Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ Crowns First Airplay Charts With Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop & Rhythmic Songs No. 1s
Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, tops a Billboard radio ranking for the first time with moves on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay and Rhythmic Songs.
Already a streaming titan, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, arrives atop Billboard radio rankings for the first time as it rallies 7-1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay and 2-1 on the Rhythmic Songs airplay chart.
On the former, the track bolts through a mighty 20% surge in plays in the week ending May 19, according to Nielsen Music. The six-spot leap for “Road” is one of the nine biggest jumps to No. 1 from the chart’s inception in 1993 and the single-largest dash to the summit since Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles,” featuring Gucci Mane, raced 8-1 on Dec. 3, 2016.
Here’s a look at the biggest jumps to No. 1 in the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart’s history.
Position Change, Song, Artist, Date Reached No. 1
31-1, “Before You Walk Out of My Life,” Monica, Jan. 13, 1996
19-1, “Anniversary,” Tony Toni Tone, Oct. 9, 1993
9-1, “No Diggity,” BLACKstreet featuring Dr. Dre, Sept. 14, 1996
8-1, “Bills, Bills, Bills,” Destiny’s Child, July 10, 1999
8-1, “Black Beatles,” Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane, Dec. 3, 2016
7-1, “Groove Thang,” Zhane, March 5, 1994
7-1, “Never Make A Promise,” Dru Hill, Aug. 16, 1997
7-1, “Dueces,” Chris Brown featuring Tyga & Kevin McCall, Sept. 4, 2010
7-1, “Old Town Road,” Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, May 25, 2019
On Rhythmic Songs, meanwhile, “Road” ascends with a 6% uptick in plays in the week.
Elsewhere, “Road” is in prime position to continue its radio takeover. The track skips 6-3 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay through a 13% push to 22.7 million in format audience and climbs 4-2 on Rap Airplay thanks to a 9% gain in weekly audience.
While “Road” registers Lil Nas X’s first radio leaders, the track wraps a nearly 27-year break for Cyrus. The country veteran last led a Billboard radio ranking with his breakthrough smash “Achy Breaky Heart,” a five-week champ on Country Airplay in May-June 1992.
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