Chart Watch: 'I'm the One' Debuts at No. 1

DJ Khaled’s “I’m the One,” featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne, enters the Hot 100 at No. 1. As such, it is off to a fast start in the annual Song of the Summer sweepstakes.

“I’m the One” is the fourth hip-hop single to enter the chart at No. 1, following Puff Daddy & Faith Evans’ “I’ll Be Missing You” (featuring 112), Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and Eminem’s “Not Afraid.”

It’s Bieber’s second song to debut in the top spot, following “What Do You Mean?” Only two other artists have debuted at No. 1 with two or more songs. Mariah Carey leads with three songs that have accomplished this feat (“Fantasy,” “One Sweet Day” and “Honey”). Britney Spears has, like Bieber, done it twice (with “3” and “Hold It against Me”).

“I’m the One” is the first single on which five artists had individual billing to reach (not just debut at) No. 1. Two four-way collabos have hit the top spot: “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and P!nk and “Give Me Everything” by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer.

“I’m the One” is DJ Khaled’s first No. 1 hit; his second to reach the top 10. It follows the similarly-titled “I’m on One,” which reached No. 10 in June 2011. That single featured Drake, Rick Ross and, once again, Lil Wayne.

“I’m the One” is Bieber’s fourth No. 1 hit (following “What Do You Mean?,” “Sorry” and “Love Yourself”); Lil Wayne’s third (following “Lollipop” and Jay Sean’s “Down,” on which he was featured). It’s the first as a solo artist for Quavo, who topped the chart earlier this year as a member of the rap trio Migos with “Bad and Boujee.” (Quavo is the first artist to top the chart with a group and as a soloist in the same year since will.i.am in 2010.)

And get this: “I’m the One” is not only Chance the Rapper’s first top 10 hit, it’s his first top 40 hit. The acclaimed rapper had previously climbed as high as No. 41 with Bieber’s “Confident” (on which he was featured). Remarkably, Chance won a Grammy for Best New Artist before he landed a top 40 hit on the Hot 100—as a lead or featured artist. He’s the first artist of whom that is true since Esperanza Spalding, the surprise 2010 winner.

Bieber has a second song in the top three this week. He is featured on Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” which jumps from No. 4 to No. 3 in its 16th week. Bieber is the first artist to have two songs in the top three since he did it in February 2016 with “Love Yourself” and “Sorry.”
“I’m the One” sold 171K digital copies in its first week. Only two other songs—both by Ed Sheeran—have sold 170K copies or more in a single week so far in 2017. “Shape of You” sold 240K in its opening week in January and 200K in its sixth week in February. “Castle on the Hill” sold 171K in its opening week in January.

“I’m the One” enter Hot Digital Songs at No. 1. It displaces the aforementioned “Despacito.” Bieber is the first artist ever to have back-to-back No. 1s on the digital chart as a featured artist.
“I’m the One” enters Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at No. 1. It also enters the Official U.K. Singles Chart at No. 1. It’s Bieber’s fifth No. 1 hit in the U.K.

This is the first song titled “I’m the One” to reach the top 10. Not surprisingly, “You’re the One” has been a more successful song title. Two songs with that title have made the top 10. The Vogues took a song with that title to No. 4 in 1965. SWV took a different song with that title to No. 5 in 1996.

Top Songs

Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” dips to No. 2 in its 16th week. The peppy, poppy song tops the 1 million mark in digital sales this week.

As noted above, Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” (featuring Justin Bieber) jumps from No. 4 to No. 3 in its 16th week. It’s the first song sung mostly in Spanish to crack the top three since Los Del Rio’s 1996 smash “Macarena.” That song spent 14 consecutive weeks at No. 1.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble.” dips from No. 3 to No. 4 in its fifth week. The song reached No. 1 two weeks ago.

Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” drops from No. 2 to No. 5 in its 17th week. The song logged 12 weeks at No. 1.

“Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay holds at No. 6 in its 11th week. The song peaked at No. 3.

Future’s “Mask Off” drops from its No. 5 peak to No. 7 in its 11th week.

KYLE’s “iSpy” (featuring Lil Yachty) holds at No. 8 in its 19th week. The song peaked at No. 4.

Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO TOUR Llif3” holds at No. 9 in its sixth week.

“It Ain’t Me” by Selena Gomez and Kygo holds at No. 10 in its 12th week.

Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA.” drops out of the top 10 this week.

Top Albums

Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. tops The Billboard 200 for the third straight week. It’s the second rap album of 2017 (following Drake’s More Life) to spend its first three weeks at No. 1. DAMN. surpasses Lamar’s previous studio album, To Pimp a Butterfly, which spent its first two weeks on top in March 2015.

Gorillaz lands its third top 10 album as Humanz debuts at No. 2. This is the virtual group’s second album to reach No. 2. 2010’s Plastic Beach also stalled in the runner-up spot. Humanz sold more copies than any other album this week in traditional album sales, but DAMN. came out ahead when digital track sales and streaming were factored in.

Mary J. Blige lands her 14th top 10 album as Strength of a Woman debuts at No. 3. Only one African American woman has amassed more top 10 albums or EPs over the course of her career. That’s Mariah Carey, who leads the pack with 17. Trailing Carey and Blige are Diana Ross, with 12 (counting eight with the Supremes), Beyoncé, with 11 (counting four with Destiny’s Child) and Janet Jackson, with 10.

Blige is marking 25 years as a hit recording artist. She first cracked the top 10 in September 1992 with her debut album, What’s the 411? All 13 of her studio albums have made the top 10.

Drake’s More Life drops from No. 2 to No. 4 in its seventh week. It spent its first three weeks on top.

Ed Sheeran’s ÷ drops from No. 3 to No. 5 in its ninth week. It spent its first two weeks at No. 1. The album logs its ninth week at No. 1 on The Official U.K. Albums Chart. This surpasses Sheeran’s previous album, x, which spent its first eight weeks at No. 1 in the U.K. before being dislodged. (x subsequently returned for five additional weeks at No. 1.)

The compilation Epic AF debuts at No. 6.

Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic drops from No. 5 to No. 7 in its 24th week. The album has never ranked lower than No. 7. It logged four weeks at No. 2.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix, Vol. 2 holds at No. 8 in its second week. The album moves up to No. 1 on the Top Soundtracks chart, displacing Moana. The soundtrack to first movie in this franchise was the top soundtrack to a theatrically released film for 33 weeks from 2014-16. The new movie was No. 1 at the box-office over the weekend, displacing The Fate of the Furious.

The Chainsmokers’ Memories…Do Not Open drops from No. 6 to No. 9 in its fourth week. The album debuted at No. 1.

Willie Nelson lands his sixth top 10 album as God’s Problem Child debuts at No. 10. Nelson first cracked the top 10 in April 1976 with Wanted: The Outlaws, a collabo with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser. God’s Problem Child enters Top Country Albums at No. 1, displacing Brad Paisley’s Love and War. It’s Nelson’s 17th No. 1 country album. He first topped the country chart in October 1975 with Red Headed Stranger.

Note: I’m counting Wanted! The Outlaws in Nelson’s tallies of top 10 albums on The Billboard 200 and No. 1 albums on the country chart. All four artists on the album were identified by name and with their images on the album cover.

Nelson, 84, is not the oldest artist to land a top 10 album on The Billboard 200. That title is held by Tony Bennett, who was 88 in 2014 when he made the top 10 with Cheek to Cheek, a collabo with Lady Gaga. Both artists have received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Recording Academy. Nelson was honored in 2000. Bennett got his award one year later.

Four albums drop out of the top 10 this week. Incubus’s 8 plummets from No. 4 to No. 127. The Moana soundtrack drops from No. 7 to No. 12. Future’s FUTURE drops from No. 9 to No. 15. The Weeknd’s Starboy drops from No. 10 to No. 17.

John Mellencamp featuring Carlene Carter’s Sad Clowns and Hillbillies debuts at No. 11. It’s Mellencamp’s 16th top 20 album; Carter’s first. Mellencamp still went by the name John Cougar in June 1982 when he landed his first top 20 album, American Fool.

Wale lands his fifth top 20 album as Shine debuts at No. 16. That’s a come-down from his last three albums, all of which reached the top two.

Kendrick Lamar’s 2013 breakthrough album good kid, m.A.A.d. city drops from No. 35 to No. 44 in its 236th week. The album is No. 1 on Top Catalog Albums for the fifth non-consecutive week.

Coming Attractions: Look for Logic’s Everybody and Chris Stapleton’s From a Room: Volume 1 to debut in the top two spots next week (in that order).