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Chart Beat

After Ruling Hot 100, Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Tops a Radio Chart for First Time

The diss track tops Rhythmic Airplay in five weeks, the fastest coronation in two years.

Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during day three of Rolling Loud Miami 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium on July 24, 2022 in Miami Gardens.

Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during day three of Rolling Loud Miami 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium on July 24, 2022 in Miami Gardens.

Jason Koerner/Getty Images

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” scores its first Billboard radio crown as it reaches No. 1 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart dated June 15. The single, released on pgLang/Interscope Records/ICLG, climbs from the runner-up spot to lead the list as the most-played song on reporting U.S. rhythmic radio stations, according to Luminate.

The new champ registered a 22% surge in plays May 31-June 6. Thanks to the increase, the track claims the chart’s Greatest Gainer prize, awarded each week to the song with the largest vault in plays at the format.


“Not Like Us” was released May 4 amid Lamar’s feud with Drake. With the beef dominating hip-hop news cycles and pop culture at large, the track exploded instantly: It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, largely thanks to 70.2 million official U.S. streams in the corresponding tracking week – the highest weekly count for any hip-hop song in the last three years. In its first four weeks on the Hot 100, the track has yet to leave the top two.

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The fervor has translated into strong radio momentum for “Not Like Us,” which tops Rhythmic Airplay in just its fifth week on the list. It wraps the quickest climb, by weeks, to the summit since Jack Harlow’s “First Class” also completed a five-week run to No. 1 in May 2022.

“Not Like Us” gives Lamar his sixth Rhythmic Airplay leader. Here’s a review of his collection:

Song Title, Artist, Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1
“Humble.,” three, June 3, 2017
“Loyalty.,” feat. Rihanna, one, Sept. 30, 2017
“Love.,” feat. Zacari, one, Dec. 30, 2017
“Pray for Me,” with The Weeknd, two, April 14, 2018
“Like That,” with Future & Metro Boomin, four, May 18, 2024
“Not Like Us,” one (to date), June 15, 2024

Elsewhere, “Not Like Us” repeats at its No. 5 best on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, up 24% in weekly plays as it likewise captures Greatest Gainer honors. It also holds at No. 2 on Rap Airplay, again with the chart’s Greatest Gainer tag thanks to a 23% improvement in audience impressions.

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This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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Justin Bieber
Evan Paterakis
Justin Bieber
FYI

Justin Bieber's New Album 'Swag' Is Here

The Canadian pop star's seventh album dropped as a surprise today. Others releasing new music this week include Canadian/Kiwi roots star Tami Neilson, Toronto indie rock outfit Long Branch and Montreal indie rockers Karma Glider.

The Biebs is back!

A day after teasing a surprise album with an Instagram photo, pop superstar Justin Bieber has released Swag, his first album since Justice in 2021, via Def Jam Recordings.The 21-song opus, his seventh studio album, features collaborations with such songwriters and producers as Carter Lang, Dylan Wiggins, Dijon, mk.gee, Daniel Chetrit, Eddie Benjamin, Knox Fortune and more. Canadian R&B star Daniel Caesar, who was featured on the 2021 No. 1 hit "Peaches," is also credited as a writer and producer on the song "Devotion." Some of the album was recorded in Iceland in April. Streaming links here.

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