Drake’s ‘God’s Plan’ Rules Billboard Hot 100 for Seventh Week; Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey’s ‘The Middle’ Hits Top 10

Plus, Bruno Mars & Cardi B’s “Finesse” tops the Radio Songs chart.

Drake‘s “God’s Plan” tops the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a seventh week (dating to its debut at No. 1). As the song sports 81.8 million U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music, it has now logged seven of the top 10 streaming weeks ever.

Plus, Bruno Mars and Cardi B‘s “Finesse,” back up to its No. 3 high on the Hot 100, takes over at No. 1 on the Radio Songs chart, where Mars passes Usher for the most leaders among male acts.

Additionally, Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line‘s “Meant to Be” ascends to the Hot 100’s top five (7-5), marking Rexha’s first top five Hot 100 hit, and Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey reach the Hot 100’s top 10 with “The Middle,” which rises 11-8.

Let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100 (dated March 17), which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (March 13).

As on the Hot 100, “Plan,” released on Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records, posts its seventh week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, down 12 percent to a still-giant 81.8 million U.S. streams in the week ending March 8.

“Plan,” whose official video premiered Feb. 16, now boasts seven of the top 10 streaming weeks all-time:

103.1 million U.S. streams, “Harlem Shake,” Baauer (driven heavily by viral videos incorporating the song’s official audio), chart dated March 2, 2013
101.7 million, “God’s Plan,” Drake, March 3, 2018
97.6 million, “Harlem Shake,” Baauer, March 9, 2013
92.8 million, “God’s Plan,” Drake, March 10, 2018
84.5 million, “Look What You Made Me Do,” Taylor Swift, Sept. 16, 2017
83.3 million, “God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 10, 2018
82.4 million, “God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 3, 2018
81.8 million, “God’s Plan,” Drake, March 17, 2018
79.6 million, “God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 17, 2018
75.5 million, “God’s Plan,” Drake, Feb. 24, 2018

“Plan” rebounds 2-1 for a fifth week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart, despite decreasing by 14 percent to 57,000 downloads sold in the week ending March 8. On the Radio Songs chart, “Plan” pushes 5-3, up 8 percent to 95 million in all-format airplay audience in the week ending March 11.

Ed Sheeran‘s former six-week No. 1 “Perfect” rebounds 3-2 on the Hot 100, while dropping to No. 2 on Radio Songs after nine weeks at No. 1 (130 million, down 2 percent). That means that there’s a new No. 1 on Radio Songs …

… Bruno Mars and Cardi B’s “Finesse” returns to its No. 3 Hot 100 peak, from No. 4, and crowns Radio Songs with a 2-1 rise (133 million, up 3 percent). Mars earns his eighth Radio Songs leader, passing Usher for the most No. 1s among male acts in the chart’s 27-year history.

Here’s an updated look at the acts with the most Radio Songs No. 1s:

13, Rihanna
11, Mariah Carey
8, Bruno Mars
7, Katy Perry
7, Usher

Cardi B collects her first Radio Songs No. 1.

Meanwhile, “Finesse” leads Hot R&B Songs for a ninth week.

After debuting a week ago at No. 2 on the Hot 100, Post Malone‘s “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, dips to No. 4. Streams again account for the bulk of the track’s activity, as it holds at No. 2 on Streaming Songs (41.8 million, down 24 percent).

Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” rises to the Hot 100’s top five (7-5). It tops Hot Country Songs for a 15th week, extending its record for the most weeks at No. 1 in the chart’s 59-year history for a song with lead female vocals; a week ago, it passed Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” (sung by the group’s Karen Fairchild), which led for 13 weeks in 2015.

“Meant” additionally hits the top 10 on Country Airplay (11-9) and Adult Pop Songs(11-8), while climbing 10-9 on Pop Songs. The gains spark the collab’s 8-4 burst on Radio Songs (92 million, up 15 percent), good for the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award.

The song’s entrance to the Hot 100’s top five marks notable milestones for both acts. Rexha earns her first top five hit, besting her prior No. 7 high, first set by “Me, Myself & I,” with G-Eazy, in 2016. Florida Georgia Line, meanwhile, notches its second top five song, following its debut smash “Cruise,” featuring Nelly, which reached No. 4 in 2013. FGL becomes the first core country act to tally two top five hits on the Hot 100 since then-country artist Taylor Swift (before her 2014 segue to pop) collected her first two: she hit No. 4 with “Love Story” and No. 2 with “You Belong With Me” in 2009.

(Even more on Florida Georgia Line just ahead …)

Camila Cabello‘s “Havana,” featuring Young Thug, retreats 5-6 on the Hot 100, after topping the Jan. 27-dated chart, and BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive,” featuring Drake, falls 6-7 after reaching No. 5.

Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey’s “The Middle” ascends 11-8 on the Hot 100. The track holds at its No. 4 peak on Digital Song Sales (41,000, up 8 percent); jumps 16-11 on Radio Songs (66 million, up 16 percent); and slips 17-19 on Streaming Songs, although with a 7 percent gain to 20.9 million.

Zedd scores his fourth Hot 100 top 10, following his first entry on the chart, “Clarity,” featuring Foxes (No. 8, 2013); “Break Free,” by Ariana Grande featuring Zedd (No. 4, 2014); and “Stay,” with Alessia Cara (No. 7, 2017).

Morris and Grey each earn their first Hot 100 top 10. Morris previously peaked at No. 39 as featured on Thomas Rhett’s “Craving You” last July, while duo Grey hit a prior No. 12 best in its only other visit, also with Zedd: “Starving,” by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey featuring Zedd, reached that rank in December 2016.

“The Middle” concurrently leads Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for a sixth week.

Back to FGL: with Florida Georgia Line and Morris, who has notched two No. 1s on Country Airplay (“Craving You” last July and “I Could Use a Love Song” this January), two country acts appear in the Hot 100’s top 10 simultaneously for the first time this decade. (Of course, “The Middle” is a pop/EDM track not being promoted to country radio.) The last time that two core country acts previously ranked in the Hot 100’s top 10 in the same week: April 4, 2009, when Carrie Underwood’s remake of Randy Travis’ “I Told You So,” featuring Travis, zoomed 57-9 after the pair performed it on American Idol.

The last time that two core country artists had placed in the Hot 100’s top 10 in the same frame thanks to two songs, as FGL and Morris do this week? May 13, 2000: Faith Hill’s “Breathe” (No. 3) and Lonestar’s “Amazed” (No. 10).

The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar‘s “Pray for Me” holds at No. 9 on the Hot 100, after debuting at its No. 7 peak. The duet hits the Radio Songs top 10 (13-10; 68 million, up 9 percent), becoming The Weeknd’s eighth top 10 on the chart and Lamar’s fifth.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Migos‘ “Stir Fry” returns to the tier (12-10) after reaching No. 8.

Just outside the Hot 100’s top 10, Offset and Metro Boomin’s “Ric Flair Drip” bounds 36-16 as the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer (25.6 million, up 58 percent)) after the first full tracking week for its official video; XXXTentacion’s “Sad!” debuts at No. 17, marking a new high on the chart for the rapper; Cabello’s “Havana” follow-up “Never Be the Same” hits a new peak, jumping 24-19; and DJ Khaled’s “Top Off,” featuring JAY Z, Future and Beyoncé (credited simply as B on this song) debuts at No. 22.

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. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (March 13), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.

Source: billboard.com