As SZA snags the No. 1 slot on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart for the first time as a lead artist with her 2021 smash hit, “I Hate U,” RCA makes history by achieving the feat of holding down the chart’s top four slots.
“I Hate U” increased in plays by 16 percent during the week ending on March 13. This follows her featured spot on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More,” which topped the chart for two weeks in 2021.
SZA’s hit trades places with Latto’s “Big Energy,” which dropped to No. 3 after spending seven nonconsecutive weeks dominating the chart. Meanwhile, Doja Cat’s “Woman” climbed to the No. 2 spot following a 13 percent jump in weekly plays. Lastly, Chris Brown’s “Iffy” jumped from No. 5 to No. 4 in its eighth week on the list.
With all four singles being under RCA Records, the label completes the first top-four lock of the chart in more than a decade. The last time any label conquered such a feat was in November 2011 with Republic Records as Drake’s “Headlines,” Dev’s “In the Dark,” Lil Wayne’s collab with Drake, “She Will,” and his solo track, “How to Love” took over.
Keith Rothschild, RCA’s Co-Head Promotion, shared with Billboard in an emailed statement, “This is a really special and rare occasion. A label hasn’t occupied the top four spots at Rhythm radio in over 10 years. To strategize, maneuver and execute was incredible to be a part of.”
Kevin Valentini, an SVP, Promotion at RCA for the rhythmic format added, “We must give credit to the artists and our A&R department for giving us such amazing records. As much as our radio partners respect our judgment, each record takes the same amount of effort with a different approach each time. Nothing is a given […] As promotion people, we’re competitive by nature, but it’s even better when you’re competing against yourself.”
