www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9435213/cardi-bs-wap-debuts-no-1-hot-100?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3Azn1g7UsTO5ot8KM2E4TBX9oCKltexZrPSNZcu2Cdne02BV6iMujkRQ8Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion's 'WAP' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 With Record First-Week Streams8/17/2020 by Gary Trust
The collab is Cardi B's fourth leader & Megan Thee Stallion's second.
Cardi B's "WAP," featuring Megan Thee Stallion, blasts onto the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart at No. 1. The collab launches as Cardi B's fourth leader on the list and Megan Thee Stallion's second.
Released Aug. 7, the song drew 93 million U.S. streams in the week ending Aug. 13, according to Nielsen Music/MRC, the most for any track ever in its first week of release.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Aug. 22) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 18).
"WAP," released on Atlantic Records, is the 1,108th No. 1 in the Hot 100's 62-year history.
Let's recap its entrance at the summit.
No. 1 streams & sales: "WAP" roars in at No. 1 on both the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts, with 93 million U.S. streams and 125,000 downloads sold in the week ending Aug. 13, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. It also drew 11.6 million radio airplay audience impressions in the week ending Aug. 16.
"WAP" is Cardi B's third No. 1 on Streaming Songs and fourth on Digital Song Sales. Megan Thee Stallion scores her second No. 1 on each chart.
The song's official video was released Aug. 7 at midnight ET, after the track was made available for pre-order in Cardi B's webstore via 12 autographed physical/digital combinations Aug. 3-6. Consumers could pre-order cassette, CD and vinyl singles (priced at $5-$15), with each purchase including a digital download; the download (the sale of which contributed to the latest tracking week) was made available and fulfilled to purchasers Aug. 7, with physical versions due to arrive at a later date.
Record first-week streams: As noted above, with 93 million, the streaming sum for "WAP" is the greatest ever for a song in its first week of release.
It surpasses the haul of 85.3 million for Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" in its first week of availability (Feb. 2, 2019).
Most weekly streams this year: "WAP" starts with the most weekly streams for a song in 2020, besting the 77.2 million for Roddy Ricch's "The Box" (Jan. 25).
(Notably, the total for "WAP" is the highest since Billboard streamlined the inclusion of YouTube user-generated content [UGC] for song charts that incorporate streaming data, including the Hot 100, with charts dated Jan. 18.)
All-time ranks: "WAP" scores the second-greatest streaming week among songs by women overall, just below the 93.8 million that Grande's "Thank U, Next" logged in its fifth frame on Streaming Songs (Dec. 15, 2018), following the premiere of its official video.
Among all songs in all weeks, "WAP" boasts the 18th-biggest streaming sum, with the 17 higher weeks tallied among five songs, led by Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus), which peaked with 143 million on the April 20, 2019, Streaming Songs chart.
Record on-demand audio streams among women: "WAP" claims the mark for the most weekly on-demand U.S. audio streams among songs by women: 54.7 million. It just passes the 54.6 million for Grande's "7 Rings" (Feb. 2, 2019).
The opening frame for "WAP" marks the 10th-greatest week for on-demand audio streams overall, another category paced by "Old Town Road" (78.1 million; April 20, 2019).
Biggest sales week in over a year: Meanwhile, the sales sum for "WAP" is the highest in a single week since Taylor Swift's "Me!," featuring Brendon Urie, bounded in with 193,000 on the chart dated May 11, 2019.
Cardi B's 4th Hot 100 No. 1, Megan Thee Stallion's 2nd: Upon the entrance of "WAP," here's an updated look at Cardi B's four Hot 100 No. 1s:
Title, Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1
"Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)," three, Oct. 7, 2017
"I Like It," with Bad Bunny & J Balvin, one, April 21, 2018
"Girls Like You," Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, seven, Sept. 29, 2018
"WAP," with Megan Thee Stallion, one (to date), Aug. 22, 2020
Dating to her first week atop the Hot 100, Cardi B ties for the most No. 1s in the span since, matching the four each earned in that stretch by Drake, Grande and Post Malone.
Megan Thee Stallion notches her second Hot 100 No. 1, after "Savage," featuring BeyoncΓ©, topped the May 30-dated chart. She is the first artist whose first two Hot 100 leaders have both been all-female collaborations.
42nd No. 1 debut: "WAP" marks the 42nd single to open at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and the first each for Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.
The song is the seventh to debut atop the Hot 100 in 2020, extending the record for the most in a single year. (Next up, four songs each started at No. 1 in both 2018 and 1995.)
Historic year for female collabs continues: Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion combine for the ninth Hot 100 No. 1 credited to two or more women (and no other billed acts), and the fourth this year. Prior to 2020, five such songs had led over 40-plus years.
Here's an updated list of every Hot 100 No. 1 exclusively by multiple women soloists:
Title, Artists, Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1
"WAP," Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion, one (to date), Aug. 22, 2020
"Rain on Me," Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande, one, June 6, 2020
"Savage," Megan Thee Stallion feat. BeyoncΓ©, one, May 30, 2020
"Say So," Doja Cat feat. Nicki Minaj, one, May 16, 2020
"Fancy," Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, seven, June 7, 2014
"S&M," Rihanna feat. Britney Spears, one week, April 30, 2011
"Lady Marmalade," Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya & P!nk, five, June 2, 2001
"The Boy Is Mine," Brandy & Monica, 13, June 6, 1998
"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)," Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer, two, Nov. 24, 1979
No. 1 hip-hop, rap: "WAP" concurrently soars in at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which use the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100.
The track is Cardi B's fifth No. 1 on the former chart and fourth on the latter. Megan Thee Stallion scores her second leader on each list.
Check Billboard.com later today for highlights of the rest of the top 10 on the latest Hot 100.
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