The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by Billboard. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 positions but was shortened to 50 positions in October 2012. The chart is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African-American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, rock and roll, soul, and funk, it is today dominated by contemporary R&B and hip hop. Since its inception, the chart has changed its name many times in order to accurately reflect the industry at the time.

History

Beginning in 1942, Billboard published a chart of bestselling African-American music, first as the Harlem Hit Parade, then as Race Records. Then in 1949, Billboard began publishing a Rhythm and Blues chart, which entered "R&B" into mainstream lexicon. These three charts were consolidated into a single Hot R&B Singles chart in October 1958. From November 30, 1963, to January 23, 1965, there were no Billboard R&B singles charts. The "Hot R&B Singles" chart was discontinued when Billboard determined it unnecessary due to so much crossover of titles between the R&B and pop charts in light of the rise of Motown. The chart was reinstated as Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles on January 30, 1965. Beginning August 23, 1969, the rhythm and blues was replaced in favor of "soul", and the chart was renamed to Best Selling Soul Singles. The move was made by a Billboard editorial decision that the term "soul" more accurately accounted for the "broad range of song and instrumental material which derives from the musical genius of the black American". Beginning on July 14, 1973, the chart title was modified slightly to Hot Soul Singles. In late June 1982, the chart was renamed again, this time to Hot Black Singles because the music that African-Americans were buying and listening to had a "greater stylistic variety than the soul sound" of the early 1970s. Black Singles was deemed an acceptable term to encompass pop, funk, and early rap music popular in urban communities. Beginning October 27, 1990, the Hot Black Singles chart was returned to the Hot R&B Singles name first used in 1958. Hip hop was introduced to the chart beginning with the December 11, 1999 issue, when Billboard changed the name to Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks to recognize the influence and relationship of hip hop to the genre. Within a few years, the crossover of R&B titles onto the pop chart was so significant that all Top Ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 11, 2003, were by black artists. The lengthy title was shortened to Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs on April 30, 2005. The chart's methodology was changed starting with the October 20, 2012 issue, to match the Billboard Hot 100's---incorporating digital downloads and video streaming data (R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs) and combining it with airplay of R&B and hip-hop songs across all radio formats, to determine song position. Also at this time, the chart was shortened to 50 positions.

Significant song achievements

Most weeks at number one

21 weeks 20 weeks 18 weeks 17 weeks 16 weeks 15 weeks 14 weeks 13 weeks 12 weeks

Songs with most weeks on the chart

Longest climbs to number one

Source:

Significant artist achievements

Most number-one singles

The artists with the most No. 1 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart since October 1958.

Artists with most weeks at number one on the chart

† Pre-October 1958 charts.

Most top 10 singles

Most chart entries

Most entries on chart since October 1958.

Self-replacement at number one

Source:

Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs was a chart composed of 25 positions that represented songs making progress to chart on the main R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Many times, songs halted their progress at this chart and never debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart could have also been seen as a 25 position quasi-addendum to the chart, since the chart represented the 25 songs below position number 50 that had not previously appeared on the main chart.