Welcome back to another edition of Chart Check! Each Friday, Rated R&B provides detailed insight to the weekly chart movements of your favorite R&B artists and R&B songs. In this updated format, we will discuss Billboard’s Adult R&B Songs (Urban AC) and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop National Airplay (Urban) charts extensively. Read below for more information on the week of September 9, 2017:
New Developments
After weeks of anticipation, Billboard’s Urban AC Chart has a new No. 1 leader. That’s right: Sevyn Streeter’s breezy single “Before I Do” has surpassed Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” for the top spot on the chart this week. The Girl Disrupted cut was only up 30 spins this week at Adult R&B radio but it was enough to slide by Mars’ 105 spin decline in the latest tracking week. “Before I Do” boasts a 10 million audience on all R&B radio formats, and sits at the No. 1 spot in its 17th week on the chart.
Elsewhere, Chanté Moore has just sent her sexy new single “Something to Remember” to Adult R&B radio. In the latest tracking week, the mid-tempo banger received seven adds, the second most for the week behind “Wild Thoughts.” The song has already gotten video treatment, which was directed by career molder and maker Frank Gatson, Jr. “Something to Remember” is the second single from Moore’s upcoming album The Rise of the Phoenix, which is set to release on September 15. Her lead single “Real One” now sits at the No. 13 spot on this week’s Urban AC chart.
Chart Sensations
We’re all familiar with those who known as the “Feature Kings,” also known as Ty Dolla $ign and Jeremih, who many of the industry’s finest call on when they want a male R&B singer to kill a hook. As of late, a king has officially re-emerged, as the one and only Chris Brown is either the lead or featured artist on three songs on this week’s chart. In a quick rundown, Brown is featured on Meek Mill’s “Whatever You Need,” which steps 7-6 on the urban chart this week; Gucci Mane’s No. 17 holder “Tone It Down;” and is the lead on his solo single “Privacy,” which falls 18-21. Brown’s reign doesn’t stop there, his new single “Pills and Automobiles,” which features rappers A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Kodak Black, and Yo Gotti, is the most added song on urban radio at 18 adds this week. The second most-added song is rapper Zoey Dollaz’s new single “Post and Delete” which features Brown.
Continuing to find life on the chart is 19-year-old singer Khalid, whose lead single “Location” continues to surge at Urban AC radio, despite the push of his new single “Young, Dumb, & Broke.” The catchy tune rises 12-8 this week, thanks to a 233 spin increase at Urban AC radio, which the highest for the week. The multi-platinum single is deemed Billboard’s “Greatest Gainer” at Adult R&B radio.
R&B Albums
Billboard’s R&B Albums chart tracks the sales of an R&B artist’s album by counting traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums in a given week. This week, the Top 5 remains the same: Khalid’s American Teen at No. 1, SZA’s Ctrl at No. 2, Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic at No. 3, The Weeknd’s Starboy at No. 4, and Childish Gambino’s “Awaken, My Love!” at No. 5.
Quick Notes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaRzIpDWHtw
And in quick notes: Ledisi notches another Top 10 as her bass-heavy single “High” leaps 13-10 on the urban AC chart. It’s the lead single of her forthcoming album Let Love Rule, due September 22; Jhené Aiko’s syrupy sweet single “When We Were Young” is bubbling just below the urban radio chart with 6 adds and 360 spins in the latest tracking week; After 7 is back on the rise as their new single “Too Late” rises 25-22 on Urban AC; and lastly, The Weeknd has officially landed back on the Urban AC chart with “Die For You.” The single, lifted from his latest international hit album Starboy, was the only debut on the chart this week and is just shy of a 1 million audience across all R&B radio formats.
Did you enjoy this week’s Chart Check? What do you think of Chanté’s new single? Are you excited for Ledisi’s new album? Any R&B specific questions? Let us know in the comment section below.
