Drake’s ‘God’s Plan’ Tops Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop & Rap Airplay Charts With Fastest Flights to No. 1 This Decade
Drake's "God Plan" hits No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop faster than any song since 1999 and No. 1 on Rap Airplay in a sprint not seen since 2001.
Drake’s “God Plan” scores the fastest climb to No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart since 1999, as the track drives 5-1 on the list dated Feb. 24. The track is up 25 percent in plays for the week, according to Nielsen Music. The leap secures the superstar’s record-extending 30th No. 1 hit on the 24-year-old chart, now 11 ahead of second-place Lil Wayne’s sum of 19.
As “Plan” claims the crown in only its fourth week on the 40-position chart, it wraps the fastest ascent to No. 1 since 1999. That year, both TLC’s “No Scrubs” and Destiny’s Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills” also lept to the top in four frames. (See list, below.)
Overall, Drake’s track is now one of just 10 songs to sail to the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop’s peak position in four weeks or less. Here’s a full recap, dating to the chart’s first ranking on Sept. 18, 1993:
Weeks to No. 1, Song, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1
3, “Be Careful,” Sparkle, May 16, 1998
3, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
3, “Dreamlover,” Mariah Carey, Oct. 2, 1993
4, “God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 24, 2018
4, “Bills, Bills, Bills,” Destiny’s Child, July 10, 1999
4, “No Scrubs,” TLC, March 20, 1999
4, “Tyrone,” Erykah Badu, Nov. 29, 1997
4, “No Diggity,” BLACKstreet featuring Dr. Dre, Sept. 14, 1996
4, “Fantasy,” Mariah Carey, Oct. 7, 1995
4, “Anniversary,” Tony Toni Tone, Oct. 9, 1993
In addition to its four-week flight on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, “Plan” duplicates the achievement on the Rap Airplay chart as it darts 3-1, spurred by a 24 percent surge in weekly spins.
The coronation on Rap Airplay adds a record-extending 27th leader to Drake’s resume on the chart and pushes him to more than twice as many No. 1s on the chart as any other act since Rap Airplay began on Feb. 20, 1999. Lil Wayne ranks second on the tally, with 13 chart toppers, with Kanye West holding the bronze medal with 10.
“Plan” also locks up the fastest path to the Rap Airplay summit since 2001, when JAY-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” ran the table in an identical four weeks.
Here’s a look at the five songs to take over Rap Airplay in under one month:
Weeks to No. 1, Song, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1
3, “Lollipop,” Lil Wayne featuring Static Major, April 19, 2008
4, “God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 24, 2018
4, “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” JAY-Z, Aug. 18, 2001
4, “Wild Wild West,” Will Smith featuring Dru Hill & Kool Mo Dee, June 12, 1999
4, “You Got Me,” The Roots featuring Erykah Badu, March 13, 1999
Look for Drake to expand his urban radio empire perhaps as soon as next week, as “Plan” climbs to the runner-up spot on both the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Rhythmic Songs charts. On the former, the song registers a 24 percent hike in weekly radio audience to 28 million in radio audience for the week. Meanwhile, “Plan” also picks up an equal 24 percent increase in weekly plays.
As previously reported, “Plan” also extends its reigns on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs, ruling each ranking for a fourth week.
More From Pro
