Bruno Mars Replaces Drake At No. 1 And Makes History
Bruno Mars Replaces Drake At No. 1 And Makes HistoryBruno Mars’s “I Just Might” returns to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, replacing Drake’s “Janice STFU” and earning its nineteenth week on top. The single breaks out of a tie with Drake, Wizkid and Kyla’s “One Dance” and Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby,” standing alone as one of the five longest-running leaders in the ranking’s history.
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Throughout his career as a hitmaker – which is, in reality, the entirety of his time on the Billboard charts, as he began producing generation-defining smashes the moment he first appeared on any roster in America – Bruno Mars has bounced between pop and R&B. He has become one of the most successful artists of all time thanks to his ability to straddle the line between those two genres.
Typically, his singles rise to impressive heights on Billboard‘s pop radio rankings, as well as both R&B-only tallies and those published by the chart company that look at both hip-hop and R&B music. It is on one of the latter rosters where Mars makes history this time around, as one of his latest tunes returns to No. 1, breaking out of a tie with several recent smashes and standing alone as one of the longest-running rulers ever.
Bruno Mars Returns to No. 1 With “I Just Might”
Mars is once again in charge of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as “I Just Might” steps up from No. 2 to No. 1. The singer-songwriter replaces Drake’s “Janice STFU” at the summit, which backtracks to second place, missing out on leading the charge for the first time since it debuted. “Janice STFU” has lived on the Billboard tally that ranks the most-consumed cuts that can be classified as hip-hop, rap, or R&B for eight weeks, and it led the way for seven.
Just last week, “I Just Might” was tied with Drake’s “One Dance,” a collaboration with both Wizkid and Kyla, as well as “Industry Baby” by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow. Those songs both held at No. 1 on for 18 periods.
“I Just Might” Could Soon Match “Old Town Road”
If “I Just Might” can remain at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart when Billboard refreshes its lists in just a few days – which seems entirely plausible given how well the single is performing to this day – Mars will move up again on the ranking of the longest-running champions ever. “Old Town Road,” which turned Lil Nas X into a superstar more than half a decade ago and which brought Billy Ray Cyrus back to the Billboard tallies, held court at No. 1 for an even 20 moments.
“I Just Might” is one of a pair of Mars wins that racked up double-digit stays in the loftiest space. Nearly a decade before he released his lead The Romantic single, “That’s What I Like” ruled for 10 periods.
“Leave the Door Open,” which is officially credited to the superduo Silk Sonic – made up of Mars and Anderson .Paak, who are also named as soloists on the cut as well – spent eight weeks in charge. A pair of collaborations with Cardi B, “Finesse” and “Please Me,” domiated the list just once.
