Welcome back to another edition of Chart Check! Each Friday, Rated R&B provides a detailed insight into 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 Nielsen’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop National Airplay (Urban) charts extensively. Read below for more information on the week of October 6, 2017:
Single Selections
Trey Songz’s Tremaine the Album era continues with the selection of his second single “Songs Goes Off.” The Atlantic Records signee received 12 adds at R&B radio in the latest tracking week. If the song charts, it will be Trey’s first Urban AC charter since 2015’s “Slow Motion.” Tremaine the Album debuted at No. 1 on the R&B albums chart and No. 3 overall upon its release in March.
If Tamar Braxton was set on going out with a bang, then she is definitely on the right track with her new song “Blind.” Lifted from her latest and last album Bluebird of Happiness, the heartbreaking ballad is serving as the second single behind lead single “My Man,” which currently sits at No. 10 on the Urban AC Chart. “Blind” received 16 adds this week, making it the most added song on urban contemporary radio. Bluebird of Happiness is available now on all digital platforms.
On The Rise
Sam Smith is back and bigger with his new single “Too Good at Goodbyes.” Thanks to rising popularity and the release of the song’s music video, Smith has shot up the Urban AC chart, rising 22-12 on this week’s chart. The track saw a 255 spin increase since last week, making it the most spin-increased song of the week on R&B radio. It also received an additional nine adds on R&B radio formats.
Like little sister, like big sister, and vice versa! Toni Braxton is starting her new era in the right direction with her new single “Deadwood.” The song continues to rise, jumping 30-23 on the Urban AC chart thanks to a 148 spin increase in the latest tracking week. The song also received 12 adds on R&B formats, making her the second most-added R&B song of the week. The first? Her younger sister, Tamar.
Leaps and Bounds
Tank has been building momentum in preparation for his new album Savage which was just released last night, Sept. 29. Lead single “When We” is the shining star of the week, as it rose to the No. 5 spot on the Urban AC Chart this week. The bedroom banger saw an increase of 124 spins on R&B radio station, the fourth-highest increase this week.
Here’s some chart superstition: every time Tank has a song enter the top 5 on this chart, it eventually becomes a No. 1 hit. Tank notched No. 1 songs in 2007 with “Please Don’t Go” and again in 2012 with “Next Breath.” As you can tell, his chart-toppers are five years apart, which would continue if “When We” ever reaches the top spot in the year of 2017. Does “When We” have the potential to further this interesting trend? Tank has some stiff competition against the rising force of Khalid’s “Location,” the slight resurgence of Childish Gambino’s “Redbone,” and the staying power of Sevyn Streeter’s breezy jam “Before I Do” which logs a fifth week at No. 1 this week. Competition aside, Tank has a shot, but only time will tell.
SZA has brought the heat this summer and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon with her latest single “The Weekend.” In the latest tracking week, the song leaped 10 spots, rising 40-30 on the urban radio chart. Fueled by a 249 spin increase, the Ctrl cut was the fifth-most spin-increased song of the week. If that wasn’t enough, the song has also received 18 more adds on urban radio formats. If this type of success is any indication, “The Weekend” is on its way to becoming a solid radio hit.
R&B Albums Chart Update
Billboard’s R&B album had a couple of notable chart movements in the last week. First up, Musiq Soulchild debuted at No. 16 on the chart this week with her double-disc set Feel the Real. The album is lead by his single “Start Over,” which now sits at No. 15 on the Urban AC chart. A little higher up on the chart sits Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade, which leaped 24-8 in the latest tracking week. Lemonade is Beyoncé’s latest album, which featured singles such as the impactful “Formation,” whimsical “Hold Up,” and Just Blaze-produced “Sorry.” In other Beyoncé news, the songstress has hopped on the remix to J Balvin and Willy William’s Latin banger “Mi Gente.” As previously reported, the sales from the song will be donated as relief funds for Puerto Rico, Mexico, and other Caribbean Islands and is already the No. 1 song on iTunes Worldwide. Expect for this track to make a splash in the next couple of weeks.
Quick Notes
And in quick notes: Rising artist Izzy Bizu is getting her first shot at radio success with her song “Diamond.” The song received 10 adds at R&B radio, the fourth-most for the week; Khalid’s “Location” proves to be the hit that just won’t go away. The song, sitting at on the Urban AC chart at the No. 4 spot, saw a 131 spin increase this week. With the decline of Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like,” the song is definitely on the trajectory for a top 3 finish within the next couple of weeks; And finally, Jazmine Sullivan and Bryson Tiller’s “Insecure” duet is beginning to find real chart success as it double debuts on both the Urban and Urban AC chart this week. The song sits at No. 30 on Urban AC and No. 37 on the urban radio chart.
