Rhythmic Airplay
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The Rhythmic Airplay chart (previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by Billboard magazine.
The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on US rhythmic radio stations, whose playlist includes mostly hit-driven R&B/hip-hop, rhythmic pop, and some dance tracks. Nielsen Audio sometimes refers to the format as rhythmic contemporary hit radio.
History
[edit]Billboard magazine first took notice of the newly emerged genre on February 27, 1987, when it launched the first crossover chart, Hot Crossover 30.[1] It originally consisted of thirty titles and was based on reporting by eighteen stations, five of which were considered as pure rhythmic. The chart featured a mix of urban contemporary, top 40 and dance hits. In September 1989, Billboard split the Hot Crossover 30 chart in two: Top 40/Dance and Top 40/Rock, the latter of which focused on rock titles which crossed over. By December 1990, Billboard eliminated the chart because more top 40 and R&B stations were becoming identical with the rhythmic-heavy playlist being played at the crossover stations at the time.
Billboard revived the chart in October 1992 as Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover, with the first number one being "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men. On June 25, 1997, it was renamed to Rhythmic Top 40 as a way to distinguish stations that continued to play a broad based rhythmic mix from those whose mix leaned heavily toward R&B and hip-hop. It was changed to Rhythmic Airplay in the February 7, 2004, issue and shortened to Rhythmic on July 12, 2008. As of the week of October 11, 2025, the current number-one song on the chart is "Which One" by Drake and Central Cee.[2]
Chart criteria
[edit]There are forty positions on this chart and it is solely based on radio airplay. 66 rhythmic radio stations are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems. Songs are ranked based on the number of plays that each song received during that week.
Songs receiving the greatest growth will receive a "bullet", although there are tracks that will also get bullets if the loss in detections doesn't exceed the percentage of downtime from a monitored station. "Airpower" awards are issued to songs that appear on the top 20 of both the airplay and audience chart for the first time, while the "greatest gainer" award is given to song with the largest increase in detections. A song with six or more spins in its first week is awarded an "airplay add". If a song is tied for the most spins in the same week, the one with the biggest increase that previous week will rank higher, but if both songs show the same amount of spins regardless of detection the song that is being played at more stations is ranked higher. Songs that fall below the top 15 and have been on the chart after 20 weeks are removed.[3]
Records and achievements
[edit]Song with most weeks at number one
[edit]| Number of weeks |
Song | Artist(s) | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | "No Scrubs" | TLC | 1999 |
| 14 | "Twisted" | Keith Sweat | 1996 |
| 13 | "Freak Me" | Silk | 1993 |
| "You Make Me Wanna..." | Usher | 1997–98 | |
| 12 | "I'll Make Love to You" | Boyz II Men | 1994 |
| "Fantasy" | Mariah Carey | 1995 | |
| "Lollipop" | Lil Wayne featuring Static Major | 2008 | |
| "Not Like Us" | Kendrick Lamar | 2024 | |
| 11 | "Shoop" | Salt-n-Pepa | 1993–94 |
| "Dilemma" | Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland | 2002 |
Artists with most number-one singles
[edit]| No. 1s | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 43 | Drake | [4] |
| 17 | Rihanna | [5] |
| 16 | The Weeknd | [6] |
| 14 | Chris Brown | [7] |
| 13 | Usher | [8] |
| Bruno Mars | [9] | |
| Lil Wayne | [10] | |
| 12 | Beyoncé | [11] |
| Nicki Minaj | [12] | |
| 11 | Doja Cat | [13] |
| Kendrick Lamar | [14] |
Artists with most entries
[edit]| Entries | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 135 | Drake | [15] |
| 125 | Chris Brown | [16] |
| 109 | Lil Wayne | [17] |
| 97 | Nicki Minaj | [18] |
| 62 | Kanye West | [19] |
| 61 | Future | [20] |
| 59 | Jay-Z | [21] |
| 56 | Rihanna | [22] |
| 55 | Snoop Dogg | [23] |
| 55 | Pitbull | [24] |
Artists with most Top 10 entries
[edit]| Entries | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 78 | Drake | [25] |
| 56 | Chris Brown | [26] |
| 44 | Lil Wayne | [27] |
| 41 | Nicki Minaj | [28] |
| 39 | Rihanna | [29] |
| 33 | Future | [30] |
| 29 | Usher | [31] |
| 28 | Kanye West | [32] |
| 27 | The Weeknd | [33] |
| 26 | Ludacris | [34] |
| 25 | Beyonce | [35] |
See also
[edit]- Dance/Mix Show Airplay
- Mainstream Top 40
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Rhythmic chart
References
[edit]- ^ Freeman, Kim (February 28, 1987). Hot 30 Crossover Chart Tracks New Breed Of Radio. Billboard magazine. pp. 1, 83.
- ^ "Rhythmic Airplay Songs". Billboard. October 8, 2025. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
- ^ "Billboard Charts Legend". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ "Drake Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
- ^ "Rihanna Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ^ "The Weeknd Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Chris Brown Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ "Drake & Rihanna Rule Rhythmic Songs Chart With 'Too Good'". Billboard.
- ^ "Bruno Mars Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ "Lil Wayne Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
- ^ "Beyoncé Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "Nicki Minaj Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Doja Cat Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ "Kendrick Lamar Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ "Drake Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- ^ "Chris Brown Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Lil Wayne Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Nicki Minaj Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Kanye West Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Future Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Jay-Z Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Rihanna Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Snoop Dogg Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Pitbull Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Drake Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
- ^ "Chris Brown Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Lil Wayne Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Nicki Minaj Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Rihanna Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Future Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Usher Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Kanye West Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "The Weeknd Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ "Ludacris Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Beyonce Rhythmic Songs Chart History". billboard.com. Billboard Music. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
External links
[edit]- Current Billboard Rhythmic Songs chart (updated weekly)