With ‘Rich Baby Daddy,’ Drake Banks 39th No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay

29 November, 2023

Drake blasts into another orbit on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as the list’s most frequent chart-topper adds to his staggering total, earning a 39th career No. 1 with “Rich Baby Daddy” featuring Sexyy Red and SZA.

“Rich Baby Daddy” jumps from No. 3 to lead the chart dated Dec. 2. The song’s advance comes after a 24% spike in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored rhythmic radio stations in the week ending Nov. 23, according to Luminate. By reaching the summit in its sixth chart week, “Rich Baby Daddy” becomes Drake’s eighth leader to have wrapped its run to No. 1 in six weeks or less. Here’s a look at his quickest climbs to the penthouse among the 39 chart-toppers:

Weeks to No. 1, Song Title, Artist (if other than Drake), Date Reached No. 1

  • 4, “In My Feelings,” Aug. 11, 2018
  • 5, “God’s Plan,” March 3, 2018
  • 5, “Toosie Slide,” May 9, 2020
  • 6, “Work,” Rihanna featuring Drake, March 19, 2016
  • 6, “One Dance,” featuring Wizkid & Kyla, May 28, 2016
  • 6, “Nice for What,” May 26, 2018
  • 6, “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future & Young Thug, Oct. 23, 2021
  • 6, “Rich Baby Daddy,” featuring Sexyy Red & SZA, Dec. 2, 2023

As he banks his newest Rhythmic Airplay victory, Drake extends his record for the most champs among all artists. His latest, though, comes with a bonus. With 39 No. 1s, he now has at least three times as many leaders as every other act who has ever hit the top of the list — save for only Rihanna, who has 17 No. 1s. Here’s a look at the current leaderboard for the most No. 1s in Rhythmic Airplay history, which dates to October 1992:

  • 39, Drake
  • 17, Rihanna
  • 13, Bruno Mars
  • 13, Chris Brown
  • 13, The Weeknd
  • 13, Usher
  • 12, Beyoncé
  • 12, Lil Wayne

For Sexyy Red, “Rich Baby Daddy” secures the breakout rapper her first Rhythmic Airplay No. 1 with her third appearance. She previously landed hits on the radio ranking with two viral-turned-radio hits: “Pound Town 2” with Tay Keith and Nicki Minaj, which reached No. 19 in August, and “SkeeYee,” which repeats at its No. 13 peak for a second frame.

SZA, meanwhile, nabs her fifth Rhythmic Airplay champ and third of 2023, tying Drake and Ice Spice for the most this year. The R&B hitmaker first ruled the radio chart via a featured spot on Doja Cat’s two-week champ “Kiss Me More” in 2021. Between “Kiss Me More” and “Rich Baby Daddy,” SZA ruled with three of her own tracks: “I Hate U” (one week, 2021), “Kill Bill” (three weeks, 2023) and “Snooze” (two weeks, 2023).

“Rich Baby Daddy” appears on Drake’s latest studio album, For All the Dogs, which gave the superstar his 13th champ on all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart. Thanks to the arrival of a deluxe edition release with six new tracks, the set rallies from No. 4 to earn a second week at the summit on this week’s chart.

Trevor Anderson

Billboard