SZA Scores Her First Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with ‘Kill Bill’

The song reigns following the release of its remix with Doja Cat. Plus, Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana” debuts at No. 4.

SZA slices her way to her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, as “Kill Bill” jumps from No. 4 to the top spot, following eight weeks at its prior No. 2 high. The song reigns following the release of its remix adding Doja Cat.

Plus, Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana” launches at No. 4 on the Hot 100, marking the second top 10 for the former rapper and the 22nd for the latter.

Also in the Hot 100’s top tier, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma log the first regional Mexican top five hit in the chart’s history, as “Ella Baila Sola” soars 10-5. A week earlier, the song became the chart’s first-ever regional Mexican top 10.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated April 29, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 25). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Here’s a rundown of the Hot 100 coronation for “Kill Bill.” The song is the 1,149th No. 1 since the chart originated in August 1958. It was released on her Top Dawg/RCA Records album SOS, which ranks at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, after 10 weeks at the summit.

Airplay, streams & sales: “Kill Bill” drew 86.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (down 1%) and 28.3 million streams – up 32% – and sold 5,000 downloads – up 228% – in the April 14-20 tracking week, according to Luminate, as it claims both the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer and Sales Gainer awards.

Sparking the song’s surge, its remix with Doja Cat arrived April 14. (All versions of the song roll up into one chart listing; Doja Cat is not listed on “Kill Bill” on the Hot 100, as the remix did not account for the majority of the song’s overall consumption during the tracking week.)

The track rises 3-2 for a new high on the Radio Songs chart; ascends 4-3 on Streaming Songs, following four weeks at No. 1; and bounds 36-8, returning to its best rank, on Digital Song Sales.

SZA’s first No. 1: SZA claims her first Hot 100 No. 1 with “Kill Bill.”

Here’s a look at her seven career Hot 100 top 10s, ranked by peak position. She scored her prior best peak also thanks to collaborating with Doja Cat, as featured on 2021’s “Kiss Me More.”

  • No. 1, one week, to-date, April 29, 2023, “Kill Bill”
  • No. 3, July 10, 2021, “Kiss Me More” (Doja Cat feat. SZA)
  • No. 7, Dec. 18, 2021, “I Hate U”
  • No. 7, March 3, 2018, “All the Stars” (with Kendrick Lamar)
  • No. 9, Feb. 6, 2021, “Good Days”
  • No. 9, Nov. 25, 2017, “What Lovers Do” (Maroon 5 feat. SZA)
  • No. 10, Dec. 24, 2022, “Nobody Gets Me”

Eight’s not too late: “Kill Bill” tops the Hot 100 after eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 2. It debuted at No. 3 on the Dec. 24, 2022, chart – as SOS premiered at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The song ties for the second-most weeks spent at No. 2 on the Hot 100 before rising to No. 1 at last:

  • 9 weeks at No. 2 on Hot 100 before hitting No. 1, “Bad Guy,” Billie Eilish, hit No. 1 Aug. 24, 2019
  • 8, “Kill Bill,” SZA, April 29, 2023
  • 8, “Starboy,” The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk, Jan. 7, 2017
  • 8, “Sorry,” Justin Bieber, Jan. 23, 2016
  • 8, “The Way You Move,” OutKast feat. Sleepy Brown, Feb. 14, 2004
  • 7, “Havana,” Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug, Jan. 27, 2018
  • 7, “Sexy and I Know It,” LMFAO, Jan. 7, 2012
  • 6, “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, Sept. 29, 2018
  • 6, “All of Me,” John Legend, May 17, 2014

‘Kill’-er hits: As SZA takes out all chart competition in her way, she notches the fourth Hot 100 No. 1 with “kill” (or any form of the word) in its title:

  • “Kill Bill,” one week at No. 1, to-date, April 29, 2023
  • “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” Kelly Clarkson, three weeks, beginning Feb. 18, 2012
  • “A View to a Kill,” Duran Duran, two, July 13, 1985
  • “Killing Me Softly With His Song” Roberta Flack, five, Feb. 24, 1973

Meanwhile, “Kill Bill” is the second Hot 100 No. 1 of the four above that doubles as a movie title, as it’s an ode to the 2003 Quentin Tarantino-directed, and likewise revenge-focused, martial arts favorite (subtitled Volume 1) starring Uma Thurman, among others (including David Carradine in the role of Bill). Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill” is the theme from the same-named 1985 James Bond movie, and the only one from the franchise to have topped the Hot 100.

Record-extending R&B/hip-hop reign: “Kill Bill” concurrently rules the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts for a 17th and 18th week, respectively. On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, it boasts the longest command for a song by a woman in a lead role since the survey became an all-encompassing genre chart in 1958, having passed Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You” (15 weeks at No. 1 in 2006).

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” dips to No. 2 on the Hot 100 after three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. It adds a sixth frame at No. 1 on Streaming Songs (35.1 million, down 4%), while winning top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100 for a third week in a row (39.9 million, up 16%). The single from Wallen’s album One Thing at a Time, which spends a seventh week atop the Billboard 200, leads the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart for an 11th week.

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” holds at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after eight weeks at No. 1, beginning upon its debut in January. It posts a 10th week atop Radio Songs (92.7 million in audience, down 1%) – where, since the survey began in December 1990, only 15% of all No. 1s have dominated for double-digit weeks. Notably, the song spends a third week topping the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary charts simultaneously, becoming just the fourth hit with that many weeks leading all three lists at the same time; it joins Adele’s “Easy on Me” (three, 2022) and “Hello” (four, 2015) and Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” (five, 1996).

Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana” debuts at No. 4 on the Hot 100, with 21.8 million streams, 2.4 million in radio audience and 77,000 downloads sold, following the April 14 arrival of its remix with Minaj; the original version of the track was released by Ice Spice solo in January.

The song starts as Ice Spice’s second Hot 100 top 10 – her first, “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” with PinkPantheress, drops 8-10, after reaching No. 3. Minaj achieves her 22nd top 10, extending her record for the most among women rappers.

“Princess Diana” opens at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales, where it’s Minaj’s 13th leader, and Ice Spice’s first, and No. 6 on Streaming Songs. (Helping the song’s sales, along with Ice Spice’s solo version and the main [billed as “edited”] version of the duet remix, clean, explicit, extended, sped-up, slowed-down and instrumental versions of the Minaj remix were available for purchase in the tracking week.)

The single also begins atop the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart, where Minaj earns her 10th No. 1 and Ice Spice, her first.

Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” vaults 10-5 on the Hot 100, led by 31.8 million streams, up 31%. It becomes the first regional Mexican top five hit in the chart’s archives, a week after it became the list’s initial top 10 for the genre. The collaboration tallies a third week at No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart.

Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” slips 5-6 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 3, and Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” descends to No. 7 from its No. 6 high. The latter tops the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for a 34th week, extending the longest rule since the ranking began a year ago (in partnership with music festival and global brand Afro Nation).

The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Die for You” backtracks 7-8 on the Hot 100, following a week at No. 1 in March, and Drake’s “Search & Rescue” falls to No. 9, a week after it roared in at No. 2.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated April 29), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (April 25).

Source: billboard.com