Jazmine Sullivan’s ‘Hurt’ Wraps 6 Month Ride to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart

Jazmine Sullivan achieves her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as “Hurt Me So Good” tops the list dated Dec. 10. The new champ advances from the runner-up slot after a 13% jump in weekly plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending Dec. 4, according to Luminate.

The new champ strengthens Sullivan’s status as a leading act at the adult R&B format. Though the singer-songwriter posted four top 10 hits on the format from 2008 through 2015, she only claimed her first No. 1 last year, with “Pick Up Your Feelings,” which ruled the list for two weeks. Despite the relatively brief reign, the track proved a longstanding hit with audiences – it logged 44 weeks in the top 10 and finished 2021 as the No. 2 song on the year-end Adult R&B Airplay recap. In addition to unlocking the keys to the Adult R&B Airplay summit for Sullivan, the single and its parent EP, Heaux Tales, won the performer her first Grammy award in February.

“Hurt” appears on the extended version of the EP, entitled Heaux Tales: Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe, which was released in February.

Like its chart-topping predecessor, “Hurt” has established a long-term relationship with listeners. “Hurt” hits No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay in its 28th week on the list, becoming one of nine tracks to require at least that much time to complete a chart-topping run on the radio ranking in the 10 years. Here’s the crew it joins:

Most Weeks to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay in the Last 10 Years
41, “I Want You Around,” Snoh Aalegra, Reached No. 1 on March 14, 2020
32, “Permission,” Ro James, Sept. 10, 2016
31, “For the Rest of My Life,” Robin Thicke, Jan. 11, 2014
29, “Keep You in Mind,” Guordan Banks, June 11, 2016
29, “She…,” Stokley, April 25, 2020
28, “Call My Name,” Avery*Sunshine, Dec. 27, 2014
28, “U Say,” The Bonfyre featuring 6lack, Feb. 8, 2020
28, “So Done,” Alicia Keys featuring Khalid, March 13, 2021
28, “Hurt Me So Good,” Jazmine Sullivan, Dec. 10, 2022

Elsewhere, “Hurt” ascends 18-13 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs through audience listenership on both adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. There, the single adds 13% more audience in the week to reach 7.6 million in the week ending Dec. 4.

Radio gains, in turn, help the song’s standing on the Hot R&B Songs chart, which combines radio airplay with streaming and sales for its calculations. On that list, “Hurt” pushes 23-19 in its second chart week.

Trevor Anderson

Billboard