‘Despacito’ Ties for Second-Longest-Leading Hot 100 No. 1 of All Time & Cardi B Hits Top 10

Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee‘s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, ties for the second-longest command in the 59-year history of the Billboard Hot 100, leading the list (dated Aug. 26) for a 14th week.

The track also equals the longest run at No. 1 for a primarily non-English language hit, tying the 14-week rule of Los Del Rio’s “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” in 1996. “Despacito” additionally matches the mark for the longest stay atop the Streaming Songs chart: also 14 weeks.

Beyond “Despacito,” Hot 100 runner-up “Wild Thoughts” by DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller takes over atop the Radio Songs chart and Bronx rapper and former cast member of VH1’s Love & Hip-Hop: New York Cardi Bbounds to the Hot 100’s top 10 with her debut hit, “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves).”

As we do each Monday, let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100, which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 15), as they do every Tuesday.

“Despacito” (released on Universal Music Latino / Raymond Braun / SchoolBoy / Def Jam / UMLE / Republic Records) becomes one of an elite nine singles to have led the Hot 100 for at least 14 weeks, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception. It logs the longest lead since Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk!,” featuring Bruno Mars, reigned for 14 weeks in 2015. Only Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” has spent more time on top: 16 weeks in 1995-96.

The Longest-Leading Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s 

Weeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1

16, “One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995
14 (to date), “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, May 27, 2017
14, “Uptown Funk!,” Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, Jan. 17, 2015
14, “I Gotta Feeling,” The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009
14, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005
14, “Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997
14, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),” Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996
14, “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994
14, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992

“Despacito” extends its record rule on the Digital Song Sales chart to 15 weeks at No. 1, with 82,000 downloads sold (down 3 percent) in the week ending Aug. 10, according to Nielsen Music.

More “Despacito” domination: the track tops the Streaming Songs chart for a record-tying 14th week, with 49.4 million U.S. streams (down 1 percent) in the week ending Aug. 10. It matches the 14-week reign of Desiigner’s “Panda” in 2016. On Radio Songs, however, “Despacito” drops to No. 2 after five weeks on top with 134.6 million in all-format airplay audience (down 4 percent) in the week ending Aug. 13.

“Despacito” tallies a 28th week atop the Hot Latin Songs chart and extends its reign on the Songs of the Summer survey to 11 weeks, having led the latter list each week since its annual return after Memorial Day.

“Wild Thoughts” keeps at its No. 2 Hot 100 peak for a fifth week while crowning Radio Songs (135.1 million, up 6 percent). Rihanna achieves her record-extending 13th Radio Songs No. 1, upping her lead over Carey (11), dating to the chart’s 1990 origin, while Khaled and Tiller each celebrate their first leader on the list. “Thoughts” also leads the Hot R&B Songs chart for a sixth week and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a fifth frame.

Does “Thoughts” have a realistic chance of dethroning “Despacito” atop the Hot 100 as soon as next week? The latter’s lead is still significant, perhaps likely priming it to become the second single ever to reign for at least 15 weeks. Both songs decline by 2 percent in overall activity this week, while the percentage gap between the two remains unchanged from last week: “Despacito” is again up by 1.46-to-1 in chart points over “Thoughts.” Still, “Despacito” is down in all metrics, while “Thoughts,” as noted above, gains in airplay.

French Montana‘s “Unforgettable,” featuring Swae Lee, is steady at its No. 3 Hot 100 high. It retreats 4-5 on Streaming Songs, but with a 5 percent gain to 29.1 million; pushes 8-6 on Digital Song Sales (39,000, up 8 percent); and keeps at No. 11 on Radio Songs (80 million, down 1 percent.) The single adds a second week at No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart.

At Nos. 4, 5 and 6 on the Hot 100, three songs each hit new highs: Imagine Dragons‘ “Believer” rises 5-4, while ruling the Hot Rock Songs chart for a 23rd week. Charlie Puth scores his first top five Hot 100 hit as a lead artist, as “Attention” ascends 7-5. He spent 12 weeks at No. 1 in 2015 as featured on Wiz Khalifa‘s “See You Again” (which Puth co-wrote and co-produced). And, Shawn Mendes‘ “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” bumps 8-6. As previously reported, “Back” becomes Mendes’ second No. 1 on the Pop Songs airplay chart.

Bruno Mars‘ “That’s What I Like” drops 4-7 after topping the May 13-dated Hot 100. It departs the top five after 24 weeks in the region, having become one of only five singles to spend at least that much time in the top five. Ed Sheeran‘s “Shape of You” and The Chainsmokers’ “Closer,” featuring Halsey, each lead with 27 total weeks in the top five, followed by “Uptown Funk!” and LeAnn Rimes’ “How Do I Live” (25 weeks each). Thus, thanks to “Funk” and “That’s What I Like,” Mars is the only artist with at least two songs to tally 24 or more weeks in the Hot 100’s top five.

Cardi B’s breakthrough hit “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)” reaches the Hot 100’s top 10, zooming 14-8 and making her the first female rapper to reach the bracket with a debut entry on the chart since Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” featuring Charli XCX, reigned for seven weeks (and dominated Hot Rap Songs for 18 weeks) in 2014. “Yellow” is additionally the first rap top 10 by a female rapper unaccompanied by another artist since Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” slithered to No. 2 in 2014 (and ruled Hot Rap Songs for six weeks).

Meanwhile, “Yellow” makes the fastest flight to the Hot 100’s top 10 for a debut hit by a female soloist in a lead role since Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass,” which reached the region in four weeks in 2014 on its way to an eight-week run at No. 1.

Streaming accounts for nearly three-quarters of the Hot 100 points for “Yellow,” as it charges 6-2 on Streaming Songs (31.4 million, up 28 percent, good for the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer award for a second straight week). It also rises 20-15 on Digital Song Sales (23,000, up 8 percent) and roars onto Radio Songs at No. 36 (32 million, up 47 percent). On Hot Rap Songs, it hikes 5-2.

More color commentary: Cardi B’s hit is the ninth Hot 100 top 10 featuring the word “yellow” in its title. It’s the first since Wiz Khalifa’s two-toned “Black and Yellow” led in 2011. And, for the love of “money”: Thanks to the parenthetical “Money Moves” part of its title, the new top 10 is the 10th song to hit the bracket with the word “money” in its name, and first since Lil Wayne’s “Got Money,” featuring T-Pain, which paid a visit to No. 10 in 2008.

Sheeran’s “Shape” holds at No. 9 on the Hot 100, which it ruled for 12 weeks. The song spends its 31st week in the top 10 (encompassing its entire run, dating to its debut at No. 1 on the Jan. 28-dated chart) and moves to within a week of the record for the most weeks totaled in the top 10: “Closer” and “How Do I Live” each spent 32 weeks in the tier. (“Shape” ties “Uptown Funk!,” which tallied 31 top-10 weeks in 2014-15.)

Closing out the Hot 100’s top 10, DJ Khaled‘s “I’m the One,” featuring Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne, falls 6-10, after leading the May 20-dated chart upon its debut.

Find out more Hot 100 news in the weekly “Hot 100 Chart Moves” column and by listening (and subscribing) to Billboard‘s Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast, all posting this week. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 15), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.

Source: billboard.com