Rihanna’s ‘Lift Me Up’ Debuts at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart

Rihanna’s long-awaited return yields an immediate chart-topper as “Lift Me Up” debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart dated Nov. 12. The single, from the soundtrack to the Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, gives the superstar her eighth champ on the list.

“Lift” traces its arrival on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, which combines streaming, sales and radio airplay, to 22.6 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Nov. 3, according to Luminate. The sum sparks a No. 1 start on R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs to secure Rihanna’s fifth career leader there. In the same period, the track sold 23,000 downloads and opens at No. 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales list. On the airplay front, “Lift” registered 42.6 million in radio audience across all formats. (All airplay, regardless of genre format, contributes to a song’s rank on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.)

The new champ gives Rihanna her eighth No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and her first in more than five years. Here’s a recap of her collection:

Song Title, Artist (if other than Rihanna), Weeks at No. 1, Reached at No. 1
“Take a Bow,” one, Aug. 30, 2008
“Diamonds,” 14, Oct. 20, 2012
“The Monster,” Eminem featuring Rihanna, 13, Nov. 16, 2013
“FourFiveSeconds,” with Ye & Paul McCartney, seven, Feb. 21, 2015
“Work,” featuring Drake, 11, Feb. 13, 2016
“Needed Me,” two, Sept. 24, 2016
“Wild Thoughts,” DJ Khaled featuring Rihanna & Bryson Tiller, seven, July 29, 2017
“Lift Me Up,” one (to date), Nov. 12, 2022

Elsewhere, “Lift Me Up,” likewise debuts at No. 1 on the Hot R&B Songs chart, where the superstar lands her sixth champ. The achievement extends her record as the female artist with the most No. 1s on the list, which began in 2012. Overall, Rihanna ranks third in the count, behind The Weeknd (nine) and Drake (seven).

On the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, “Lift” enters at No. 2.

Echoing its strong out-of-the-gate streaming and sales placements, the song also remains a force on multiple radio genre formats after the first full tracking week, which runs Monday – Sunday, following the song’s Oct. 28 release. It ascends 27-16 on Rhythmic Airplay, 24-18 on Adult Pop Airplay, 25-20 on Pop Airplay and 26-22 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Plus, it repeats at No. 17 on Adult Contemporary.