Normani can now add her first No. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip Hop Airplay Billboard chart to her ever-growing list of accolades.
Slow and steady wins the race
‘Wild Side’ featuring Cardi B has had a rocky history on the R&B/Hip-Hop airplay. Despite once being the most played song on YouTube this summer, a 2% drop in plays was reported in the last week of December. However, the tranquil tune has persevered and earned a No. 1 spot on the list dated Jan. 1.
This makes ‘Wild Side’ the most played song on U.S. mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop radio stations according to MRC data. The previous chart-topper, ‘Girls Like Girls’ by Drake and Lil Baby, had a 7% decline in plays. Notably, the dip led ‘Wild Side’ to the top after a remarkably slow rise.
Normani and Cardi celebrate their win after a 22 week-long run on the chart. This ties the duo for fifth place with Jeremih for the longest trek to no. 1 since the chart’s inception in 1992. Take a look into some other tracks that had a long trip to the peak of mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop:
- 25 week rise, “Before You Walk Out My Life,” Monica, Jan. 13, 1996
- 24 week rise, “Planez,” Jeremih featuring J. Cole, Sept. 12, 2015
- 23 week rise, “Location,” Khalid, May 13, 2017
- 23 week rise, “Crew,” GoldLink featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy, Nov. 18, 2017
- 22 week rise, “Oui,” Jeremih, May 14, 2016
- 22 week rise, “Wild Side,” Normani featuring Cardi B, Jan. 1, 2022
Veteran status
Normani is no stranger to the Billboard charts. While this is her first R&B/Hip-Hop win, she’s had two previous radio chart No. 1’s: ‘Love Lies’ with Khalid in 2018 and ‘Dancing With a Stranger’ with Sam Smith the next year.
Her partner on crime on the track Cardi B is also familiar with chart success. ‘Wild Side’ is her ninth no. 1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Here’s a list of all Cardis chart-toppers:
- “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” nine weeks at No.1, Sept. 16, 2017
- “No Limit,” G-Eazy featuring A$AP Rocky & Cardi B, five weeks at No.1, Dec. 9, 2017
- “I Like It,” with Bad Bunny & J Balvin, one week at no.1, July 28, 2018
- “Ring,” featuring Kehlani, one week at no. 1, Nov. 17, 2018
- “Money,” five weeks at no.1, Feb. 2, 2019
- “Backin’ It Up,” Pardison Fontaine featuring Cardi B, one week at no. 1, March 9, 2019
- “Please Me,” with Bruno Mars, six weeks at No.1, April 13, 2019
- “Up,” one week at no.1, March 27, 2021
- “Wild Side,” Normani featuring Cardi B, one week at no. 1 (to date), Jan. 1, 2022
Normani’s comeback
In accordance with its rise on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, ‘Wild Side’ is making slow strides on Rhythmic AirPlay. The single is currently wrapping up the second-longest trip to the chart top ten with 23 weeks under its belt. The single now sits at 11-10, just barely missing the mark.
The increase in plays is quite remarkable for both artists. Upon its debut, ‘Wild Side’ climbed to a No. 20 peak and stayed there into mid-September. It then dropped to No. 33 on the 40-position chart before its recent resurgence on the radio stations.
‘Wild Side’ can contribute its newfound success to a step up in promotion. Since its debut in July, Normani has performed the single live at the MTV Video Music Awards and the Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3. The song was most notably thrust into the spotlight when Normani came to Cardi’s defense against Twitter trolls that didn’t like her feature. “I don’t think you guys understand how harddddd this woman has gone for me.” Normani typed.
“God don’t play when it comes to His. we good sis.”
If you’re a fan of Normani or Cardi, be sure to give ‘Wild Side’ some streams and check out the music video below:
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Dreema Carrington|IG @dr3amgirl79|Twitter @notdreema
