Adult R&B Songs

{{Short description|Billboard song chart}}

The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by Billboard magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playlist mostly include contemporary R&B and traditional R&B tracks. Nielsen Audio sometimes refers to the format as Urban adult contemporary radio. Billboard created the chart in September 1993, with the first number one being "Another Sad Love Song" by Toni Braxton.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-adult-r-and-b-airplay/1993-09-18|title=Billboard Adult R&B Songs-September 18, 1993|magazine=Billboard |access-date=August 29, 2017}}

Chart criteria

There are thirty positions on this chart and it is solely based on radio airplay. 65 urban AC radio stations are electronically monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by. Songs are ranked based on the number of plays that each song received during that week.

Songs receiving the greatest growth will receive a "bullet", although there are tracks that will also get bullets if the loss in detections doesn't exceed the percentage of downtime from a monitored station. "Airpower" awards are issued to songs that appear on the top 20 of both the airplay and audience chart for the first time, while the "greatest gainer" award is given to song with the largest increase in detections. A song with six or more spins in its first week is awarded an "airplay add". If a song is tied for the most spins in the same week, the one with the biggest increase that previous week will rank higher, but if both songs show the same amount of spins regardless of detection the song that is being played at more stations is ranked higher. Songs that fall below the top 15 and have been on the chart after 20 weeks are removed.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/biz/billboard-charts-legend|title=Billboard Charts Legend |magazine=Billboard |access-date=August 29, 2017}}

Artist achievements

=Most number-ones=

class="wikitable"
Number of
Singles
ArtistSource
{{center|14}}Alicia Keys{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/alicia-keys/chart-history/rba/|title = Alicia Keys|magazine=Billboard}}
{{center|11}}Toni Braxton{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/toni-braxton/chart-history/rba/|title = Toni Braxton|magazine=Billboard}}
rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | 10

|Charlie Wilson

{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/charlie-wilson/chart-history/rba/|title= Charlie Wilson|magazine=Billboard}}
Usher

|{{Cite magazine|title=Usher |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/usher/chart-history/rba/|magazine=Billboard}}

Mary J. Blige

|{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Trevor |date=2025-01-14 |title=Mary J. Blige’s ‘You Ain’t the Only One’ Is No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/mary-j-blige-you-aint-only-one-number-1-adult-rb-airplay-chart-1235875581/ |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}

rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 9

|Maxwell

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/maxwell/chart-history/rba/|title= Maxwell|magazine=Billboard}}

Tank

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/tank/chart-history/rba/|title = Tank| magazine=Billboard }}

rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | 8

|Bruno Mars

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bruno-mars/chart-history/rba/|title = Bruno Mars| magazine=Billboard}}

H.E.R

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/h-e-r/chart-history/rba/|title = H.E.R.| magazine=Billboard }}

Kem

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kem/chart-history/rba/|title = Kem| magazine=Billboard }}

rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 7

|Babyface

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/babyface/chart-history/rba/|title = Babyface|magazine=Billboard}}

R. Kelly{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/r-kelly/chart-history/rba/|title= R. Kelly|magazine=Billboard}}
rowspan=5 style="text-align:center;" | 6

|Brian McKnight

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/brian-mcknight/chart-history/rba/|title = Brian McKnight|magazine=Billboard}}

Luther Vandross

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/luther-vandross/chart-history/rba/|title = Luther Vandross|magazine=Billboard}}

Robin Thicke

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/robin-thicke/chart-history/rba/|title = Robin Thicke|magazine=Billboard}}

Whitney Houston

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/whitney-houston/chart-history/rba/|title = Whitney Houston|magazine=Billboard}}

Chris Brown

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/chris-brown/chart-history/rba/|title = Chris Brown|magazine=Billboard}}

rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 5

|Anita Baker

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/anita-baker/chart-history/rba/|title = Anita Baker|magazine=Billboard}}

Boyz II Men

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/boyz-ii-men/chart-history/rba/|title = Boyz II Men|magazine=Billboard}}

=Songs with most total weeks in the top ten=

class="wikitable"
WeeksSongArtistYearsSource
63"Think About You"Luther Vandross2004–05{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Trevor |title=Drake Extends Record Top 10 Total on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart With 'I'm Upset' |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8463412/drake-im-upset-total-hip-hop-songs-top-10-record-scorpion |access-date=29 June 2018 |work=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Music |date=29 June 2018}}
rowspan="2"| 62"Love Calls"Kem2003–04
| "Lifetime"Maxwell2001–02
53"Can't Let Go"Anthony Hamilton2006–07
50"Find Myself in You"Brian McKnight2006–07
rowspan="3"| 49"Shame"Tyrese2015–16
| "Earned It"The Weeknd2015–16
| "Adorn"Miguel2012–13
rowspan="2"| 46"When We"Tank2017–18
| "That's What I Like"Bruno Mars2017–18

=Artists to collect number-one singles in three or more consecutive decades=

class="wikitable"
Artist

!Decades

!Source

Toni Braxton

|{{center|1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s}}

|

{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/toni-braxton/chart-history/rba/|title=Toni Braxton|magazine=Billboard }}

Mary J. Blige

|{{center|1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s}}

|

{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/mary-j-blige/chart-history/rba/|title = Mary J. Blige| magazine=Billboard }}

Maxwell

|{{center|1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s}}

|

{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/maxwell/chart-history/rba/|title=Maxwell|magazine=Billboard }}

Michael Jackson

|{{center|1990s, 2000s, 2010s}}

|

{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/michael-jackson/chart-history/rba/|title=Michael Jackson|magazine=Billboard }}

R. Kelly

|{{center|1990s, 2000s, 2010s}}

|

{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/r-kelly/chart-history/rba/|title=R. Kelly|magazine=Billboard }}

Anita Baker

|{{center|1990s, 2000s, 2010s}}

|

{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/anita-baker/chart-history/rba/|title = Anita Baker| magazine=Billboard }}

Alicia Keys

|{{center|2000s, 2010s, 2020s}}

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/alicia-keys/chart-history/rba/|title = Alicia Keys| magazine=Billboard }}

Charlie Wilson

|{{center|2000s, 2010s, 2020s}}

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/charlie-wilson/chart-history/rba/|title=Charlie Wilson|magazine=Billboard }}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9372042/charlie-wilson-forever-valentine-number-1-adult-rb-songs-chart|title=Charlie Wilson Makes It Three Decades of No. 1s on Adult R&B Songs Chart|date=2020-03-03|magazine=Billboard|access-date=2020-03-03}}

Kem

|{{center|2000s, 2010s, 2020s}}

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kem/chart-history/rba/|title = Kem| magazine=Billboard }}

Tank

|{{center|2000s, 2010s, 2020s}}

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/tank/chart-history/rba/|title = Tank| magazine=Billboard }}

Usher

|{{center|2000s, 2010s, 2020s}}

|{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/usher/chart-history/rba/|title = Usher| magazine=Billboard }}{{Cite web|url=https://ratedrnb.com/2020/06/ushers-dont-waste-my-time-reaches-no-1-on-adult-rb-airplay-chart/|title = Usher's 'Don't Waste My Time' Reaches No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart|date = 10 June 2020}}

See also

References

{{reflist}}