Songs don’t debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart all that often: Of the 1,137 songs that have ever topped the chart in its history, just 61 of them debuted on top. It’s become a more common feat recently, though, as 33 of those No. 1 debuts arrived in 2018 or later. These totals all count the latest one from today, as Future, Drake, and Tems’ “Wait For U” is now the 61st song to debut at No. 1.
"Wait For U" is the 1,137th No. 1 song in the #Hot100's 63-year history, and the 61st to enter on top.
— billboard charts (@billboardcharts) May 9, 2022
This was big for Drake, as it made him the first rapper with ten No. 1 singles. It was also a major moment for Future, as it made him just the fifth artist to ever have a song debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and an album (I Never Liked You) premiere on top of the Billboard 200 in the same week.
This is a historic moment for Tems, too: The Nigerian singer is now officially the first artist from Africa to have a song debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100. She’s also only the second Nigerian artist to go No. 1 at all; Wizkid did it first when he was featured on Drake’s No. 1 hit “One Dance” in 2016.
This is also Tems’ second top-10 single, as her and Wizkid’s “Essence” peaked at No. 9 in 2021.
