Following the No. 1 arrival of The Weeknd‘s Beauty Behind the Madness on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (326,000 copies sold in the week ending Sept. 3, according to Nielsen Music), 10 of the set’s tracks debut on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart dated Sept. 19. Those 10 songs combine with two other smashes by The Weeknd, bringing him to a total of 12 concurrently charting songs on the 50-position chart. That’s the most songs ever tallied by a non-rapper in a single week.
The 10 new entries complete the total 14 Madness album tracks that have hit Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, joining two already-charting tracks, as well as the since-departed “Often” and “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” which previously spent 27 and 31 weeks on the list, respectively. “Often” was the first of the set’s charted songs, debuting more than a year ago (Aug. 16, 2014). “Earned It” concluded its 31-week run on the chart on Aug. 8, which included a two-week stint at No. 1.
The two Madness songs already on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs before this week? They’re easy to spot, as The Weeknd continues to rule the chart with “Can’t Feel My Face,” at No. 1 for an eighth week, and “The Hills,” up 3-2, reaching a new peak.
Of the new songs entering the list, “Prisoner,” featuring Lana Del Rey, is the front-runner at No. 16. It sold the most individual track downloads of the arriving album cuts (51,000), while accruing 3.7 million U.S. streams in the tracking week ending Sept. 3. Streaming is also a major contributor to The Weeknd’s rankings, with the 12 currently charting tracks amassing a total of 77 million weekly U.S. streams combined in the tracking week.
The Weeknd’s 12 Titles on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (dated Sept. 19, 2015)
No. 1, “Can’t Feel My Face”
No. 2, “The Hills”
No. 16, “Prisoner,” featuring Lana Del Rey (debut)
No. 19, “Tell Your Friends” (debut)
No. 22, “Acquainted” (debut)
No. 23, “Real Life” (debut)
No. 27, “Shameless” (debut)
No. 31, “Losers,” featuring Labrinth (debut)
No. 35, “Dark Times,” featuring Ed Sheeran (debut)
No. 36, “In the Night” (debut)
No. 38, “Angel” (debut)
No. 42, “As You Are” (debut)
As impressive as those achievements are, The Weeknd’s big week includes even more notable chart honors:
Hot Stuff: On the Billboard Hot 100, as previously reported, The Weeknd is the first solo male artist since T.I. in 2008 to boast two songs in the top three in the same week (“Face” and “Hills,” at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively). He makes even more news on the chart: With 10 titles, The Weeknd is just the sixth artist in the Hot 100’s 57-year history with 10 or more tracks on the list at the same time.He joins Drake and the Beatles, who share the mark with 14 concurrent entries, as well as Lil Wayne, Taylor Swift and American Idol winner David Cook.
The Weeknd is the first non-rapper with as many as 10 Hot 100 hits in the same week since Swift nearly five years ago (Nov. 13, 2010). Like The Weeknd this week, Swift earned her 10-spot that frame thanks to the then-new Billboard 200 topper Speak Now.
High ‘Hills’: Meanwhile, the singer scores a new airplay No. 1, as he jumps 4-1 on the Rhythmic Songs chart with “The Hills” (up 13 percent in spins). The climb marks his fourth chart-topper at the format, all achieved in 2015: “Love Me Harder” (with Ariana Grande), “Earned” and “Face.” The Weeknd is just the second artist with four Rhythmic Songs No. 1s in the same year, all as a lead; Usher managed that distinction in 2004.
R&B Ruler: Along with the feat of Madness earning the second-biggest debut of 2015 on the Billboard 200, the set scores the best weekly sales on the R&B Albums chart this year. It passes Empire: Original Soundtrack From Season 1,which opened with 119,000 on the chart dated March 28.
