Beyoncé joins rarefied air on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as she becomes only the fourth solo woman to claim double-digit champs since the list became an all-encompassing genre ranking in 1958. She punches her ticket with “Break My Soul,” which hits No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 13. Aretha Franklin leads the No. 1 club among solo women (with 20), while Janet Jackson (16) and Mariah Carey (10) also have at least 10 leaders.
“Soul” advances from No. 4 to the top slot after a surge in streams and sales following the July 29 release of parent album Renaissance, which concurrently tops the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums lists. “Soul,” meanwhile, also ascends to No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, where it becomes Beyoncé’s eighth solo champ.
The track registered 18.9 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Aug. 4, according to Luminate, a 114% increase from the previous week. Sales, too, shoot up by triple-digit percentages, with “Soul” selling 13,000 downloads in the same period, up 113% from the week prior. In radio airplay, the third metric that contributes to the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, “Soul” improves to 61.7 million in total airplay audience in the week ending Aug. 4, up 8% from the prior frame. (All airplay, regardless of radio format, impacts a song’s standing on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.)
With “Soul,” Beyoncé achieves her 10th No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs as a solo act. Here’s a look at the legend’s collection:
“Crazy in Love,” featuring Jay-Z, three weeks at No. 1, beginning July 26, 2003
“Baby Boy,” featuring Sean Paul, five, Sept. 27, 2003
“Deja Vu,” featuring Jay-Z, two, Sept. 2, 2006
“Irreplaceable,” nine, Dec. 2, 2006
“Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” 12, Nov. 29, 2008
“Love on Top,” seven, March 10, 2012
“Drunk in Love,” featuring Jay-Z, one, Feb. 15, 2014
“7/11,” one, Dec. 20, 2014
“Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé, two, May 30, 2020
“Break My Soul,” one (to date), Aug. 13, 2022
As stated above, the 10 champs make Beyoncé only the fourth solo woman to earn at least 10 No. 1s on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart since 1958. Notably, Gladys Knight has also played a role in 10 No. 1s on the list: Nine came as the frontwoman of the group Gladys Knight and The Pips, and the remaining title through the Dionne & Friends collaboration “That’s What Friends Are For,” alongside Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder and Elton John.
On the overall list, Beyoncé is the 17th act to reach double figures. Drake leads all acts with 25 chart-toppers.
Plus, with Renaissance’s debut, Beyoncé earns her eighth No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and ties Carey for the third-most No. 1s on the list among women. Franklin and Mary J. Blige share dual honors for first place among female acts, each with 10 No. 1s. The Temptations claim first prize overall, with 17 No. 1s.
In addition to her solo work, Beyoncé has also reigned from both charts at other times due to her involvement with other acts. Destiny’s Child, with Beyoncé as a member, collected four No. 1s on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and three No. 1s on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Additionally, The Carters, a collaboration of Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z, led Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for one week in 2018 with their joint effort, Everything is Love.
