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Rhythmic Airplay

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The Rhythmic Airplay chart (previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by Billboard magazine.

The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on US rhythmic radio stations, whose playlist includes mostly hit-driven R&B/hip-hop, rhythmic pop, and some dance tracks. Nielsen Audio sometimes refers to the format as rhythmic contemporary hit radio. The current number-one song on the chart is "Ah Ha" by Cardi B.[1]

History

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Billboard magazine first took notice of the newly emerged genre on February 27, 1987, when it launched the first crossover chart, Hot Crossover 30.[2] It originally consisted of thirty titles and was based on reporting by eighteen stations, five of which were considered as pure rhythmic. The chart featured a mix of urban contemporary, top 40 and dance hits. In September 1989, Billboard split the Hot Crossover 30 chart in two: Top 40/Dance and Top 40/Rock, the latter of which focused on rock titles which crossed over. By December 1990, Billboard eliminated the chart because more top 40 and R&B stations were becoming identical with the rhythmic-heavy playlist being played at the crossover stations at the time.

Billboard revived the chart in October 1992 as Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover, with the first number one being "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men. On June 25, 1997, it was renamed to Rhythmic Top 40 as a way to distinguish stations that continued to play a broad based rhythmic mix from those whose mix leaned heavily toward R&B and hip-hop. It was changed to Rhythmic Airplay in the February 7, 2004, issue and shortened to Rhythmic on July 12, 2008.

Chart criteria

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There are forty positions on this chart and it is solely based on radio airplay. 66 rhythmic radio stations are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. Songs are ranked based on the number of plays that each song received during that week.

Songs receiving the greatest growth will receive a "bullet", although there are tracks that will also get bullets if the loss in detections doesn't exceed the percentage of downtime from a monitored station. "Airpower" awards are issued to songs that appear on the top 20 of both the airplay and audience chart for the first time, while the "greatest gainer" award is given to song with the largest increase in detections. A song with six or more spins in its first week is awarded an "airplay add". If a song is tied for the most spins in the same week, the one with the biggest increase that previous week will rank higher, but if both songs show the same amount of spins regardless of detection the song that is being played at more stations is ranked higher. Songs that fall below the top 15 and have been on the chart after 20 weeks are removed.[3]

Song records

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Most weeks at number one

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Number of
weeks		 Song Artist Year(s) Source
15 "No Scrubs" TLC 1999 [4]
14 "Twisted" Keith Sweat 1996 [5]
13 "Freak Me" Silk 1993 [6]
"You Make Me Wanna..." Usher 1997–98 [7]
12 "I'll Make Love to You" Boyz II Men 1994 [8]
"Lollipop" Lil Wayne featuring Static Major 2008 [9]
"Not Like Us" Kendrick Lamar 2024 [10]
11 "Shoop" Salt-n-Pepa 1993–94 [11]
"Fantasy" Mariah Carey 1995 [12]
"Dilemma" Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland 2002 [13]

Most weeks on the chart

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Number of
weeks		 Song Artist Year* Source
60 "Folded" Kehlani 2026 [14]
54 "Mutt" Leon Thomas 2026 [15]
52 "Too Close" Next 1999 [16]
"Go Crazy" Chris Brown and Young Thug 2021 [17]
46 "Big Energy" Latto 2022 [18]
44 "Calm Down" Rema and Selena Gomez 2024 [19]
43 "Sure Thing" Miguel 2023 [20]
"Die for You" The Weeknd 2023 [21]
42 "Where My Girls At?" 702 2000 [22]
"Whats Poppin" Jack Harlow featuring DaBaby, Tory Lanez and Lil Wayne 2021 [23]

*Year when the songs ended their respective chart runs.

Highest debut

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Debut
Position		 Song Artist Debut Date Source
No. 5 "Erotica" Madonna October 17, 1992 [24]
No. 10 "Honey" Mariah Carey August 16, 1997 [25]
No. 11 "That's the Way Love Goes" Janet Jackson May 1, 1993 [26]
"Wild Wild West" Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee May 22, 1999 [27]
"All for You" Janet Jackson March 17, 2001 [28]
"In My Feelings" Drake July 21, 2018 [29]
No. 12 "Right Here" SWV July 17, 1993 [30]
No. 13 "Dreamlover" Mariah Carey August 14, 1993 [31]
"1999" Prince January 16, 1999 [32]
No. 14 "Suit & Tie" Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z February 2, 2013 [33]
"Wild Thoughts" DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller July 8, 2017 [34]

Shortest climbs to number one

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Week reached
number one		 Song Artist Date reached
number one		 Source
3rd week "I'll Make Love to You" Boyz II Men August 27, 1994 [35]
4th week "I Will Always Love You" Whitney Houston December 5, 1992 [36]
"Fantasy" Mariah Carey September 30, 1995 [37]
"No Scrubs" TLC March 13, 1999 [38]
"In My Feelings" Drake August 11, 2018 [39]
5th week 13 songs
Latest song: "I Just Might" by Bruno Mars (February 21, 2026)[40]

Longest climbs to number one

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Week reached
number one		 Song Artist Date reached
number one		 Source
24th week "Waterfalls" TLC August 5, 1995 [41]
20th week "Day 'n' Nite" Kid Cudi May 23, 2009 [42]
"Sky Walker" Miguel featuring Travis Scott February 3, 2018 [43]
"Prove It" 21 Savage and Summer Walker November 2, 2024 [44]
19th week "Don't Let Go (Love)" En Vogue February 15, 1997 [45]
"Work Out" J. Cole December 31, 2011 [46]
"Soak City" 310babii March 30, 2024 [47]
18th week 15 songs
Latest song: "Is It a Crime" by Mariah the Scientist and Kali Uchis (December 20, 2025)[48]

Biggest jump to number one

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Chart
movement		 Song Artist(s) Date reached
number one		 Source
7–1 "Barbie World" Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice with Aqua August 26, 2023 [49]
6–1 "I Will Always Love You" Whitney Houston December 5, 1992 [50]
"Funkdafied" Da Brat August 20, 1994 [51]
"Anxiety" Doechii May 3, 2025 [52]
5–1 11 songs
Latest song: "Yukon" by Justin Bieber (September 13, 2025)[53]

Biggest drop from number one

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Chart
movement		 Song Artist(s) Date reached
number one		 Source
1–9 "Sugar on My Tongue" Tyler, the Creator December 20, 2025 [54]
1–8 "Good Flirts" Baby Keem featuring Kendrick Lamar and Momo Boyd June 20, 2026 [55]
1–7 "Shining" DJ Khaled featuring Beyoncé and Jay-Z May 20, 2017 [56]
"Prove It" 21 Savage and Summer Walker November 16, 2024 [57]
"Denial Is a River" Doechii April 26, 2025 [58]
1–6 8 songs
Latest song: "Obvious" by Chris Brown (June 27, 2026)[59]

Shortest climbs to the top 10

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Week reached
top 10		 Artist(s) Song Date reached
top 10		 Source
1st week "Erotica" Madonna October 17, 1992 [60]
"Honey" Mariah Carey August 16, 1997 [61]
2nd week 30 songs
Latest song: "Toosie Slide" by Drake (April 18, 2020)[62]

Longest climbs to the top 10

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Week reached
top 10		 Song Artist(s) Date reached
top 10		 Source
25th week "Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)" Los del Río August 3, 1996 [63]
23rd week "Wild Side" Normani featuring Cardi B January 1, 2022 [64]
21st week "Dip It Low" Christina Milian August 28, 2004 [65]
20th week "Die for You" The Weeknd December 10, 2022 [66]
19th week "24 Hours" TeeFlii featuring 2 Chainz October 11, 2014 [67]
"Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" Kanye West November 5, 2016 [68]
"Pussy Fairy (OTW)" Jhené Aiko July 25, 2020 [69]
"How We Roll" Ciara and Chris Brown January 6, 2024 [70]
18th week 7 songs
Latest song: "Pop Out" by Polo G featuring Lil Tjay (August 31, 2019)[71]

Artist records

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Most number-one songs

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Number of
singles		ArtistSource
46 Drake[72]
17 Rihanna[73]
16 Chris Brown[17]
The Weeknd[21]
14 Bruno Mars[74]
13 Lil Wayne[9]
Usher[7]
12 Beyoncé[75]
Cardi B
Doja Cat[76]
Kendrick Lamar[10]
Nicki Minaj[77]

Most cumulative weeks at number one

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Number of
weeks		ArtistSource
149 Drake[72]
99 Rihanna[73]
61 Usher[7]
47 The Weeknd[21]
46 Mariah Carey[12]
45 Chris Brown[17]
44 Nelly[13]
39 Lil Wayne[9]
38 50 Cent[78]
36 Bruno Mars[74]
Doja Cat[76]
Kendrick Lamar[10]

Most top 10 songs

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Number of
singles		ArtistSource
81 Drake[72]
58 Chris Brown[17]
44 Lil Wayne[9]
41 Nicki Minaj[77]
39 Rihanna[73]
30 Usher[7]
28 Kanye West[79]
27 The Weeknd[21]
26 Beyoncé[75]
Ludacris[80]

Most chart entries

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Number of
entries		ArtistSource
139 Drake[72]
127 Chris Brown[17]
110 Lil Wayne[9]
97 Nicki Minaj[77]
64 Kanye West[79]
62 Future[81]
59 Jay-Z[82]
57 Pitbull[83]
Snoop Dogg[84]
56 Rihanna[73]

Simultaneously four or more songs in the top 10

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† 50 Cent became the first artist to post four top 10 songs simultaneously.

†† Kendrick Lamar became the first artist to post four top 10 songs simultaneously in a lead role.

Additional artist achievements

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  • Kendrick Lamar is the only artist to simultaneously occupy the top four ranks on the chart. [85]

Album records

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Most number-one singles from an album

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Number of
singles		ArtistAlbumYear(s)Source
4 DrakeViews2015–16[86]
Post MaloneHollywood's Bleeding2019[86]
Doja CatPlanet Her2021–22[86]
Kendrick LamarGNX2025[86]
DrakeIceman2025–26[86]
3 SZASOS †2022–24[86]

† SZA's SOS Deluxe: Lana, a reissue of the SOS album, featured two additional number-one single, "Saturn" and "30 for 30". [86]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay Week of September 26, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  2. ↑ Freeman, Kim (February 28, 1987). Hot 30 Crossover Chart Tracks New Breed Of Radio. Billboard magazine. pp. 1, 83.
  3. ↑ "Billboard Charts Legend". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
  4. ↑ "TLC Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Keith Sweat Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Silk Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Usher Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Boyz II Men Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lil Wayne Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Salt-N-Pepa Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Mariah Carey Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Nelly Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Kehlani Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of April 4, 2026)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of January 30, 1999)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chris Brown Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Latto Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Rema Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Miguel Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "The Weeknd Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of February 12, 2000)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Jack Harlow Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of October 17, 1992)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 16, 1997)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of May 1, 1993)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of May 22, 1999)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of March 17, 2001)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of July 21, 2018)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of July 17, 1993)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 14, 1993)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of January 16, 1999)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of February 2, 2013)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of July 8, 2017)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 27, 1994)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of December 5, 1992)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of September 30, 1995)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of March 13, 1999)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 11, 2018)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of February 21, 2026)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 5, 1995)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  42. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of May 23, 2009)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of February 3, 2018)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of November 2, 2024)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  45. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of February 15, 1997)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  46. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of December 31, 2011)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  47. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of March 30, 2024)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of December 20, 2025)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 26, 2023)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of December 5, 1992)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 20, 1994)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  52. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of May 3, 2025)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  53. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of September 13, 2025)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of December 20, 2025)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  55. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of June 20, 2026)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  56. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of May 20, 2017)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  57. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of November 16, 2024)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  58. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of April 26, 2025)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  59. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of June 27, 2026)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  60. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of October 17, 1992)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  61. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 16, 1997)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  62. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of April 18, 2020)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  63. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 3, 1996)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  64. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of January 1, 2022)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  65. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 28, 2004)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  66. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of December 10, 2022)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  67. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of October 11, 2014)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  68. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of November 5, 2016)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  69. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of July 25, 2020)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  70. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of January 6, 2024)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  71. ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay (Week of August 31, 2019)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  72. 1 2 3 4 "Drake Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  73. 1 2 3 4 "Rihanna Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  74. 1 2 "Bruno Mars Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  75. 1 2 "Beyoncé Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  76. 1 2 "Doja Cat Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  77. 1 2 3 "Nicki Minaj Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  78. ↑ "50 Cent Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  79. 1 2 "Kanye West Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  80. ↑ "Ludacris Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  81. ↑ "Future Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  82. ↑ "Jay-Z Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  83. ↑ "Pitbull Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  84. ↑ "Snoop Dogg Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  85. ↑ "With 'Luther' & More, Kendrick Lamar Is Making History on Billboard's Airplay Charts". Billboard. February 27, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2026.
  86. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "'Shabang' Scores Drake a 4th Rhythmic Airplay No. 1 From 'ICEMAN'". Billboard. August 19, 2026. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
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