Tank Takes ‘Slow’ to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay

Tank banks his second No. 1 of 2022 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as “Slow,” featuring J. Valentine, tops the list dated Nov. 5. The single advances from the runner-up spot after a strong 17% surge in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored radio stations in the week ending Oct. 30, according to Luminate.

“Slow” gives Tank his seventh career No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay, and his rate of chart-toppers has accelerated in recent years. After capturing two No. 1s in the 16 years from his 2001 chart debut until 2017, he has logged five leaders in the past five years. Consistency, too, has become a standard, with only two of his seven chart entries since 2017 – “I Don’t Think You’re Ready” (No. 3) and a featured turn on J. Brown’s “Don’t Rush” (No. 7) missing the top spot.

As “Slow” reigns, here’s a look at Tank’s seven No. 1s on Adult R&B Airplay:

“Please Don’t Go,” No. 1 for 10 weeks, beginning May 19, 2007
“Next Breath,” one, June 16, 2012
“When We,” 11, Nov. 18, 2017
“Dirty,” three, April 20, 2019
“Can’t Let It Show,” two, July 3, 2021
“I Deserve,” one, March 19, 2022
“Slow,” one (to date), Nov. 5, 2022

Featured artist J. Valentine, meanwhile, achieves his first Adult R&B Airplay with his debut chart appearance.

“Slow” likewise unlocks more achievements for Tank in the latter stages of his recording career. Thanks to “I Deserve” and “Slow,” the singer-songwriter claims multiple No. 1s on Adult R&B Airplay for the first time in the same year. Plus, as “Can’t Let It Show,” “Deserve” and the current champ all spring from his final studio album, R&B Money, released in September, the album is Tank’s first to produce multiple leaders on the radio list.

Elsewhere, “Slow” improves 18-17 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by audience listenership across both adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, the song registered a 15% increase in weekly audience to 7.5 million in the week ending Oct. 30. “Slow” marks Tank’s seventh top 20 effort on this chart, with the previous six comprising all of his Adult R&B Airplay No. 1s, sans “Next Breath,” which peaked at No. 27.