XXXTentacion's 'Sad!' Vaults From No. 52 to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 Following Rapper/Singer's Death
6/25/2018 by Gary Trust
The song, which reached a prior No. 7 high in March, surges after he was shot & killed June 18.
XXXTentacion posthumously tops the Billboard Hot 100, as his single "Sad!" jumps from No. 52 to No. 1 for its first week atop the chart. The song, which had first peaked at No. 7 on March 31, reaches the summit after the rapper/singer died June 18 at age 20 after being shot in Deerfield, Florida.
He is the first artist to top the Hot 100 posthumously in a lead role since The Notorious B.I.G., with "Mo Money Mo Problems," in 1997.
Here's a deeper look at the top 10 of the Hot 100 (dated June 30), which blends all-genre streaming, radio airplay and digital sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (June 26).
"Sad!," released on the Bad Vibes Forever label, and the 1,075th No. 1 in the Hot 100's 59-year history (and XXXTentacion's first), likewise leads the Streaming Songs chart for the first time, surging from No. 34 (besting its prior No. 2 high), up 264 percent to 48.9 million U.S. streams in the week ending June 21, according to Nielsen Music (a higher sum than projected last week before all streaming data was compiled).
"Sad!" re-enters Digital Song Sales at No. 5 (surpassing its previous No. 26 peak), up 659 percent to 26,000 downloads sold in the week ending June 21 (as it makes the Hot 100's greatest gains in streaming and sales). While the track has not reached the Radio Songs chart, it nearly doubled its airplay audience to 2.9 million in the week ending June 24.
The song is from XXXTentacion's album ?, which debuted at No. 1 on the March 31-dated Billboard 200 and bounds 24-3 as the June 30 chart's Greatest Gainer (94,000 equivalent album units, up 397 percent, in the week ending June 21).
"Sad!" concurrently takes over atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts (where it had previously reached Nos. 4 and 3, respectively), becoming XXXTentacion's first No. 1 on each ranking.
XXXTentacion becomes the eighth soloist to have topped the Hot 100 posthumously, and the first in a lead role in over 20 years.
Static Major had become the last act to reach No. 1 following his death, as featured on Lil Wayne's "Lollipop," which began a five-week reign on May 3, 2008; Static Major died unexpectedly from internal bleeding Feb. 25 that year. Before Static Major, Soulja Slim led the Hot 100 posthumously as featured on Juvenile's "Slow Motion," for two weeks starting Aug. 7, 2004; Soulja Slim was shot and killed Nov. 26, 2003.
XXXTentacion is the first artist to appear atop the Hot 100 posthumously in a lead role since The Notorious B.I.G., who earned two No. 1s following his March 9, 1997, shooting death: "Mo Money Mo Problems" (featuring Puff Daddy and Mase), which led for two weeks (Aug. 30 and Sept. 6, 1997), and "Hypnotize" (three weeks, beginning May 3, 1997).
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The other solo artists to crown the Hot 100 after they had died: John Lennon, with "(Just Like) Starting Over" (five weeks, 1980-81); Jim Croce, with "Time in a Bottle" (two, 1973-74); Janis Joplin, with "Me and Bobby McGee" (two, 1971); and Otis Redding, with "(Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" (four, 1968).
(Before his death, the chart success of XXXTentacion, born Jahseh Onfroy, was concurrent with numerous controversies and legal troubles. When he died, he was awaiting trial on over a dozen felony charges and allegations of domestic violence against his then-pregnant girlfriend.)
Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin's "I Like It" rises 3-2 on the Hot 100. It pushes 3-2 on Digital Song Sales (33,000, up 13 percent); dips 2-3 on Streaming Songs (although up 1 percent to 35.2 million); and jumps 15-11 on Radio Songs (66.4 million, up 25 percent). Balvin earns a new best Hot 100 rank, one-upping his prior No. 3 high set by "Mi Gente," with Willy William and featuring Beyoncé, last October, while Bad Bunny likewise reaches a new high with his first Hot 100 top 10.
Drake's "Nice for What" falls to No. 3 on the Hot 100 after seven nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. Still, the track returns to No. 1 on the Songs of the Summer chart, which measures the top cumulative performing titles on the Hot 100 between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Juice WRLD's "Lucid Dreams" jumps 6-4 on the Hot 100, becoming his first top five hit on the chart. It slips to No. 2 after a week atop Streaming Songs, but with an 11 percent gain to 43.2 million U.S. streams. It also ascends 26-21 on Digital Song Sales (15,000, up 16 percent).
Notably, "Dreams" samples Sting's "Shape of My Heart," a single, which he wrote with Dominic Miller, from his 1993 album Ten Summoner's Tales. The LP debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 (although "Shape" has never reached a Billboard chart; it's also not to be confused with Backstreet Boys' like-titled song, which was co-written by Max Martin and hit No. 9 on the Hot 100 in 2000).
With "Dreams," Sting tallies his fifth top five Hot 100 hit as a writer, following his credits on his former band The Police's "Every Breath You Take" (No. 1 for eight weeks in 1983) and follow-up "King of Pain" (No. 3, 1983); Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" (three weeks, 1985); and Puff Daddy and Faith Evans' "I'll Be Missing You," featuring 112 (11 weeks, 1997), which interpolates "Breath" (and serves as a tribute to The Notorious B.I.G.)
Rounding out the Hot 100's top five, Maroon 5's "Girls Like You," featuring Cardi B, holds at No. 5 after reaching No. 4. It rules Digital Song Sales for a third week (52,000, down 1 percent) and adds top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100 for a third consecutive week, as it charges 36-19 on Radio Songs (46.9 million, up 46 percent). On Streaming Songs, it rises 6-5 (29 million, up 12 percent).
Post Malone's former No. 1 "Psycho," featuring Ty Dolla $ign, falls 2-6 on the Hot 100; Ella Mai's "Boo'd Up" keeps at No. 7, after hitting a No. 6 high, while leading the Hot R&B Songs chart for a sixth week; and Drake's former 11-week leader "God's Plan" drops 4-7 on the Hot 100. "Psycho" and "Plan" each depart the Hot 100's top five after spending their first 16 and 21 weeks on the chart, respectively, in the region. (Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" holds the record for the most time spent in the top five from a debut: 27 weeks, in 2017.)
Capping the Hot 100's top 10, Ariana Grande's "No Tears Left to Cry" is steady at No. 9, after debuting at its No. 3 peak, and Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey's "The Middle" descends 8-10, after reaching its No. 5 peak, as it leads Radio Songs for a seventh week (112 million, down 3 percent) and Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for a 21st frame.
Just outside the Hot 100's top 10, "Ape s**t" by The Carters (JAY-Z and Beyoncé) is the chart's top debut, at No. 13, as it launches at No. 12 on Streaming Songs (24.1 million U.S. streams), while parent album Everything Is Love opens at No. 2 on the Billboard 200; Drake's "I'm Upset" surges 28-15 on the Hot 100, surpassing its No. 19 debut and prior peak, following the first full week of tracking for its official video, which premiered June 13, as it jumps 11-6 on Streaming Songs (28.3 million, up 45 percent); and three other XXXTentacion songs re-enter at new peaks in the Hot 100's top 20, all driven most heavily by streaming: "Moonlight" (No. 16; 27.5 million, up 266 percent); "Changes" (No. 18; 24.4 million, up 293 percent); and "Jocelyn Flores" (No. 19; 25.3 million, up 389 percent).
Find out more Hot 100 news in the weekly "Hot 100 Chart Moves" column and by listening (and subscribing) to Billboard's Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (June 26), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboard magazine is on sale Friday (June 29).
www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8462525/xxxtentacion-sad-no-1-hot-100
