While much of the music released by Drake on his recent trio of albums— *Iceman*, *Habibti*, and *Maid of Honour*—falls squarely within the hip-hop and rap genres, a significant portion also merits classification as R&B. Upon their debut, these projects propelled Drake to the top of Billboard’s hip-hop and rap charts and yielded strong performances on R&B-specific listings.
However, the superstar’s dominance on R&B charts is showing signs of a slowdown, allowing several of Michael Jackson’s most iconic tracks to reascend various Billboard rankings focused on R&B music. Jackson has once again claimed the top spot on the R&B Streaming Songs chart, preventing a new artist from reaching No. 1 and matching his longest streak at the summit.
“Billie Jean” Holds Strong at No. 1
“Billie Jean” maintains its position at No. 1 on the R&B Streaming Songs chart, solidifying its status as the most frequently streamed R&B track across platforms like Spotify and Apple Music in the United States. The *Thriller* single has now charted for 22 weeks, with five of those weeks spent at the No. 1 position. Originally debuting on the R&B Streaming Songs chart in April 2013, “Billie Jean” only recently reached the pinnacle approximately one month ago, marking Jackson’s third track to achieve this feat.
“Billie Jean” Matches “Thriller” on the Charts
With its fifth consecutive week at No. 1 on the R&B Streaming Songs chart, “Billie Jean” now equals Jackson’s longest tenure at the top of the ranking. “Thriller” first reached this milestone in October 2013, and the following year, it became Jackson’s inaugural No. 1 on the R&B Streaming Songs chart. Over its 90-frame run as one of the most-streamed R&B songs, the hit single also achieved five weeks at the No. 1 position.
Michael Jackson Achieves No. 1 with Three Hits
“Billie Jean” and “Thriller” are currently tied for Michael Jackson’s longest-running number-one hits on the R&B Streaming Songs chart. It appears highly probable that “Billie Jean” will soon break this tie and ascend further. The King of Pop also reached the chart’s summit in 2018 with “Don’t Matter to Me,” a collaboration featuring Drake, although that track held the top spot for only a single week.
“Billie Jean” Prevents Other Michael Jackson Hits from Reaching No. 1
The sustained success of “Billie Jean” at No. 1 on the R&B Streaming Songs chart has impeded two other major Jackson hits from reaching the top position. “Human Nature” peaked at No. 2 during the same week that “Billie Jean” first ascended to No. 1 earlier in June. “Chicago,” a lesser-known track from Jackson’s posthumous album *Xscape* that has gained renewed popularity following the release of his biopic *Michael*, reached No. 2 a few weeks ago and remains stationary in that position.
Michael Jackson Dominates R&B Streaming Songs Chart with Ten Entries
The R&B Streaming Songs chart, which comprises 15 positions, currently features ten songs by Michael Jackson. He holds all of the top four spots, with “Billie Jean,” “Chicago,” “Beat It,” and “Human Nature” ranking at Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively.
Here is a comprehensive look at the positions of Michael Jackson’s singles on the latest R&B Streaming Songs chart:
- No. 1 – “Billie Jean”
- No. 2 – “Chicago”
- No. 3 – “Beat It”
- No. 4 – “Human Nature”
- No. 6 – “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough”
- No. 8 – “Dirty Diana”
- No. 10 – “Rock With You”
- No. 12 – “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”
- No. 13 – “Smooth Criminal”
- No. 14 – “Bad”
“Chicago” Reaches New Chart Peaks
“Chicago” not only holds its all-time high position on the R&B Streaming Songs chart but also achieves unprecedented peaks on six other rankings. Among these advancements are its climb to No. 8 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart and No. 17 on the overall Streaming Songs chart.
Business Style Takeaway: Michael Jackson’s enduring catalog continues to demonstrate significant commercial appeal, particularly within R&B streaming metrics. This resurgence highlights the lasting power of iconic artists and their ability to capture audience attention across generations, influencing current chart dynamics and reconfirming the sustained value of legacy music.
Original article : www.forbes.com