GloRilla, Kirk Franklin & Maverick City Music Debut Atop Hot Gospel Songs With ‘Rain Down on Me’
GloRilla, Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music’s “Rain Down on Me,” featuring Kierra Sheard & Chandler Moore, roars in at No. 1 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Gospel Songs chart (dated Oct. 26).
The collaboration concurrently begins at No. 2 on the multimetric Hot Christian Songs chart.
The track marks rapper GloRilla’s rookie appearances on Billboard’s faith-based charts. It’s from her LP Glorious, which bows at No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard 200 with 69,000 equivalent album units, awarding the 25-year-old from Memphis the biggest week of her career, by units, and her first top 10 on the tally. The set also starts at No. 2 on both Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums.
Meanwhile, “Rain” is the first song to debut at the Hot Gospel Songs summit in 2024. The last No. 1 launch also involved a prominent female rapper: Nicki Minaj’s “Blessings” (featuring Tasha Cobbs Leonard), in December 2023.
“Rain” drew 3.7 million official U.S. streams Oct. 11-17, according to Luminate, also sending it to No. 1 on Gospel Streaming Songs. Plus, it drew 2.3 million all-format in airplay audience.
Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin earns his record-extending ninth Hot Gospel Songs No. 1. Maverick City Music adds its sixth leader, the second-best sum. Sheard scores her third No. 1 and Moore, his fourth.
On Hot Christian Songs, “Rain” marks Maverick City Music’s sixth top 10, Moore’s fifth, Franklin’s third and Sheard’s first.
On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, five songs from Glorious chart, led by “TGIF,” up 32-22 for a new high. The other four: “Whatchu Know About Me,” with Sexyy Red (No. 31 debut); “Hollon” (85-48); “How I Look,” with Megan Thee Stallion (No. 90 debut); and “I Luv Her,” with T-Pain (No. 92 debut).
Jim Asker
Billboard