Cardi B’s ‘Like What (Freestyle)’ Launches in Top 10 on Hot Rap Songs Chart

Cardi B is back in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart as “Like What (Freestyle)” begins at No. 8 on the list dated March 16. The track, released on Atlantic Records, starts as the week’s top-selling song for the genre and the week’s highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100, at No. 38.

The “Like What (Freestyle)” debut on the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart, which blends streaming, radio airplay and sales data, traces largely to 9.8 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week of March 1 – 7, according to Luminate. The sum sparks the song’s No. 9 entrance on the Rap Streaming Songs chart and at No. 28 on the all-genre Streaming Songs list.

The track also sold 12,000 downloads in the same period and launches at No. 1 on the Rap Digital Song Sales chart to give Cardi B her 11th leader there. On the all-genre Digital Song Sales list, “Like What (Freestyle)” kicks off at No. 3. Sales were boosted by the song’s availability in five versions: explicit, clean, instrumental, sped-up and slowed-down. For its radio airplay, the new release brings in 2 million in audience in the tracking week.

With “Like What (Freestyle),” Cardi B bags her 19th top 10 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The new arrival also extends her reach to an eighth different calendar year with a new top 10 hit, a perfect streak dating to her first appearance in 2017, with the eight-week No. 1 “Bodak Yellow.” Prior to this week, the Grammy-winning rapper was last in the top 10 with “Bongos,” a collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion that peaked at No. 3.

A 20th top 10 could likely be in the mix soon, as Cardi B announced on Monday (March 11) that a new track, “Enough (Miami),” will be released on Friday (March 15).

Trevor Anderson

Billboard