Rhythmic Airplay

{{short description|US music chart published by Billboard magazine}} {{multiple issues|{{primary sources|date=June 2015}}{{more citations needed|date=May 2012}}}} The '''Rhythmic Airplay''' chart (previously named '''Rhythmic Songs''', '''Rhythmic Top 40''' and '''CHR/Rhythmic''') is an airplay chart published weekly by [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'' magazine]].

The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on US [[rhythmic radio]] stations, whose playlist includes mostly hit-driven R&B/hip-hop, rhythmic pop, and some dance tracks. [[Nielsen Audio]] sometimes refers to the format as [[rhythmic contemporary]] hit radio.

==History== ''Billboard'' magazine first took notice of the newly emerged genre on February 27, 1987, when it launched the first [[crossover (music)|crossover]] chart, [[Hot Crossover 30]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Hot 30 Crossover Chart Tracks New Breed Of Radio|last=Freeman |first=Kim |date=February 28, 1987 |publisher=Billboard magazine |pages=1, 83}}</ref> It originally consisted of thirty titles and was based on reporting by eighteen stations, five of which were considered as ''pure'' rhythmic. The chart featured a mix of [[urban contemporary]], [[top 40 (radio format)|top 40]] and [[dance music|dance]] hits. In September 1989, ''Billboard'' split the Hot Crossover 30 chart in two: Top 40/Dance and Top 40/Rock, the latter of which focused on [[rock music|rock]] titles which crossed over. By December 1990, ''Billboard'' eliminated the chart because more [[Top 40 (radio format)|top 40]] and R&B stations were becoming identical with the rhythmic-heavy playlist being played at the crossover stations at the time.

''Billboard'' revived the chart in October 1992 as '''Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover''', with the first number one being "[[End of the Road (Boyz II Men song)|End of the Road]]" by [[Boyz II Men]]. On June 25, 1997, it was renamed to Rhythmic Top 40 as a way to distinguish stations that continued to play a broad based rhythmic mix from those whose mix leaned heavily toward R&B and hip-hop. It was changed to Rhythmic Airplay in the February 7, 2004, issue and shortened to Rhythmic on July 12, 2008. As of the week of May 30, 2026, the current number-one song on the chart is "[[Pop Dat Thang]]" by [[DaBaby]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/rhythmic-40/2026-05-30|title=Rhythmic Airplay Songs|date=May 27, 2026|magazine=Billboard|access-date=May 27, 2026}}</ref>

==Chart criteria== There are forty positions on this chart and it is solely based on radio airplay. 66 rhythmic radio stations are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by [[Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems]]. Songs are ranked based on the number of plays that each song received during that week.

Songs receiving the greatest growth will receive a "bullet", although there are tracks that will also get bullets if the loss in detections doesn't exceed the percentage of downtime from a monitored station. "Airpower" awards are issued to songs that appear on the top 20 of both the airplay and audience chart for the first time, while the "greatest gainer" award is given to song with the largest increase in detections. A song with six or more spins in its first week is awarded an "airplay add". If a song is tied for the most spins in the same week, the one with the biggest increase that previous week will rank higher, but if both songs show the same amount of spins regardless of detection the song that is being played at more stations is ranked higher. Songs that fall below the top 15 and have been on the chart after 20 weeks are removed.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/billboard-charts-legend|title=''Billboard'' Charts Legend |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=February 15, 2013}}</ref>

==Records and achievements==

=== Song with most weeks at number one ===  {| class="wikitable" |- !Number of <br /> weeks !Song !Artist(s) !Year(s) |- | rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;" |15 | "[[No Scrubs]]" |[[TLC (band)|TLC]] |1999 |- |rowspan=1 style="text-align:center;" |14 |"[[Twisted (Keith Sweat song)|Twisted]]" |[[Keith Sweat]] |1996 |- | rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" |13 |"[[Freak Me]]" |[[Silk (band)|Silk]] |1993 |- |"[[You Make Me Wanna...]]" |[[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]] |1997–98 |- |rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;" |12 |"[[I'll Make Love to You]]" |[[Boyz II Men]] |1994 |- |"[[Fantasy (Mariah Carey song)|Fantasy]]" |[[Mariah Carey]] |1995 |- |"[[Lollipop (Lil Wayne song)|Lollipop]]" |[[Lil Wayne]] featuring [[Static Major]] |2008 |- |"[[Not Like Us]]" |[[Kendrick Lamar]] |2024 |- |rowspan=4 style="text-align:center;" |11 |"[[Shoop (song)|Shoop]]" |[[Salt-n-Pepa]] |1993–94 |- |"[[Dilemma (Nelly song)|Dilemma]]" | [[Nelly]] featuring [[Kelly Rowland]] |2002  |}

===Artists with most number-one singles=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! No. 1s !! Artist !! Source |- | 43 || [[Drake (musician)|Drake]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=Drake Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/drake/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=8 October 2025}}</ref> |- | 17 || [[Rihanna]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=Rihanna Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/rihanna/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=25 June 2018}}</ref> |- | 16 || [[The Weeknd]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=The Weeknd Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-weeknd/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=9 July 2025}}</ref> |- | 15 || [[Chris Brown]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=Chris Brown Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/chris-brown/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=11 October 2025}}</ref> |- | 14 || [[Bruno Mars]] ||<ref>{{cite web |title=Bruno Mars Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bruno-mars/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=13 February 2026}}</ref> |- | rowspan=2 | 13 || [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]]||<ref name="Rhythmic_2016_09_17">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/drake-rihanna-rhythmic-songs-chart-too-good/|title=Drake & Rihanna Rule Rhythmic Songs Chart With 'Too Good'|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> |- | [[Lil Wayne]] ||<ref>{{cite web |title=Lil Wayne Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lil-wayne/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=30 January 2025}}</ref> |- | rowspan=3|12 || [[Beyoncé]] ||<ref name="Beyoncé Chart History">{{cite web |title= Beyoncé Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/beyonce/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=17 August 2022}}</ref> |- | [[Nicki Minaj]] || <ref>{{Cite web |title= Nicki Minaj Rhythmic Songs Chart History|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/Nicki-Minaj/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref> |- | [[Doja Cat]] || <ref>{{cite web |title= Doja Cat Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/Doja-Cat/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=19 November 2025}}</ref> |-  |}

===Artists with most entries=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Entries !! Artist !! Source |- |136 || Drake || <ref>{{cite web |title=Drake Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/drake/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=14 April 2026}}</ref> |- |126 || Chris Brown || <ref>{{cite web |title=Chris Brown Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/chris-brown/chart-history/tfc/|website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=28 April 2026}}</ref> |- |110 || Lil Wayne || <ref>{{cite web |title=Lil Wayne Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lil-wayne/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=14 April 2026}}</ref> |- |97 || Nicki Minaj || <ref>{{cite web |title=Nicki Minaj Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/nicki-minaj/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |- |62 || [[Kanye West]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=Kanye West Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kanye-west/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |- |61 || [[Future (rapper)|Future]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=Future Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/Future/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |- |59 || [[Jay-Z]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=Jay-Z Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/jay-z/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref> |- |56 || Rihanna || <ref>{{cite web |title=Rihanna Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/rihanna/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |- | 56 || [[Pitbull (rapper)|Pitbull]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=Pitbull Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/pitbull/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=3 February 2026}}</ref> |- |55 || [[Snoop Dogg]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=Snoop Dogg Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/snoop-dogg/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |-  |}

===Artists with most Top 10 entries=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Entries !! Artist !! Source |- |78|| Drake || <ref>{{cite web |title=Drake Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/drake/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=8 October 2025}}</ref> |- |57 || Chris Brown || <ref>{{cite web |title=Chris Brown Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/chris-brown/chart-history/tfc/|website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=11 October 2025}}</ref> |- |44 || Lil Wayne || <ref>{{cite web |title=Lil Wayne Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lil-wayne/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |- |41 || Nicki Minaj || <ref>{{cite web |title=Nicki Minaj Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/nicki-minaj/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |- |39 || Rihanna || <ref>{{cite web |title=Rihanna Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/rihanna/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |- |33 || Future || <ref>{{cite web |title=Future Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/Future/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |- |29 || Usher || <ref>{{cite web |title=Usher Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/usher/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref> |- |28 || Kanye West || <ref>{{cite web |title=Kanye West Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kanye-west/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref> |- |27 || The Weeknd || <ref>{{cite web |title=The Weeknd Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-weeknd/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=24 August 2025}}</ref> |- |26 || [[Ludacris]] || <ref>{{cite web |title=Ludacris Rhythmic Songs Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ludacris/chart-history/tfc/ |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |access-date=22 April 2021}}</ref> |-  |}

==See also== *[[Dance/Mix Show Airplay]] *[[Mainstream Top 40]] *[[List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Rhythmic chart]]

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://www.billboard.com/charts/rhythmic-40 Current ''Billboard'' Rhythmic Songs chart] (updated weekly)

[[Category:Billboard charts]]