Hot 100 First-Timers: Mariah the Scientist Debuts With Tee Grizzley & Chris Brown Collab ‘IDGAF’

Mariah the Scientist debuts a song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time in her career, thanks to her breakout collaboration with Tee Grizzley and Chris Brown, “IDGAF.”

The track, released Sept. 8 via Tee Grizzley/300 Entertainment/3EE, debuts at No. 100 on the Jan. 20-dated chart with 14 million all-format radio airplay audience impressions and 2.6 million official U.S. streams (up 11%) in the Jan. 5-11 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also rises 31-30 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Radio-wise, “IDGAF” makes moves at multiple formats: It holds at its No. 5 high on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and rises 20-19 on Rhythmic Airplay.

Mariah the Scientist charted for the first time in July 2021, when Ry Ry World debuted and peaked at No. 4 on Heatseekers Albums. She returned to the survey the following year with her EP Buckles Laboratories Presents: The Intermission (No. 16 peak). The latter’s “Spread Thin” became her first song to chart, when it debuted on Hot R&B Songs in October 2022, eventually reaching No. 15.

In October 2023, the Atlanta native signed to Epic Records. “I was reluctant to signing any new deal,” she told Billboard at the time. “But I was excited to find a partner that understands me as an artist and has the infrastructure to support me in the ways I need most.”

“Mariah is a dynamic creative force with a clear vision for her music and the experience surrounding it,” Epic president Ezekiel Lewis said after her signing.

To celebrate the signing, Mariah the Scientist released the single “From a Woman,” which reached No. 18 on Hot R&B Songs.

She released her third project, To Be Eaten Alive, on Oct. 27. The set features collaborations with 21 Savage, Young Thug and Vory, and became her best-performing album to date, reaching No. 93 on the Billboard 200 — her first entry on the chart. The set’s “Out of Luck,” produced by Kaytranada, is beginning to pick up steam: It debuts at No. 45 on the Jan. 20-dated R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and holds at its No. 36 high on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

Xander Zellner

Billboard