At No. 1, Toosii Is the ‘Favorite’ on Hot Rap Songs Chart
Toosii’s “Favorite Song” proves to be just that on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, as the track advances from No. 2 to rule the list dated May 13. The track, released through SouthCoast/Capitol Records, reaches the apex on the list – which blends streaming, airplay and sales – thanks to consistent performance in the foremost category and growth in the latter pair.
The melodic rap track amassed 19.5 million official U.S. streams in the week ending May 4, according to Luminate, essentially even with the prior week, and holds at No. 2 on Rap Streaming Songs after a previous three-week reign. On the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart, it likewise captures the silver medal – a new peak for the track – with 3,000 downloads sold, a 4% bump from the prior week. At radio, “Song” ascends 24-20 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, with a 17% gain to 5.5 million in audience impressions.
As “Favorite Song” reigns on the Hot Rap Songs chart, it pushes 5-4 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 13-11 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Should the track climb on the latter list, it would mark the rapper/singer’s first top 10 Hot 100 hit. If already favorable trends at radio and sales stats weren’t enough, the release of a “Favorite Song” remix featuring Khalid on May 5, which will impact next week’s charts, improve the track’s chances of cracking the top 10 barrier. (The original and remix versions of songs are combined into one listing for tracking and chart purposes.)
With “Favorite Song,” Toosii, born Nau’Jour Grainger has captured the biggest hit of his still-young career. TikTok has been key to the track’s success, with both its original and a sped-up version being popular choices to soundtrack clips on the social media app. Between the two two renditions, “Favorite Song” has soundtracked nearly 1.1 million clips. (Activity on TikTok does not contribute to Billboard’s charts, many of the app’s most popular songs have seen corresponding gains on streaming services that factor into Billboard chart rankings.)
23-year-old Toosii first landed on the Billboard charts in February 2020 with the mixtape album, Platinum Heart, which included his first charting song, “Truth Be Told,” a No. 38 hit on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Follow-up single “Love Cycle” built on the initial breakthrough, and, thanks to a remix with Summer Walker, flew to No. 9 on the airplay list in early 2021.
Trevor Anderson
Billboard