Rae Sremmurd’s ‘Black Beatles’ Leads Hot 100 for Third Week

The track, featuring Gucci Mane, continues to gain in streams, helped again by the Mannequin Challenge. Plus, Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion McCall’s “Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)” jumps into the top five, powered in part by its own viral challenge.

Rae Sremmurd tops the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Dec. 10) for a third week with “Black Beatles,” featuring Gucci Mane.

As we do every Monday when the chart is compiled, let’s run down 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 momentum again from its use in viral Mannequin Challenge videos. The phenomenon seemingly began with 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 an onslaught of subsequent videos.

“Beatles,” the first Hot 100 No. 1 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 third week (and is the top gainer in airplay for a second frame). It leads the Digital Song Sales chart with 138,000 downloads sold in the week ending Nov. 24, down 11 percent, according to Nielsen Music, and rules Streaming Songs with 55.9 million U.S. streams, up 3 percent. Of its streams for the week, 33.5 million were from YouTube clicks and 14.3 million from Spotify. The track also tops Billboard’s audio subscription services-based On-Demand Streaming Songs chart for a third week (22.1 million on-demand streams, down 13 percent).

The total U.S. streams for “Beatles” for the week mark another new high for the track and are the most for a song since Adele’s “Hello” logged 61.6 million upon its debut on the Streaming Songs chart dated Nov. 14, 2015. Meanwhile, until “Beatles” the last two weeks, no title had reached 50 million in consecutive weeks since Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” logged three in a row in March 2013, aided greatly by user-generated clips featuring the song’s audio.

“Beatles” is also growing quickly in airplay, as it bounds 28-14 on Radio Songs (58 million in audience, up 43 percent) and holds at No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (29 million in format audience, up 25 percent). The track tops Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and Hot Rap Songs for a third week each.

The Chainsmokers‘ “Closer,” featuring Halsey, holds at No. 2 on the Hot 100 after 12 spending weeks at No. 1, the longest domination of 2016. Following their performance of the song on the American Music Awards (AMAs) Sunday, Nov. 21, “Closer” boasts a 25 percent gain to 73,000 downloads sold (although it slips 3-4 on Digital Song Sales), while drawing 26.4 million streams (up 1 percent; it dips 2-4 on Streaming Songs).

Meanwhile, “Closer” controls Radio Songs for a ninth week (146 million, essentially even week-over-week), tying OutKast’s “Hey Ya!,” which spent nine weeks on top in 2003-04, for the longest rule by a duo in the chart’s 26-year history. (Among all acts, Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” has spent the most time atop Radio Songs: 18 weeks in 1998.)

“Closer” additionally tops Pop Songs for a 10th week, joining Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Pharrell (10 weeks at No. 1, 2013), as the only songs to lead the mainstream top 40-based airplay chart for double-digit weeks since Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” (10 weeks) in 2005; Ace of Base’s “The Sign” holds the record for the longest Pop Songs reign: 14 weeks in 1994. “Closer” also passes “Hey Ya!” (nine weeks at No. 1) for the longest run at No. 1 for a duo ever on Pop Songs.

“Closer” also logs a 15th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

The Weeknd‘s “Starboy,” featuring Daft Punk, is stationary at No. 3 on the Hot 100, after peaking at No. 2 for five weeks. The song, also performed on the AMAs, gains by 14 percent to 28.3 million streams, as it holds at No. 3 on Streaming Songs. It keeps at No. 2 on Radio Songs (127 million, essentially on par with the prior week’s total) and drops 2-3 on Digital Song Sales (75,000, down 11 percent; in the previous tracking week, it was helped by 69-cent iTunes Store sale-pricing). “Starboy,” which crowns the Hot R&B Songs chart for a ninth week, is the title cut from The Weeknd’s new album, released Friday (Nov. 25) and due on next week’s charts.

Bruno Mars‘ “24K Magic” rises 6-4 on the Hot 100, reaching a new peak (passing its prior No. 5 high first set upon its debut six weeks ago). Mars performed the song on the AMAs (the night’s first performance), helping spur its 4-2 lift on Digital Song Sales (79,000, up 38 percent; good for the top digital sales gainer award on the Hot 100) and 10-7 trek on Streaming Songs (17 million, up 40 percent). On Radio Songs, it climbs 5-4 (112 million, up 4 percent). The song is the lead single and title track from Mars’ third LP, which debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (231,000 equivalent album units).

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top five, Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion McCall zoom 8-5 on the Hot 100 with “Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem),” hitting a new peak and reaching the top five for the first time (and earning the top streaming gain on the chart). Leading the way, the track pushes 4-2 on Streaming Songs, up by 46 percent to 35.1 million, fueled by a rise in user-generated TZ Anthem Challenge videos featuring the song’s audio, with notable spikes on Thanksgiving (Nov. 24). Also adding buzz, the day before (Nov. 23), the Detroit duo performed “Juju” at halftime of the Detroit Pistons’ NBA game; the pair then performed it the next day (Nov. 24) during halftime of the Detroit Lions’ annual NFL Thanksgiving game (although the performance was not televised).

On Digital Song Sales, the track retreats 13-16, but with a 10 percent gain to 36,000; it continues to bubble under Radio Songs (17 million, down 2 percent).

Ariana Grande‘s “Side to Side,” featuring Nicki Minaj, falls from its No. 4 Hot 100 high to No. 6, although it, too, gains following their AMAs performance of the song. The song increases by 14 percent to 19.2 million streams (and holds at No. 6 on Streaming Songs) and 20 percent to 61,000 sold (slipping 5-6 on Digital Song Sales), while rising 6-5 on Radio Songs (109 million, up 13 percent).

Twenty One Pilots‘ “Heathens” drops 5-7 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 2, and rules Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart for a 16th week; DJ Snake‘s “Let Me Love You,” featuring Justin Bieber, falls 7-8 after peaking at No. 4; D.R.A.M.‘s No. 5-peaking “Broccoli,” featuring Lil Yachty, keeps at No. 9; and Maroon 5‘s “Don’t Wanna Know,” featuring Kendrick Lamar, stays at No. 10 after reaching No. 9. “Heathens” (45,000, up 7 percent), “Let” (48,000, up 12 percent) and “Know” (72,000, up 64 percent) all gain in sales following AMAs performances.

Just beyond the Hot 100’s top 10, Hailee Steinfeld and Grey’s “Starving,” featuring Zedd, rises to a new peak (15-13; helped by a 69-cent sale tag in the iTunes Store); Alessia Cara‘s “Scars to Your Beautiful” climbs 17-15; and X Ambassadors‘ “Unsteady” reaches the top 20 (21-20) in its 28th week on the chart.

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. The Hot 100 and other rankings will also appear in the next issue of Billboard magazine, on sale Friday (Dec. 2).

Source: billboard.com