Kehlani achieves a first No. 1 as lead artist on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as “Folded” crowns the listed Dec. 13. The single, released and promoted through Atlantic Records, ascends from the runner-up spot after becoming the most-played song on U.S. panel-contributing mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations for the tracking week of Nov. 28 – Dec. 4, according to Luminate. For its coronation week, “Folded” improved 2% in plays compared to the prior frame.
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As “Folded” enters the summit, it unseats Chris Brown’s “It Depends,” featuring Bryson Tiller, from the top after a nine-week reign. The former champ slips one rung after shedding 2% in weekly plays.
Prior to “Folded,” Kehlani landed in the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay penthouse via a feature on Cardi B’s “Ring,” which ruled for one week in November 2018. As a lead artist, Kehlani’s previous best showing was a No. 2 result for “Beautiful Lies,” a collaboration with Yung Bleu, in March 2022.
In addition to “Folded,” Kehlani claims two more songs on this week’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. They once again support Cardi B, but this time on the rapper’s “Safe,” which slides 7-8 on the chart (down 11%) after it peaked at No. 3 last month. Plus, Kehlani’s own “Folded” follow-up, “Out the Window” pushes 32-30 in its third week on the chart thanks to a 9% jump in weekly plays.
Elsewhere, “Folded” continues to make impact across a slate of airplay charts. It earns a fifth frame at its No. 2 high on the audience-based R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, where, despite settling for a silver medal again, it increased 1% to 21.1 million in audience listenership for the week. A former Rhythmic Airplay champ – it headed the list for a week in October – “Folded” backtracks 7-8 at that format (down 2%), but improved in plays on Adult R&B Airplay (up 13% for a 23-21 rise) and Pop Airplay (up 1%, though it reverses 30-31 in rank).
With its combination of leading support from the mainstream R&B/hip-hop and rhythmic sectors, plus the building results from adult R&B and mainstream top-40 pop stations, “Folded” repeats at its No. 9 best on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. There, it added 2% more in audience impressions for the tracking week, up to 36.1 million.
