The Neptunes Rule R&B Producers Chart, Thanks to SZA, Monica & Lil Baby
The Neptunes, the production duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, hit No. 1 on Billboard's R&B Producers chart (dated Sept. 19), leading for the first time on the strength of two production…
The Neptunes, the production duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s R&B Producers chart (dated Sept. 19), leading for the first time on the strength of two production credits on the latest Hot R&B Songs chart.
SZA’s new single “Hit Different,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, which the duo solely produced, bows at No. 3 on Hot R&B Songs with 13.3 million U.S. streams and 6,000 downloads sold in its opening week, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
The Neptunes also solely produced Monica and Lil Baby’s “Trenches,” which rises 14-12 in its second week on Hot R&B Songs.
Williams and Hugo are also both credited as co-songwriters on “Hit Different” and “Trenches.”
The duo has a storied history on Billboard‘s charts. The Neptunes first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 as producers with SWV’s “Use Your Heart” in 1996 (No. 22 peak) and have since earned four No. 1s among 16 top 10s:
Artist, Title, Peak Date, Weeks at No. 1
Nelly, “Hot in Herre,” June 29, 2002, seven
Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell Williams, “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” Dec. 11, 2004, three
Gwen Stefani, “Hollaback Girl,” May 7, 2005, four
Ludacris feat. Pharrell Williams, “Money Maker,” Oct. 28, 2006, two
Individually, Williams has two additional solo No. 1s as a producer on the Hot 100, via Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” featuring T.I. and Williams, in 2013, and Williams’ own single “Happy” in 2014.
As “Hit Different” concurrently debuts at No. 29 on the Hot 100, it earns the Neptunes their first production entry on the chart since Justin Timberlake’s “Man of the Woods” in February 2018 (No. 73 peak) and highest-charting hit since Gwen Stefani’s “Wind It Up” in 2006 (No. 6).
The weekly R&B Songwriters and R&B Producers charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot R&B Songs chart; As with Billboard‘s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings).
Check out this week’s full R&B Songwriters and R&B Producers charts, in addition to the other full genre rankings, at Billboard.com/biz.
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