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. The chart had 100 positions but was shortened to 50 positions in October 2012.
Contents
- History
- Most weeks at number one
- Songs with most weeks on the chart
- Longest climbs to number one
- Artists with most weeks at number one on the chart
- Most chart entries
- Other notable achievements
- Bubbling Under RBHip Hop Singles
- References
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.
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. 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". 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.
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. 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.
Most weeks at number one
18 weeks
16 weeks
15 weeks
14 weeks
13 weeks
12 weeks
Songs with most weeks on the chart
Longest climbs to number one
Source:
Artists with most weeks at number-one on the chart
Most chart entries
Other notable achievements
Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles
The Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles 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.