Nicki Minaj’s ‘Super Freaky Girl’ Soars in at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

The track is Minaj’s first Hot 100 No. 1 as an unaccompanied artist and her third overall.

Nicki Minaj‘s “Super Freaky Girl” blasts onto the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1. Minaj earns her first Hot 100 No. 1 as an unaccompanied artist and her third overall, following “Trollz,” with 6ix9ine, and her featured turn on Doja Cat’s “Say So,” both in 2020.

Meanwhile, “Super Freaky Girl” expands upon the chart legacy of Rick James’ No. 16-peaking 1981 Hot 100 hit “Super Freak,” which it samples. Among other reworkings of James’ classic, M.C. Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” reached No. 8 in 1990.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Aug. 27, 2022) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (Aug. 23). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Super Freaky Girl,” released on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records, tallied 21.1 million streams, 4.6 million radio airplay audience impressions and 89,000 downloads sold in its first week (Aug. 12-18), according to Luminate, following its Aug. 12 arrival.

The track bows as the 1,141st No. 1 in the Hot 100’s 64-year history. It’s the 63rd to enter on top, and the first by a woman in a lead role this year. Notably, it’s the first No. 1 debut for a hip-hop song by a solo female and no accompanying acts since Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998.

Minaj’s First Unaccompanied Hot 100 No. 1: Minaj earns her first Hot 100 No. 1 as an unaccompanied artist and her third overall. She previously reigned with her 6ix9ine collab “Trollz,” which bounded in at No. 1 on the June 27, 2020, chart, and her featured turn on Doja Cat’s “Say So,” which topped the May 16, 2020, tally.

Minaj’s 21st Hot 100 Top 10: “Super Freaky Girl” is additionally Minaj’s 21st Hot 100 top 10, and her second this year, after “Do We Have a Problem?,” with Lil Baby, debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Feb. 19-dated chart.

Minaj posts her 124th overall Hot 100 entry, dating to her first in February 2010. She boasts the seventh-most appearances in the chart’s archives.

No. 1 in Streams, Sales: “Super Freaky Girl” launches at No. 1 on both the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts. Minaj adds her second Streaming Songs No. 1, after “Anaconda” led for three weeks in September 2014. She earns her 12th Digital Song Sales leader, the most among female rap artists, and her fourth of 2022, following No. 1 entrances for “Do We Have a Problem?” (Feb. 19); “Blick Blick!,” with Coi Leray (April 2); and “We Go Up,” with Fivio Foreign (April 9).

The song was available for purchase via eight options since its release: explicit and clean versions of its standard mix (released Aug. 12); explicit and clean versions of its “Roman Remix” (released at midnight ET Aug. 18); and explicit and clean a cappella versions of both its standard version and “Roman Remix” (released at 10:30 p.m. ET Aug. 18). All versions were discounted to 69 cents Aug. 18.

Lizzo, Beyoncé & Nicki: “Super Freaky Girl” follows Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” which led the Aug. 13 and 20-dated Hot 100 charts, and Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” which topped the July 30 and Aug. 6 tallies. The tracks combine for the first streak of three songs each hitting No. 1 for the first time by solo women and no accompanying artists since Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” and Swift’s “Blank Space” in September 2014-January 2015. (Before that, Katy Perry’s “Roar,” Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” and Lorde’s “Royals” reigned consecutively in September-December 2013.)

“Freaky” First on R&B/Hip-Hop & Rap Charts: Concurrently, “Super Freaky Girl” starts atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which use the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100. Minaj achieves her eighth No. 1 on each genre ranking, and second this year, after “Do We Have a Problem?”

Rick James’ “Super Freak,” which “Super Freaky Girl” samples, hit No. 3 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in September 1981, while M.C. Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This,” which also samples James’ original, spent a week at No. 1 in June 1990. On Hot Rap Songs, which originated in 1989, “Touch” reached No. 2. (Among other notable reimaginations of “Super Freak,” Jay-Z’s “Kingdom Come” hit No. 52 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 98 on the Hot 100 in 2006 and Gucci Mane’s “Freaky Gurl” rose to Nos. 19 and 62 on the respective charts in 2007.)

Harry Styles’ former 10-week Hot 100 No. 1 “As It Was” holds at No. 2. It also logs a 12th week atop the Songs of the Summer chart, as it has led the seasonal survey, which tracks the biggest hits between Memorial Day and Labor Day, each week this summer.

Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” keeps at No. 3 after two weeks atop the Hot 100. It notches a seventh week at No. 1 on Radio Songs (82.4 million, down 7%) and rebounds for a 12th frame atop the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart.

Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” falls to No. 4 on the Hot 100, after claiming its second week at No. 1 a week earlier. It leads the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for an eighth week.

Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” dips 4-5 on the Hot 100 after reaching No. 3. Its revival sparked by its sync in the fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, the song, originally released in 1985 (when it reached No. 30), tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for an 11th week each.

Steve Lacy’s first Hot 100 top 10, “Bad Habit,” holds at its No. 6 high and Nicky Youre and dazy’s “Sunroof” rides 8-7 for a new best, as each act’s first top 10 scores top Airplay Gainer honors for a third week (65.6 million, up 9%), as well as the chart’s Streaming Gainer award (10 million, up 15%). “Sunroof” also becomes Nicky Youre and dazy’s first leader each on both the Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay charts.

Future’s “Wait for U,” featuring Drake and Tems, descends 7-8 on the Hot 100, following a week at No. 1 beginning in its debut week in May; Bad Bunny and Chencho Corleone’s “Me Porto Bonito” rebounds 11-9, after reaching No. 6, as it rules the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart for a 14th week; and, rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Post Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Song),” featuring Doja Cat, returns to the tier, rising 13-10, after hitting No. 9.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Aug. 27), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 23).

Source: billboard.com