Twenty-five years ago today, Billboard launched two new R&B airplay monitor charts — Mainstream R&B and Adult R&B — that focused on accurate R&B radio data, as accumulated on a weekly basis by the Broadcast Data Systems (BDS). According to Billboard in 1993, the R&B airplay monitor published the exact number of plays amassed by current releases on 75 radio stations across the US.
Adult R&B stations (urban adult contemporary radio) was aimed at a slightly older audience who enjoyed more quiet storm and slow-paced jams rather than mainstream R&B stations (or urban radio) that spun contemporary R&B sounds. Similar to today’s chart-topping battles on urban radio, the Adult R&B Airplay chart was designed to give these artists “a chance for their singles to reach the top of a chart.”
As a result of this fair airplay divide, balladeers and instrumentalists had a more secure place for their voices and sounds to be heard.
Toni Braxton was the first R&B artist to benefit from the first-ever Adult R&B Airplay chart. Her debut single “Another Love Sad Love Song” led the inaugural chart at No. 1 for four weeks in 1993. Since then, the legendary singer has collected eight number-one songs in the 25-year chart history:
“Long As I Live” — 5 weeks (2018)
“Hurt You” with Babyface — 4 weeks (2013-14)
“Just Be A Man About It” — 2 Weeks (2000)
“You’re Making Me High/Let It Flow” — 13 Weeks (1996)
“You Mean the World to Me” — 7 Weeks (1994)
“Seven Whole Days” — 6 Weeks (1994)
“Breathe Again” — 2 Weeks (1993)
In fall 2012, Billboard and Nielsen SoundScan decided to include streaming and digital download sales in the top 50 rankings of several long-standing charts including the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Even though the new ruling wasn’t designed to impact the Airplay charts because they were ranked by radio airplay detections, one could argue that the decision did (and continues to) influence radio programmers and DJs to keep certain “popular songs and artists” in heavy rotation.
This argument became more concrete in June 2013 when Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” topped the Billboard Hot 100 due to a splurge in digital sales, and just 48 million pop radio listeners and only four million listeners combined on urban and urban AC radio. The controversial jam, which featured Pharrell and T.I., was named the best-selling song of 2013 after tracking nearly 6.5 million copies in digital sales. Two months after peaking at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart, “Blurred Lines” would go on to top the Adult R&B Airplay for 17 consecutive weeks.
After Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” other popular songs like “All of Me” (John Legend) “Happy” (Pharrell), “Stay With Me” (Sam Smith), and “Earned It” (The Weeknd) took advantage of the radio bias cheat code, infiltrating and towering the Adult R&B Airplay chart for weeks at a time; causing the original mission statement of the chart to be tainted and overthrown.
In 2016, though, the chart reclaimed its early glory as a mix of established (Tyrese, Lalah Hathaway, Maxwell) and budding artists (Guordan Banks, Ro James) and their soulful records reached the Adult R&B Airplay summit.
As music changes and listeners taste in sounds shifts, some may say that the Adult R&B Airplay chart has become a new breeding ground for break-out artists to be heard.
For nine non-consecutive weeks, SZA’s “Love Galore” featuring Travis Scott claimed the number one spot on the Adult R&B chart. To date, Ella Mai’s monstrous hit “Boo’d Up” has been No. 1 for 11 weeks, preventing Tamia “Leave it Smokin’” (as of right now) and Peabo Bryson’s “Love Like Yours and Mine” from topping the chart.
But emerging artists like SZA and Mai aren’t the first newcomers to trample veterans from galloping to the top of the chart. Jennifer Hudson’s 2008 debut single “Spotlight” held it down at No. 1 for eight weeks, while “Adorn” by Miguel dominated the chart for 17 non-consecutive frames from 2012-2013.
In 2016, Blige’s trap-soul single “Thick of It” flew to the top of the chart after only four weeks and rested there for an impressive 16 consecutive weeks. Its success on Adult R&B prompted the DJ Camper-produced track to receive love on urban radio (No. 19). The combination of airplay from urban and urban AC radio propelled “Thick of It” to No. 5 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.
For 11 strong weeks, Tank’s steamy single “When We” controlled the number one spot on the Adult R&B Airplay chart. His achievement transitioned to mainstream R&B, landing him a top 10 (No. 7) on urban radio. “When We” also earned the R&B General a top five (No. 5) hit on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and his first-career platinum single.
Over the years, many R&B/soul singers have scored their share of chart-toppers, making big names for themselves on the Adult R&B Airplay chart. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart, Rated R&B complied 10 chart achievements and milestones.
Solo Artist with Most No. 1s: Alicia Keys — 10
“Fire We Make” featuring Maxwell —7 weeks at No. 1
“Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)” — 10 weeks at No. 1
“Like I’ll Never See You Again” — 7 weeks at No. 1
“No One” — 11 weeks at No. 1
“Unbreakable” — 11 weeks at No. 1
“Diary” Featuring Tony! Toni! Tone! — 12 weeks at No. 1
“If I Ain’t Got You” — 10 weeks at No. 1
“You Don’t Know My Name” — 10 weeks at No. 1
“A Woman’s Worth” — 3 weeks at No. 1
“Fallin’” — 5 weeks at No. 1
Artist with Most Top 10s: Mary J. Blige — 23
“Be Happy” — No. 8
“I’m Goin’ Down” — No. 3
“Not Gon’ Cry” — 4 weeks at No. 1
“Everything” — No. 7
“Seven Days” — No. 3
“Lean on Me” Kirk Franklin featuring Mary J. Blige, Bono, R. Kelly, Crystal Lewis & The Family — No. 2
“All That I Can Say” — No. 5
“Give Me You” — No. 9
“Be Without You” — 14 weeks at No. 1
“Enough Cryin” feat. Brook-Lynn — No. 6
“Take Me As I Am” — 1 week at No. 1
“Just Fine” — No. 3
“Ifuleave” Musiq Soulchild featuring Mary J. Blige — 8 weeks at No. 1
“I Am” — No. 2
“25/8” — No. 8
“Mr. Wrong,” featuring Drake — No. 6
“Don’t Mind” — No. 3
“Whole Damn Year” — No. 5
“Doubt” — No. 6
“Thick of It” — 16 weeks at No. 1
“U + Me (Love Lesson)” —3 weeks at No. 1
“Set Me Free” — No. 8
“Only Love” — No. 9 (to date)
Artist to Make Quickest Leap to No. 1: Whitney Houston
“Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” — 10-1 in the second week
First Artist to Reign at No. 1 for Two-Calendar Years: Tevin Campbell
“Can We Talk”— 8 weeks (1993-94)
Youngest Artist to Reach No. 1: Monica
“For You I Will” — 1 week at No. 1
Artist (s) with Most Weeks at No. 1: Maxwell and Jill Scott
“Fortunate” — 18 weeks at No. 1
“So In Love” Featuring Anthony Hamilton — 18 weeks at No. 1
First Artist to Reach No. 1 with Hip-Hop Collaboration: John Legend
“Tonight (Best You Ever Had)” Featuring Ludacris (2012)
Artist with Most No. 1s in a Single Calendar Year: Alicia Keys (2004)
“You Don’t Know My Name” — 10 weeks at No. 1
“If I Ain’t Got You” — 10 weeks at No. 1
“Diary” Featuring Tony! Toni! Tone! — 12 weeks at No. 1
Group with Most No. 1s: Boyz II Men
“A Song for Mama” — 8 weeks at No. 1
“4 Seasons of Loneliness” — 7 weeks at No. 1
“Water Runs Dry” — 8 weeks at No. 1
“On Bended Knee” — 1 week at No. 1
“I’ll Make Love to You” — 3 weeks at No. 1
Artist (s) to Dethrone their Previous No.1 Hit: Maxwell and Alicia Keys
“Pretty Wings” dethroned by “Bad Habits” (Maxwell)
“No One” dethroned by “Like I’ll Never See You Again” (Alicia Keys)
Follow An’Twane on Twitter at @9thwonderofPR.
