "Bump n' Grind" (1994) – R. Kelly^[13]
• "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (2008–2009) – Beyoncé^[13]
• "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" (2010) – Alicia Keys^[13]
• "Happy" (2014) – Pharrell Williams

Songs with most weeks on the chart

• 75 weeks – "Be Without You" – Mary J. Blige (2005)^[15]
• 74 weeks – "God In Me" – Mary Mary (2009)^[16]
• 73 weeks – "On the Ocean" – K'Jon (2009)^[17]
• 71 weeks – "You Make Me Wanna..." – Usher^[18] (1997), "There Goes My Baby" – Usher (2010)
• 70 weeks – "Step in the Name of Love" – R. Kelly (2003)^[19]
• 63 weeks – "In My Bed" – Dru Hill (1997)
• 60 weeks – "Too Close" – Next (1997)
• 59 weeks – "Pretty Wings" – Maxwell^[20] (2009), "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" – Alicia Keys^[21] (2010), "Sure Thing" – Miguel (2011)
• 58 weeks – "When I See U" – Fantasia (2007), "Teachme" – Musiq Soulchild (2007)
• 57 weeks – "Love on Top" – Beyoncé^[22] (2011)
• 56 weeks – "If I Ain't Got You" – Alicia Keys (2004), "Lost Without U" – Robin Thicke (2007), "Until the End of Time" – Justin Timberlake & Beyoncé^[23] (2008)
• 55 weeks – "Heaven Sent" – Keyshia Cole^[24] (2008), "Spotlight" – Jennifer Hudson (2008), "Drank in My Cup" – Kirko Bangz^[25] (2011), "Adorn" – Miguel (2012)
• 54 weeks – "Stay" – Tyrese^[26] (2011), "Thrift Shop" – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz (2012)
• 52 weeks – "We Belong Together" – Mariah Carey^[27] (2005), "Up!" – LoveRance feat. Iamsu & Skipper or 50 Cent^[25] (2011), "Thinkin Bout You" – Frank Ocean^[28] (2013), "Can't Hold Us" – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton (2013), "All of Me" – John Legend (2014)

Longest climbs to number one

• 43rd week – "Step in the Name of Love" by R. Kelly
• 35th week – "All of Me" by John Legend
• 32nd week – "Needed Me" by Rihanna

Source:^[12]

Significant artist achievements

Most number-one songs

Artists with most weeks at number-one on the chart

• 113 – Louis Jordan
• 84* – Drake
• 67 – Stevie Wonder
• 65 – Aretha Franklin
• 65 – Usher
• 54 – Alicia Keys
• 48 – James Brown
• 45 – Rihanna
• 40 – R. Kelly
• 39 – Beyonce

Most chart entries

• 179 - Lil Wayne^[29]
• 140 - Drake^[29]
• 129 - Jay-Z^[29]
• 111 - James Brown
• 100 - Aretha Franklin
• 82 - Chris Brown
• 80 - Nicki Minaj^[12]
• 48 - Rihanna^[12]

Other notable achievements

• Artist placing the most singles in the charts are Lil Wayne with 135 (first: "Back That Azz Up", 1999 — latest: "Sucker for Pain", 2016), Jay Z with 127 (first: "Dead Presidents", 1996 — latest: "I Got The Keys", 2016), James Brown with 111 (first: "Please, Please, Please", 1956 — latest: "Can't Get Any Harder", 1993) and Aretha Franklin with 100 singles on the charts (first: "Today I Sing the Blues", 1960 — latest: "Rolling in the Deep (The Aretha Version)", 2014).^[30]
• "God in Me" by Mary Mary took 42 weeks to reach the top ten of the chart, the longest trip to the top ten in the history of the chart.
• "Be Without You", "On the Ocean" (K'Jon), "God in Me", "You Make Me Wanna", and "Step in the Name of Love" are the only songs to spend 70 weeks or more on the chart.
• Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson hold the record of most top 5 entries from one album with six singles: ("What Have You Done For Me Lately", "Nasty", "Control", "When I Think of You", "Let's Wait Awhile", and "The Pleasure Principle" from her Control album, "Miss You Much", "Rhythm Nation", "Escapade", "Alright", "Come Back to Me", and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)" from her Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 album and "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", "Another Part of Me", and "Smooth Criminal") from his Bad album).
• Drake has the most number-one hits for a rapper in the chart's history with 16.^[31]

Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles

The Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles^[32] 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

• List of number-one rhythm and blues hits (United States)
• Rhythm and blues
• Hip-hop music
• Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay

References

External links

• Current Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart