Miguel’s “Sure Thing” Rises to No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay Chart 12+ Years After Initial Release

Miguel has a sure hit on his hands…

More than 12 years after its release and its original chart run, the 37-year-old half-Mexican American singer, songwriter and actor’s single “Sure Thing” has risen to No. 1 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart dated May 27.

MiguelThe song, on ByStorm/Black Ice/Jive/Legacy/RCA Records, completes the longest ascent to the Pop Airplay summit from a title’s release, having first hit Billboard’s charts in February 2011, following its November 2010 release on Miguel’s debut LP, All I Want Is You.

An R&B/hip-hop radio hit in its original run, “Sure Thing” crowned the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as well as R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, for a week in May 2011.

On the all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100, “Sure Thing” reached No. 36 over a 23-week stay in March-August 2011.

In 2022, the song resurged thanks to newfound attention on TikTok, where a sped-up version has soundtracked more than 4 million clips. It debuted on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart this January and ranked at No. 30 on the most recently published, May 20-dated chart with 10.6 million official streams in the United States May 5-11, according to Luminate.

On the May 20-dated all-format Radio Songs survey, “Sure Thing” rose 7-6, up 6% to 51.6 million in audience. On the Hot 100, it pushed 15-14, reaching a new best — as well as a new career high for Miguel, surpassing the No. 15 peak of Mariah Carey’s “#Beautiful,” on which he’s featured, in 2013.

Miguel previously tallied six Pop Airplay hits between 2012-22, rising as high as No. 12 as a featured artist on Kygo’s “Remind Me to Forget” in 2018, his best career rank prior to the revival of “Sure Thing.”

Meanwhile, the comeback to new heights for “Sure Thing” has been historic, as the single broke the record for the most weeks ever spent on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: 78 (through the latest, May 20-dated survey, where it placed at No. 5, marking its first appearance in the chart’s top five since September 2011).

“We were keeping a close eye on the metrics,” says RCA head of promotion Keith Rothschild about the decision to promote the song to pop radio after TikTok sparked new interest in it. It debuted on the Pop Airplay chart dated Feb. 25, at No. 40, and hits No. 1 in its 14th week on the chart, up 7% in plays May 12-18.

While “Sure Thing” is far removed from its original release, “programmers were not hesitant at all,” Rothschild says, especially with other catalog songs recently finding new life on radio, whether from TikTok or synchs, including Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” and The Weeknd’s “Die for You.”

“We knew the song was a hit, as it was a No. 1 R&B/hip-hop record when it was originally out,” says Rothschild of “Sure Thing.” “It was never worked at pop, so we asked programmers to put it into callout. The numbers came back massive, and we knew it was game on.”

Cardi B Earns Fifth No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart with GloRilla-Collaboration “Tomorrow 2”

t’s five for fighting for Cardi B.

The 30-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar has notched her fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart with her GloRilla-collaboration “Tomorrow 2” on the chart dated December 24.

Cardi B & GloRillaThe song rises from No. 2 to top the list after a 6% boost to 21.1 million audience impressions made it the most-heard song on U.S. monitored R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the week ending December 18, according to Luminate.

Cardi B previously led with this slate of chart-toppers:

Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” 10 weeks at No. 1, beginning Sept. 30, 2017
No Limit,” G-Eazy featuring A$AP Rocky & Cardi B, six, Dec. 23, 2017
Money,” nine, Feb. 2, 2019
Please Me,” with Bruno Mars, 11, April 6, 2019

Through the new leader, GloRilla captures her first No. 1 on the list. Her sole prior entry, the viral hit “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” with Hitkidd, reached a No. 3 peak in August.

Plus, the combined might of both rappers yields only the fourth all-female collaboration to reach No. 1 out of 297 total leaders on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay since the chart’s launch in 1992. Brandy and Monica inaugurated the club with the smash single “The Boy Is Mine,” which ruled for five weeks in 1998. In 2007, Keyshia Cole recruited Missy Elliott and Lil Kim as featured acts for the track “Let It Go,” a four-week champ that year, and in 2020, Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, became the third entrant into the league and spent three weeks atop the list.

Of note, there’s one more instance of multiple female acts on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay No. 1, though it isn’t an all-women billing. In 2001, Ja Rule’s “Put It on Me,” featuring Lil Mo and Vita, posted six weeks in charge.

Beyond its R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay coronation, “Tomorrow 2” retains its standing to claim a fourth week at No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as the most-played song on U.S.-monitored R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, it continues to improve, with 5% more plays in the tracking week ending Dec. 18 than the prior seven-day period. Similarly, it wins a third term atop Rap Airplay after a 7% audience boost in the same tracking window.

On Rhythmic Airplay, meanwhile, the collaboration ascends 8-7 thanks to a 9% gain in weekly plays at the format. Success at all the formats helps the song maintain its No. 15 peak thus far on the all-genre Radio Songs chart for a second straight week, where, despite its static position, “Tomorrow 2” increased 5% in audience impressions to reach 31.9 million for the week ending December 16.

Cardi B Earns 10th No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart with GloRilla-Collab “Tomorrow 2”

Cardi B is back on top…

The 30-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar returns to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as her GloRilla-collaboration “Tomorrow 2” races 5-1 to lead the list dated December 3.

Cardi BThe coronation traces to the song’s 8% jump in spins that made it the most played song of the week at U.S. monitored R&B/hip-hop radio stations, according to Luminate.

As “Tomorrow 2” seizes the top slot, Cardi B notches her 10th No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and grants her entry as the ninth member of a select club of acts with double-digit career totals.

Here’s a refreshed leaderboard of the artists with the most No. 1s on the list since it launched in 1993:

43, Drake
20, Lil Wayne
17, Chris Brown
16, Usher
13, Beyoncé
11, R. Kelly
10, Cardi B
10, Jay-Z
10, Rihanna

And as “Tomorrow 2” joins the roster, here are Cardi B’s 10 No. 1s on the radio ranking:

Song Title, Artist (if other than Cardi B), Weeks at No. 1, Peak Date
“Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” nine, Sept. 16, 2017
“No Limit,” G-Eazy featuring A$AP Rocky & Cardi B, five, Dec. 9, 2017
“I Like It,” with Bad Bunny & J Balvin, one, July 28, 2018
“Ring,” featuring Kehlani, one, Nov. 17, 2018
“Money,” five, Feb. 2, 2019
“Backin’ It Up,” Pardison Fontaine featuring Cardi B, one, March 9, 2019
“Please Me,” with Bruno Mars, six, April 13, 2019
“Up,” one, March 27, 2021
“Wild Side,” Normani featuring Cardi B, three, Jan. 1, 2022
“Tomorrow 2,” with GloRilla, one (to date), Dec. 3, 2022

Elsewhere, “Tomorrow 2” pushes 5-2 on Rap Airplay after a 14% burst in audience in the week ending November 27 and steps 6-4 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay with a 15% hike to 15.2 million in weekly audience. Plus, it rises 15-14 on Rhythmic Airplay, following a 6% gain in weekly plays at the format.

Maxwell Makes History While Earning 8th No. 1 Single on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay Chart with “Off”

Maxwell has earned a spot in R&B chart history…

The 48-year-old half-Puerto Rican artist’s current single “Off” has risen to the top spot om Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart dates April 2, making Maxwell only the second man to land eight No. 1s in the 29-year history of Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart.

MaxwellThe track advances from No. 3 after it saw a 10% improvement in plays to become the most played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending March 27, according to Luminate, formerly MRC Data.

Eight No. 1s ties Maxwell with Charlie Wilson for the most among any male act since the list began in 1993.

On the overall count, the pair trail only Alicia Keys (12) and Toni Braxton (11).

As “Off” joins the chart-toppers club, here’s a recap at Maxwell’s eight champs:

  • “Fortunate,” No. 1 for 18 weeks, beginning May 22, 1999
  • “Lifetime,” 15, Sept. 29, 2001
  • “Pretty Wings,” 12, July 4, 2009
  • “Bad Habits,” nine, Oct. 10, 2009
  • “Fistful of Tears,” two, April 17, 2010
  • “Fire We Make,” with Alicia Keys, June 22, 2013
  • “Lake by the Ocean,” 10, June 18, 2016
  • “Off,” one (to date), April 2, 2022

With “Off,” Maxwell also becomes the first man to log No. 1s on Adult R&B Airplay in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. Fellow R&B legends Toni Braxton and Mary J. Blige also have achieved the feat, with Braxton inaugurating the group in 2020 and Blige attaining membership in February.

In addition to its Adult R&B Airplay coronation, “Off” holds at No. 22 of the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks by audience listenership across both adult and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations.

There, the single repeats in rank but adds 3% in audience to reach 5.7 million in the week ending March 27. “Off” previously had climbed to No. 20 to clinch Maxwell’s 12th top 10 on the list. The stretch began with his breakout hit, “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder),” which soared to No. 7 in 1996, and includes two No. 1s, “Fortunate” and “Pretty Wings.”

“Off” is expected to appear on Maxwell’s forthcoming album, blacksummers’NIGHT, the third and final installment of his album trilogy.

The first chapter, BLACKsummers’night, premiered in 2009, while the follow-up, blackSUMMERS’night, arrived in 2016. Both projects debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with the former ruling for four weeks and the latter on top for two frames.

Cardi B Makes History with Five of the Top 10 Hits on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart

Move over, Beyonce… There’s a new R&B/Hip Hop charts queen…

Cardi B has become only the third act, and the first woman, with five of the top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in a single week since the list began in 1958 (when it was called the Hot R&B Sides chart).

Cardi B

The 25-year-old hald-Dominican American singer places five in the top 10 of the list dated January 20.

Among all acts, Cardi B ties Drake and Kendrick Lamar for the most concurrent top 10s. Drake has done it eight times (all in 2016) and Lamar has managed the achievement once, in 2017.

Among women, Cardi B was previously tied with Beyoncé, with four — a feat Cardi B matched in the previous two weeks (January 13 and January 6).

Further, Cardi B is the only artist to achieve the feat with her first five chart entries.

The Cardi B collection starts at the top of the new chart, as her collaboration with Bruno Mars, “Finesse,” roars 16-1 in its first full tracking week. The song debuted on the January 13 list, as its January 4 release date allotted for one day of sales and streams’ contributions in the prior tracking week.

The ascent gives Cardi B her second No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, after “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” amassed a six-week stint in September-October 2017.

With the burst, “Finesse” seizes the triple crown of the chart’s Digital, Streaming and Airplay Gainer prizes. The tune powers 5-1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart and clocks a 189 percent burst to 87,000 downloads in the week ending January 11, according to Nielsen Music. “Finesse” also debuts atop R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs, pulling 38.3 million U.S. plays, and darts 31-20 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay with 11 million in radio audience, a 62 percent spike for the week ending January 14.

In addition to “Finesse,” Cardi B ranks in the top 10 of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with a featured role on G-Eazy’s “No Limit,” which slides from its No. 2 high to No. 3, “Motorsport,” a collaboration with Migos and Nicki Minaj, which retreats 3-4, “Bartier Cardi,” up 9-7 and “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”, a non-mover at No. 10.

Cardi B Reaches No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Songs Airplay Chart

Make that four radio charts at the top for Cardi B

The 24-year-old part-Dominican American rapper, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, conquers another radio format as “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” rises 3-1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Songs airplay chart (dated October 7) with a 10 percent jump in plays for the week.

Cardi B

The newly crowned Billboard Hot 100 queen, the first Dominican artist to land a No. 1 on the chart, also leads R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay for a second week, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop for a fourth stint and Rap Airplay for a fifth frame.

The song is only the second tune by a woman this decade to lead all four radio charts simultaneously. Nicki Minaj’s “Truffle Butter,” featuring Drake & Lil Wayne, completed the trifecta in spring 2015.

Further, while topping the Hot 100, “Bodak Yellow” extends its reign on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart to four weeks, and dominates Hot Rap Songs to a sixth term.

Cardi B Makes History as “Bodak Yellow” Reaches No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

It’s an extra special (and historic) feat for Cardi B

The 24-year-old part-Dominican American rapper, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, becomes the first female rapper in nearly 19 years to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart without the assistance of any other credited artists, as her debut hit “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” rises from No. 2 to No. 1 on the latest chart (dated Oct. 7). And she’s the first Dominican artist to reach the top of Billboard’s main singles chart.

Cardi B

“Bodak Yellow” makes Cardi B just the second female rapper to top the Hot 100 without any other billed artists, following Lauryn Hill‘s first solo Hot 100 entry (apart from the Fugees), “Doo Wop (That Thing),” for two weeks beginning with its November 14, 1998, debut at No. 1.

Cardi B is only the fifth female rapper ever to lead the Hot 100 at all. After Hill, Lil’ Kim ruled for five weeks in 2001 with Christina Aguilera, Mya and P!nk on “Lady Marmalade“; Shawnna reigned as featured on Ludacris‘ “Stand Up,” which topped the December 6, 2003, chart; and Iggy Azalea‘s introductory Hot 100 hit, “Fancy,” featuring Charli XCX, led for seven weeks in 2014.

Cardi B is also the first female soloist to top the Hot 100 with a debut track unaccompanied by another artist since Meghan Trainor, whose “All About That Bass” led for eight weeks beginning September 20, 2014.

“Bodak Yellow” rises at No. 2 on the Streaming Songs chart with 46.4 million U.S. streams, up 14 percent, in the week ending September 21, according to Nielsen Music. It bounds 12-3 on Digital Song Sales chart, up 85 percent to 56,000 downloads sold in the week ending September 21, marking the Hot 100’s top gain in download sales (aided by a 69-cent discount price in the iTunes Store).

The track also lifts 16-13 on Radio Songs, with 62 million all-format audience impressions, up 8 percent, in the week ending September 24.

“Bodak Yellow” spends a fifth week at No. 1 on the Rap Airplay chart and a second week atop R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay; crowns the Rhythmic Songs airplay chart, with a 3-1 rise; and debuts on Pop Songs on at No. 37.

Cardi B’s breakthrough hit also spends a sixth week at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart and a fourth frame atop Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

 

Cardi B Earns No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Charts

And the firsts just keep coming for Cardi B

The 24-year-old half-Dominican American hip hop artist adds two new No. 1s to her growing tally as “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” rises 2-1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts dated September 30.

Cardi B

“Bodak Yellow” spends its first week as the most-streamed song in the U.S. with 40.8 million domestic streams in the tracking week ending September 14, according to Nielsen Music. That comes two weeks after the song reigned atop the On-Demand Streaming Songs chart (dated September 16), which measures streams on on-demand audio services only. (Streaming Songs, on the other hand, includes plays both on-demand and programmed plays on all tracked services.)

The rapper becomes the second woman to lead the Streaming Songs chart in 2017, following Taylor Swift, whose “Look What You Made Me Do” has reigned for two weeks (and falls 1-2 on the latest ranking). She’s also the first female rapper to attain No. 1 on the chart in over three years, since Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” ruled for three weeks beginning on the chart dated September 6, 2014.

Meanwhile, “Bodak” ascends 2-1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, reaching No. 1 in the song’s 10th week on the chart with a 3 percent boost in airplay. In doing so, Cardi B is the first woman to lead the chart in nearly a year, following Rihanna’s “Needed Me” (October 8, 2016) and the first female rapper to reach No. 1 as a non-featured artist since Minaj’s “Truffle Butter” featuring Drake and Lil Wayne (March 21, 2015).

She’s also the first artist in 2017 to reach No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay with their first charting song. The last act to do so was Lil Yachty in a featured capacity (D.R.A.M.’s “Broccoli,” October 29, 2016) and Desiigner as a lead artist (“Panda,” June 4, 2016).

“Bodak” concurrently spends a fourth week atop Rap Airplay, bumps 6-3 on Rhythmic Songs and holds at No. 16 on the all-format Radio Songs for a second week while maintaining No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week as well.

Thus far, in addition to its Streaming Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Rap Airplay triumphs, “Bodak” has also ruled Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (three weeks), Hot Rap Songs (five), Rap Digital Song Sales (five), Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop (five), R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs (six) and Rap Streaming Songs (six).

Miguel’s “Adorn” Continues Billboard Chart Dominance

Miguel is thisclose to making Billboard history…

Miguel

This week the 26-year-old half-Mexican R&B singer/songwriter’s latest single “Adorn” topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for an 11th week.

With his stronghold on the No. 1 spot, Miguel – who will be touring with Alicia Keys next spring – ties Usher‘s single “Climax” for the list’s longest reign this year.

In addition, “Adorn” concurrently becomes Miguel’s first entry on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart, where it arrives at No. 40.