Drake’s ‘God’s Plan’ Ties Record for Fastest Trip to Top 10 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Chart
Drake's "God Plan," already a streaming monster, is now setting radio ablaze and rockets into the top 10 of the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart in a record-tying two weeks.
Drake’s “God’s Plan” has ignited the streaming world, and the tune is now setting radio ablaze as well. The track rockets into the top 10 of both the radio-driven R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop charts (dated Feb. 10) in just its second week, tying the fastest ascent into the region on the latter.
Despite their similar names, here’s the difference between the two charts: The R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay survey ranks songs according to audience impressions, a metric that combines the total listenership of the song for the week that can be influenced by factors such as the population reach for a radio station and time of day that a song is played. The list also aggregates audience from both mainstream and adult stations. Meanwhile, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop ranks songs based strictly on the number of times a song is played, regardless of where and when.
“Plan” roars 19-8 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop and stages a whopping 47 percent increase in spins in the week ending Feb. 4, according to Nielsen Music. The move makes “Plan” the 28th song — and only the fourth tune of the 2000s — to reach the upper tier in a record-setting two weeks’ time, since the chart began on Sept. 18, 1993. (No song has ever debuted inside the top 10.)
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Notably, 25 of the 28 titles achieved the feat between 1993 and 2000, arguably during the R&B genre’s zenith in widespread popularity. After 2000, no song duplicated a two-week top 10 trip for nearly 14 years, until Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love,” featuring JAY-Z, flew 17-10 in its second frame. Beyoncé, again, was the next act to manage the feat with “Formation,” which, coincidentally, made an identical 17-10 surge in its second chart week.
“God’s Plan” is Drake’s fastest climb to the top 10 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop. He previously got to the region in just three weeks as the featured act on Rihanna‘s “Work” (2016), with his own “Hotline Bling” (2015), and as a guest on DJ Khaled‘s “I’m On One,” alongside Rick Ross and Lil Wayne (2011).
Overall, here’s a look at the 28 tunes to enter the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop top 10 in their second weeks:
Song, Artist, Date Entered Top 10
“God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 10, 2018
“Formation,” Beyoncé, March 5, 2016
“Drunk in Love,” Beyoncé featuring JAY-Z, Jan. 11, 2014
“I Wish,” R. Kelly, Oct. 7, 2000
“No Scrubs,” TLC, March 6, 1999
“Half on A Baby,” R. Kelly, Sept. 19, 1998
“Doo Wop (That Thing),” Lauryn Hill, Sept. 12, 1998
“The Boy Is Mine,” Brandy & Monica, May 23, 1998
“Be Careful,” Sparkle, May 9, 1998
“Rain,” SWV, Jan. 31, 1998
“Tyrone,” Erykah Badu, Nov. 15, 1997
“Got ‘til It’s Gone,” Janet featuring Q-Tip & Joni Mitchell, Sept. 20, 1997
“I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112, June 14, 1997
“Love Is All We Need,” Mary J. Blige featuring Foxy Brown, April 5, 1997
“Can We,” SWV, March 15, 1997
“I Believe I Can Fly,” R. Kelly, Nov. 9, 1996
“You’re The One,” SWV, April 6, 1996
“Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” Whitney Houston, Nov. 11, 1995
“You Remind Me of Something,” R. Kelly, Oct. 28, 1995
“Fantasy,” Mariah Carey, Sept. 23, 1995
“I Hate U,” Prince, Sept. 9, 1995
“Scream,” Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson, June 10, 1995
“Endless Love,” Luther Vandross & Mariah Carey, Sept. 17, 1994
“Body & Soul,” Anita Baker, Sept. 3, 1994
“I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 20, 1994
“Any Time, Any Place,” Janet Jackson, May 28, 1994
“Anything,” SWV, April 16, 1994
“Cry For You,” Jodeci, Dec. 4, 1993
But that’s not all! “Plan” also darts 15-6 on the audience-based R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, picking up a 34 percent gain to 18 million in audience impressions for the week. The rapid ascension invites Drake’s tune to the rare club of 25 tracks to enter the top 10 in two weeks or less since the chart began on April 4, 1992.
As with Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, a supermajority — this time, 20 of 25 instances — occurred in the 1990s. Six cases followed in the 2000s, but curiously, “Plan” is the first tune of this century to race into the top 10 in two weeks that does not feature Beyoncé or JAY-Z.
Here are the 25 songs to power into the chart’s top 10 in their first or second frames on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay:
Weeks to Top 10, Song, Artist, Date Entered Top 10
1, “You’re Makin’ Me High,” Toni Braxton, May 25, 1996
1, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” Whitney Houston, Nov. 4, 1995
1, “You Remind Me of Something,” R. Kelly, Oct. 21, 1995
1, “Scream,” Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson, June 3, 1995
1, “Endless Love,” Luther Vandross & Mariah Carey, Sept. 10, 1994
1, “Body & Soul,” Anita Baker, Aug. 27, 1994
1, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 13, 1994
1, “That’s The Way Love Goes,” Janet Jackson, May 1, 1993
2, “God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 10, 2018
2, “Shining,” DJ Khaled featuring Beyonce & JAY-Z, March 11, 2017
2, “Formation,” Beyonce, March 5, 2016
2, “Drunk in Love,” Beyonce featuring JAY-Z, Jan. 4, 2014
2, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring on It),” Beyonce, Nov. 1, 2008
2, “Show Me What You Got,” JAY-Z, Oct. 28, 2006
2, “No Scrubs,” TLC, Feb. 27, 1999
2, “You’re The One,” SWV, March 30, 1996
2, “Fantasy,” Mariah Carey, Sept. 16, 1995
2, “I Hate U,” Prince, Sept. 9, 1995
2, “Any Time, Any Place,” Janet Jackson, May 28, 1994
2, “Cry For You,” Jodeci, Dec. 4, 1993
2, “Right Here (Human Nature),” SWV, July 31, 1993
2, “Lately,” Jodeci, June 12, 1993
2, “Humpin’ Around,” Bobby Brown, Aug. 15, 1992
2, “The Best Things in Life Are Free,” Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson with BBD & Ralph Tresvant, May 30, 1992
2, “Goodbye,” Tevin Campbell, April 11, 1992
So why have several songs debuted in the top 10 of R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay but needed at least two weeks to reach the same tier on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop? For that, again, we refer to the method that determines each chart. As noted above, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay ranks songs based on audience impressions or the size of listenership for the week. In many cases, when new music from those superstar acts arrived, major radio markets in cities such as New York or Chicago would have played the record virtually immediately upon release due to the stars’ enormous popularity. Because the stations in large cities have high audience levels, a song could post a strong debut if a good amount of those reporters played it from the start.
On Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, however, songs are ranked based purely on the number of plays for the week, such that any station’s play, regardless of its audience size, increases the tally by one. Even for major releases by superstar acts, it was likely much tougher to have every station playing the song at a high rate in its first week of availability. Plus, in a pre-digital age, many records were physically shipped to stations, further complicating universal coordination for an enormous first-week presence.
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