“Toosie Slide” is Drake’s 20th leader on the list, tying Aretha Franklin & Stevie Wonder.
Drake‘s “Toosie Slide” soars in with a No. 1 debut on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart dated April 18, granting the prolific hitmaker his 20th leader on the list and a share of a historic mark, as he ties Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder for the most No. 1s in the chart’s history.
“Slide” enters at the summit largely thanks to its 55.5 million U.S. streams registered in the week ending April 9, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, easily opening at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart. The track also debuts at No. 3 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart with 25,000 downloads sold in the same period.
Radio reception is also off to an impressive start, as “Slide” darts 22-12 in its second frame on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay as it pulled 14.6 million in audience in its first full tracking week, ending April 12 (following its April 3 release). The debut position on the radio ranking brought Drake his fourth-best bow of his 119 career entries and second-strongest as a lead act: “Slide” follows only the No. 15 bows of Rihanna‘s 2016 hit “Work,” featuring Drake, and “God’s Plan” from 2018 and Chris Brown‘s “No Guidance,” also featuring Drake, began at No. 17 last June on its way to a record 27 weeks at No. 1.
With Drake now sharing valedictorian status on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, here’s an updated list of the acts with the most No. 1s on the chart (which began as an all-encompassing genre songs chart in 1958):
20, Aretha Franklin
20, Drake
20, Stevie Wonder
17, James Brown
16, Janet Jackson
15, The Temptations
13, Marvin Gaye
13, Michael Jackson
13, Usher
11, Lil Wayne
11, R. Kelly
The Queen of Soul, fittingly, became the first act to reach 20 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart-toppers, over a span of 18 years, four months and nine days, from her maiden champ, 1967’s “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” through her last, 1985’s “Freeway of Love.” Wonder, who began his journey with 1963’s “Fingertips Pt. 2,” equaled Franklin’s mark in 1988, thanks to “You Will Know” that March, marking a No. 1 span of 24 years, seven months and two days.
Drake’s 20th No. 1 arrives in nearly half the time of those two icons, as “Slide” reigns 10 years, nine months and 22 days after his first visit to the penthouse, with “Best I Ever Had” on June 27, 2009. The superstar has benefited from the collaborative nature of hip-hop, with 10 of his 20 No. 1s achieved through featured credits; Franklin and Wonder led the chart only with credited lead or co-lead roles.
In addition to its No. 1 status on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, “Slide” makes a chart-topping arrival on Hot Rap Songs to secure Drake his record-extending 21st leader on the ranking.
As previously reported, the track launches as Drake’s seventh No. 1 (and record-tying third to begin at the summit) on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.