Another week, another set of risers on our rankings. While the release calendar seemingly hasn’t cooled off in weeks on the hip-hop side of things, it’s shockingly other genres that are most worthy of mention on our list, including big gains for Chris Brown, Cardi B, and K-Pop Demon Hunters.
Divisive as he may be, we simply can’t ignore the success that Chris Brown has had on the back of “It Depends.” An undeniably steamy song on its own merits and the first collaboration between Bryson Tiller and fellow R&B heavyweight Chris Brown, the song has captured attention to such a degree that other legacy acts are beginning to chime in. You’ll need serious choreographic chops to participate in a TikTok trend using the single, but that’s something that B2K has in spades. On the verge of a comeback tour set to tip off next year, the band utilized the Brown cut for a teaser post: “B2K tour in 2026? It depends.” A past-meets-present moment of R&B royalty, it was a signal of just how inescapable the late-career single has become, plenty evident in our data already.
As we’ve noted before, Alex Warren and his “Ordinary” have long surpassed being just a dominant song on the radio. Their mainstay status at the top of the charts spurred a run of “inside baseball” discourse within the gatekeepers of the Charts, a constant throughline in Billboard’s coverage, for example, simultaneously lauding the song and decrying the “stagnant” conditions that led to its long-term dominance.
K-Pop Demon Hunters Spur Major Shakeup At The Top
For that writer and this one, we’ve luckily got a new top dog, coming by way of KPop Demon Hunters. In recent weeks, we’ve noted how what you could’ve dismissed as a small screen novelty has become a monster in its own right, yet doubtless claiming the #1 spot stands as its most impressive achievement to date. And don’t look now, but perhaps more accolades are on the horizon. “Free” clocks in at #6, and a host of others are threatening bona fide top 10 status, from “Soda Pop” to “How It’s Done” to “What It Sounds Like.”
Finally, while any artists with upcoming projects may have missed the boat on penning a “song of the summer,” this season is still being shaped by those feeding us singles all the same. Most notably, Cardi B and “Outside” threaten the top #10 for the first time in their run, no doubt propelled by building anticipation for the “Bodak Yellow” rapper’s sophomore record. Conversely, we have to eat a bit of crow on Renee Rapp, someone we tapped for a potential airwaves breakout with her BITE ME.
While clocking in anywhere on our list is noteworthy, the two most commercially successful cuts are beginning to slide; “Leave Me Alone” hits #131, and “Mad” hits #145. Somewhere in the middle is Ms. Chapell Roan, confirming that her second album since hitting the mainstream is likely years away, yet succeeding again with a truncated marketing push for her “The Subway,” checking in this week at #73.
As always, you can catch the music mentioned throughout this piece wherever you stream your music.
