Rae Sremmurd’s ‘Black Beatles’ Tops Hot 100 for Second Week

The track, featuring Gucci Mane, gains in sales and streams, helped again by the Mannequin Challenge. Plus, Ariana Grande’s “Side to Side,” featuring Nicki Minaj, hits the top five.

Rae Sremmurd rules the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Dec. 3) for a second week with “Black Beatles,” featuring Gucci Mane. Meanwhile, Ariana Grande ascends to the top five with “Side to Side,” featuring Nicki Minaj.

As we do every Monday when the chart is compiled, let’s run through the top 10 of the Hot 100, which blends sales, airplay and streaming data. Highlights of the Hot 100 post on Billboard.com each Monday, with all charts updated each Tuesday.

“Beatles,” released on Eardrummer/Interscope Records, continues atop the Hot 100 with another major assist from its use in viral Mannequin Challenge videos. The phenomenon appears to have begun in an Oct. 26 tweet showing students at Jacksonville, Florida’s Edward H. White High School in mannequin poses; while that clip didn’t feature music, “Beatles” has found synchs in a mass of subsequent videos.

“Beatles,” the first Hot 100 topper for the brother duo of Khalif “Swae Lee” and Aaquil “Slim Jxmmi” Brown (and likewise the first leader for Gucci Mane), is the top-selling and most-streamed song of the week for a second week and is the top gainer in streaming and airplay. It leads the Digital Song Sales chart with a 7 percent gain to 154,000 downloads sold in the week ending Nov. 17, according to Nielsen Music, and rules Streaming Songs with 54.1 million U.S. streams, up 25 percent. Of its streams for the week, 28.4 million were from YouTube clicks and 15.4 million from Spotify. The track also tops Billboard’s audio subscription services-based On-Demand Streaming Songs chart with 25.3 million on-demand streams, up 13 percent.

Another way to gauge the high streaming sum for “Beatles”? Its 54.1 million U.S. streams for the week mark the most for any song since Adele‘s “Hello” logged 61.6 million upon its debut on the Streaming Songs chart dated Nov. 14, 2015. (No title had cracked 50 million since then until “Beatles” this week.)

“Beatles” is also quickly adding airplay, as it jumps 44-28 on Radio Songs (41 million in audience, up 63 percent). It rockets 10-1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, the biggest vault to the top in the chart’s history (24 million in format audience, up 39 percent), and enters the Pop Songs airplay chart at No. 35.

“Beatles” also leads Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and Hot Rap Songs for a second week each.

The Chainsmokers‘ “Closer” ranks at No. 2 on the Hot 100 for a second week, after 12 weeks at No. 1, the longest reign of 2016. It keeps at No. 2 on Streaming Songs (26.2 million, down 4 percent) and rebounds 4-3 on Digital Song Sales (58,000 downloads sold, essentially even from last week). Still, it rules Radio Songs for an eighth week (147 million, down 2 percent); that’s the longest No. 1 run on Radio Songs for a duo or group since Maroon 5‘s “One More Night” also led for eight weeks in 2012. No duo or group has ruled Radio Songs longer since OutKast‘s “Hey Ya!” spent nine weeks on top in 2003-04.

“Closer” paces Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 14th week, and becomes The Chainsmokers’ and Halsey‘s first No. 1 each on the Adult Pop Songs airplay chart (2-1); it leads Pop Songs for a ninth week, the chart’s longest command since Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Pharrell, dominated for 10 weeks in 2013.

The Weeknd‘s “Starboy,” featuring Daft Punk, is steady at No. 3 on the Hot 100 after five weeks at its No. 2 peak. The track is the top gainer in sales, rising 3-2 on Digital Song Sales (84,000, up 34 percent), helped by 69-cent iTunes sale-pricing during the tracking week (it’s now back up to $1.29). It holds at No. 2 on Radio Songs (127 million, even week-over-week) and lifts 4-3 on Streaming Songs (24.8 million, up 6 percent). The song is the title cut from The Weeknd’s new album, due Friday (Nov. 25).

Grande’s “Side to Side,” featuring Minaj, surges into the Hot 100’s top five (7-4). It pushes 7-5 on Digital Song Sales (51,000, up 10 percent) and holds at No. 6 on Streaming Songs (16.8 million, up 5 percent; and roars 8-6 on Radio Songs (97 million, up 18 percent). Grande, the newly crowned artist of the year at the American Music Awards (AMAs) last night (Nov. 20), earns her first Hot 100 top five from her album Dangerous Woman; the title cut lead single hit No. 8 and follow-up “Into You” reached No. 13. Grande and Minaj’s last time in the top five? Also together: two years ago (Nov. 22, 2014) on their prior collab, the No. 3-peaking “Bang Bang,” also with Jessie J.

(Looking ahead, songs performed at the AMAs, including “Side by Side” and “Closer,” are likely to see sales gains on next week’s charts, dated Dec. 10, reflecting the tracking week ending Nov. 24.)

Twenty One Pilots‘ “Heathens” slips 4-5 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 2, and rules Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart for a 15th week; Bruno Mars‘ No. 5-peaking “24K Magic” is stationary at No. 6 (with his album of the same name having arrived Friday, Nov. 18, and due on next week’s album charts); and DJ Snake‘s “Let Me Love You” featuring Justin Bieber(another song performed, by Bieber, on the AMAs) drops 5-7 after reaching No. 4.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s 10, three songs hold in place: Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion McCall’s “Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem),” at No. 8, its peak; D.R.A.M.‘s No. 5-peaking “Broccoli,” featuring Lil Yachty (No. 9); and Maroon 5‘s “Don’t Wanna Know,” featuring Kendrick Lamar (No. 10), a live version of which closed the AMAs.

Just beyond the Hot 100’s top 10, notable moves include Amine advancing to a new high with “Caroline” (18-13); Hailee Steinfeld and Grey’s “Starving,” featuring Zedd, returning to its No. 14 peak (from No. 19); and Alessia Cara scoring her second top 20 hit with “Scars to Your Beautiful” (22-17). Cara’s debut track “Here” hit No. 5 on the Hot 100 in February.

(Also notably, this week’s Hot 100 and all charts, dated Dec. 3, mark the first lists of Billboard’s 2017 chart year. Billboard’s 2016 chart year, covering activity on rankings dated Dec. 5, 2015, through Nov. 26, 2016, will be recapped in our annual year-end charts menu, set to be unveiled the week of Dec. 5 on Billboard’s platforms, and in the 2016 year-end issue of Billboard magazine.)

Find out more Hot 100 news in the weekly “Hot 100 Chart Moves” column later this week, and visit Billboard.com tomorrow (Nov. 22), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.

Source: billboard.com