Megan Thee Stallion & Beyonce’s ‘Savage’ Surges to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

The song jumps from No. 5, besting its prior No. 2 high.

Megan Thee Stallion‘s “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, bounds from No. 5 to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The track, which previously reached a No. 2 high after the arrival of its Beyoncé remix, becomes Megan Thee Stallion’s first Hot 100 leader and Beyoncé’s seventh.

Plus, DaBaby‘s “Rockstar,” featuring Roddy Ricch, reaches the Hot 100’s top five, rising 8-4, and hits No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart.

Let’s run down the top 10 of the newest Hot 100, which blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated May 30) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (May 27).

“Savage,” released on 1501 Certified/300 Entertainment, is the 1,102nd No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 61-year history.

Here’s a deeper look at the song’s Hot 100 coronation.

No. 1 in sales: “Savage” concurrently climbs 4-1 on the Digital Song Sales chart, up 55% to 30,000 downloads sold in the week ending May 21, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, good for the Hot 100’s top Sales Gainer award.

The song was on sale in a variety of physical/digital combination offerings during the tracking week, including autographed CD and vinyl copies put up for purchase in Megan Thee Stallion’s webstore beginning May 15. Consumers could purchase CD and vinyl singles, each with a digital download; the download would be sent to consumers upon purchase, with physical versions due to arrive at a later date.

Megan Thee Stallion earns her first Digital Song Sales No. 1, while Beyoncé adds her eighth (the eighth-best total in the chart’s archives).

“Savage” holds at No. 2 on Streaming Songs with 30.5 million U.S. streams, down 8%, in the week ending May 21. The track led the list dated May 16, after its Beyoncé remix arrived April 29; contributing to its latest weekly total, a new animated video for the song premiered May 21.

The track rises 11-8 on the Radio Songs chart with 53.7 million audience impressions in the week ending May 24, becoming Megan Thee Stallion’s first top 10 and Beyoncé’s 18th (breaking her out of a seven-way tie for the fifth-most top 10s in the chart’s history).

Beyoncé No. 1 in the ’00s, ’10s & ‘20s: Beyoncé is the second artist to have topped the Hot 100 in the 2000s, ’10s and ’20s, following Mariah Carey, who, with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in January, became the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 in four distinct decades (1990s, 2000s, ’10s and ’20s).

Beyoncé becomes the 21st artist with at least seven Hot 100 No. 1s. Here is a recap of her leaders:

Title, Date Reached No. 1
“Crazy in Love,” feat. Jay-Z, July 12, 2003
“Baby Boy,” feat. Sean Paul, Oct. 4, 2003
“Check On It,” feat. Slim Thug, Feb. 4, 2006
“Irreplaceable,” Dec. 16, 2006
“Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” Dec. 13, 2008
“Perfect,” Ed Sheeran feat. Beyoncé, Dec. 23, 2017
“Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé, May 30, 2020

Of course, Beyoncé also appeared at No. 1 on the Hot 100 as a member of Destiny’s Child, which notched four leaders in 1999-2001: “Bills, Bills, Bills” (1999); “Say My Name” (2000); “Independent Women Part I” (2000); and “Bootylicious” (2001).

Looking at both group and solo chart appearances, Beyoncé is the only act other than Carey to have ranked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in four separate decades.

Women rule, again: Megan Thee Stallion (born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete) and Beyoncé combine for the seventh Hot 100 No. 1 credited to two or more women (and no other billed acts), and the second in three weeks, after Doja Cat’s “Say So,” featuring Nicki Minaj. Notably, 2020 is the first year with two such leaders.

Here’s an updated list of every Hot 100 No. 1 exclusively by multiple women soloists:

Title, Artists, Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1
“Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé, one (to date), May 30, 2020
“Say So,” Doja Cat feat. Nicki Minaj, one, May 16, 2020
“Fancy,” Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, seven, June 7, 2014
“S&M,” Rihanna feat. Britney Spears, one week, April 30, 2011
“Lady Marmalade,” Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & P!nk, five, June 2, 2001
“The Boy Is Mine,” Brandy & Monica, 13, June 6, 1998
“No More Tears (Enough Is Enough),” Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer, two, Nov. 24, 1979

4 weeks, 4 new No. 1s: The last four weeks have seen four songs each spend a first week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, as “Savage” follows Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s “Stuck With U,” which debuted atop the May 23-dated chart (and this week drops to No. 13); Doja Cat’s “Say So,” featuring Minaj (6-1, May 16); and The Scotts, Travis Scott & Kid Cudi’s “The Scotts” (No. 1 debut, May 9).

The turnover at the top is the most for songs tallying their first weeks at No. 1 in three years (and the last likewise four-week run also found Bieber on top, with two songs). In May 2017, these four titles hit No. 1 over four weeks: Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble.” (May 6); Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” (May 13); DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One,” featuring Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne (May 20); and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Bieber (May 27).

Hot 300: “Savage” is the second Hot 100 No. 1 for 300 Entertainment. The label first led via Migos’ “Bad and Boujee,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert, for three weeks beginning in January 2017.

“Savage” at the summit: The word “savage” appears in a Hot 100-topping song title for the first time, although two artists with “savage” in their names have reigned. Rapper 21 Savage led in 2017 as featured on Post Malone’s “Rockstar,” after pop duo Savage Garden ruled with two ballads, “Truly Madly Deeply” in 1998 and “I Knew I Loved You” in 1999.

No. 1 Hip-Hop, Rap: “Savage” hits No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and returns for a second week atop Hot Rap Songs, both of which employ the same multi-metric formula as the Hot 100.

Megan Thee Stallion scores her first Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1 and Beyoncé banks her ninth, and first since “7/11” in December 2014.

Doja Cat’s “Say So” holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100. It likewise keeps at No. 2 on Radio Songs (78.1 million); falls 2-5 on Digital Song Sales (16,000, down 43%); and is steady at No. 5 on Streaming Songs (24.3 million, down 7%). “Say So” spends a third week at No. 1 on Hot R&B Songs.

(After two weeks of Minaj showing as a featured artist on “Say So” on the Hot 100 and other charts that utilize the same methodology, only Doja Cat is now listed, as the original version, without Minaj, is now driving the majority of overall activity for the song; the change does not affect any of Minaj’s achievements on those charts the past two weeks, and she continues not to be credited on the song on any airplay charts, as the vast majority of the song’s airplay is still for the original version.)

The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” rebounds 4-3 on the Hot 100, after four weeks at the summit. It tops Radio Songs for a seventh week, with 89 million in audience.

DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” featuring Roddy Ricch, enters the Hot 100’s top five, charging 8-4, and hits No. 1 on Streaming Songs with an 8% gain to 34.3 million streams. It dips 6-10 on Digital Song Sales, although with a 12% gain to 12,000 sold, while sporting 13.5 million in radio reach.

DaBaby earns his first top five Hot 100 hit, among two top 10s, and bests his prior No. 7 high, set by his debut entry “Suge” last July. He achieves his first Streaming Songs No. 1.

Roddy Ricch adds his second top five Hot 100 hit and second Streaming Songs leader, after “The Box” topped the former chart for 11 weeks and the latter for 13 frames.

Drake’s “Toosie Slide” rises 6-5 on the Hot 100, following its one-week reign, and Future’s “Life Is Good,” featuring Drake, returns to the top 10 (13-6), after peaking at No. 2 for eight weeks. The latter vaults 10-3 on Streaming Songs (28.4 million, up 33%), and wins the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer award, as Future’s new album, High Off Life (on which the song is included), launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” repeats at No. 7; Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” lifts 9-8, after peaking at No. 2; Justin Bieber’s “Intentions,” featuring Quavo, climbs 11-9, after reaching No. 8; and Post Malone’s “Circles” holds at No. 10, following its three-week command, as it logs a record-extending 38th week in the top 10.

Find out more Hot 100 news on Billboard.com this week, and, for all chart news, you can listen (and subscribe) to Billboard‘s Pop Shop Podcast and This Week in Billboard News podcast and follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (May 27), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.

Source: billboard.com