Desiigner’s ‘Panda’ Claws to No. 1 on Hot 100, Bringing Americans Back to the Top
Desiigner's debut hit "Panda" pounces to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated May 7). The Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, New York rapper halts the nine-week reign of Rihanna's "Work," featuring Drake, and…
Desiigner‘s debut hit “Panda” pounces to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated May 7). The Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, New York rapper halts the nine-week reign of Rihanna‘s “Work,” featuring Drake, and brings an American act to No. 1 on the Hot 100 after a record 41-week streak of leaders by foreign artists.
Plus, Drake vaults to the Hot 100’s top five with “One Dance.”
As we do every Monday, let’s run down the Hot 100’s top 10 and more. Highlights of the airplay, sales and streaming-based Hot 100 post on Billboard.com each Monday, with all charts updated each Tuesday.
“Panda,” released on imprint G.O.O.D. Music (founded by Kanye West) and label Def Jam, darts 2-1 on the Hot 100. It spends a second week atop the Streaming Songs chart, with 35 million overall U.S. streams (up 23 percent), in the week ending April 21, according to Nielsen Music. Approximately two-thirds of the track’s Hot 100 points are from streaming, with the highest share (43 percent) of its streams from non-Vevo YouTube views, as no official video for the track has yet been released; an official clip is in the works, according to Def Jam.
“Panda” pushes 4-2 on Digital Songs (113,000, up 30 percent) and 32-27 on Radio Songs (43 million, up 26 percent). It spends a third week at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Rap Songs chart and rises 2-1 to top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
More fun facts as Desiigner darts to the top of the Hot 100 with “Panda,” the 1,053rd No. 1 in the chart’s 57-year history:
American idol: Desiigner flies the American flag atop the Hot 100 after a record 41 consecutive weeks of non-American talent topping the chart. He is the first U.S.-born act to lead the list since July 25, 2015, when Wiz Khalifa (from Minot, North Dakota) spent his 12th and final week at No. 1 with “See You Again,” featuring Charlie Puth (from Rumson, New Jersey). Over the following 41 weeks, nine straight No. 1s by non-Americans (also a record streak) would reign, by OMI, The Weeknd (two), Justin Bieber (three), Adele, Zayn, Rihanna and Drake.
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Rap rules again: Desiigner also ends a 41-week streak between rap songs atop the Hot 100, between “See You Again” and “Panda.” That’s the longest run between No. 1 rap songs (defined as tracks that charted on Billboard‘s Hot Rap Songs ranking) in more than 14 years: no rap hits led the Hot 100 for 46 straight weeks between Shaggy‘s “Angel” (March 31, 2001) and Ja Rule‘s “Always on Time,” featuring Ashanti (Feb. 23, 2002).
A rap rookie rules again: Desiigner is the first rapper to crown the Hot 100 with a debut chart entry since Iggy Azalea arrived with “Fancy” (featuring Charli XCX), which ruled for seven weeks beginning June 7, 2014. Before Azalea, duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis bowed with their six-week No. 1 “Thrift Shop” (featuring Wanz), which reached No. 1 on Feb. 2, 2013.
The last male rapper (as a lead artist) to control the Hot 100 on his first try before Desiigner? Wiz Khalifa, with “Black and Yellow” (Feb. 19, 2011). (And, the very first? Vanilla Ice, whose “Ice Ice Baby” topped the Nov. 3, 1990, Hot 100.)
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“Panda” has also found the spotlight via its sample in Kanye West’s “Pt. 2,” from West’s album The Life of Pablo (which dips 4-8 on the Billboard 200 after debuting atop the April 23 chart). “Pt. 2” dips 73-97 in its third week on the Hot 100 after debuting at its No. 54 high.
Youth serves up No. 1: Desiigner is 18 years and 11 months old; he’ll turn 19 on May 3. That makes him the youngest male artist to top the Hot 100 since Chris Brown, who was 18 years and six months old when “Kiss Kiss” (featuring T-Pain) spent its third and final week at No. 1 on Nov. 24, 2007. Desiigner is the youngest artist to reign since Lorde, who was 16 years and 11 months old when “Royals” assumed the throne (for nine weeks) on Oct. 12, 2013.
In the Hot 100’s entire history, Stevie Wonder holds the overall record as the youngest soloist to lead the list: He was just 13 years and three months old when “Fingertips – Pt 2” hit No. 1 (Aug. 10, 1963). Among women, Little Peggy March holds the mark, as she was 15 years and one month old when “I Will Follow Him” reached the top (April 27, 1963).
With a hefty 25 percent gain in overall points, “Panda” hits the Hot 100’s pinnacle, directly above Lukas Graham‘s “7 Years” (up 4 percent), which rebounds 3-2 for a fourth total week at its No. 2 peak. (The song has, thus, now been denied the top spot by both “Work” and “Panda.”) Still, “7 Years” jumps 4-2 on Radio Songs (122 million, up 14 percent) and gains by 4 percent to 105,000 sold, although it slips 2-3 on Digital Songs. On Streaming Songs, it drops 3-4 (17 million, down 4 percent).
Drake’s “One Dance,” featuring WizKid and Kyla, blasts 13-3 on the Hot 100, becoming his 17th top 10 on the chart. The track rockets 18-3 on Streaming Songs (24.1 million, up 160 percent, with its greatest share of streams, 25 percent, from Apple Music) and 34-16 on Radio Songs (50 million, up 51 percent). On Digital Songs, it tumbles 1-7 after a week at the summit (85,000, down 28 percent).
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With his 17th Hot 100 top 10, Drake ties Eminem for the fourth-most among rappers (counting lead and featured billings). Jay Z leads with 21, followed by Lil Wayne (19) and Ludacris (18).
Drake passes himself on the Hot 100, as “Work” falls 1-4 after nine weeks at No. 1. It holds at No. 2 on Streaming Songs (25 million, down 4 percent) and slides 6-9 on Radio Songs (80 million, down 18 percent) and 13-22 on Digital Songs (46,000, down 11 percent).
“Work” stops a week shy of Rihanna’s longest Hot 100 reign; “We Found Love,” featuring Calvin Harris, led for 10 frames in 2011-12. Still, “Work” became Rihanna’s 14th Hot 100 No. 1, placing her in a solo share of the third-most all time, ahead of Michael Jackson (13). The Beatles lead with 20 No. 1s, followed by Mariah Carey (18). “Work” also upped Rihanna past The Beatles for the second-most career weeks at No. 1 (60 to 59). Carey leads 79 total weeks at No. 1.
Capping the Hot 100’s top five, Mike Posner‘s “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” climbs 6-5, becoming his first top five hit and passing the No. 6 peak of his prior top 10, his debut hit “Cooler Than Me,” in 2010.
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Fifth Harmony‘s first top 10, “Work From Home,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, hits a new high, lifting 7-6; Meghan Trainor‘s “No” descends 4-7 after climbing to No. 3; and, Zayn’s former No. 1-debuting “Pillowtalk” dips 5-8, while, as previously reported, zooming to No. 1 on the Pop Songs radio airplay chart.
Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” retreats 8-9 on the Hot 100 after topping the chart for two (nonconsecutive) weeks. Still, it spends an 11th week at No. 1 on Radio Songs (131 million, down 7 percent) and has now logged its first 23 weeks on the Hot 100 in the top 10, dating to its debut at No. 4 on the Dec. 5 chart. With its latest week in the tier, “Love Yourself” extends the record for the most consecutive weeks spent in the top 10 from a song’s debut.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha‘s “Me, Myself & I” holds at No. 10 after peaking at No. 7.
Find out more notable news in the weekly “Hot 100 Chart Moves” column to post later this week. And, visit Billboard.com tomorrow (April 26), when all rankings, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh, as they do each Tuesday. The Hot 100 and other charts will also appear in the next issue of Billboard magazine, on sale Friday (April 29).
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