Drake ends the longest break of his career from the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Nokia” reaches the summit of the list dated May 17. The single gives the superstar his first leader since “Rich Baby Daddy,” featuring Sexyy Red and SZA, ruled for two frames in December 2023, and becomes Drake’s record-extending 40th No. 1 on the radio ranking.
Drake’s absence from the Rhythmic Airplay summit in 2024 wrapped a 15-year string of at least one No. 1 every year since his breakthrough single, “Best I Ever Had,” stormed to a 10-week domination in 2009. The streak nearly continued, as Drake’s best Rhythmic Airplay result was a No. 2 finish for “You Broke My Heart” in March 2024.
“Nokia,” released and promoted through OVO Sound/Santa Anna/Republic, advances from No. 2 to become the most-played song on U.S. panel-contributing rhythmic radio stations in the tracking week of May 2-8, according to Luminate. The track registered a 10% gain in plays for the tracking period compared to the previous frame and wins the Greatest Gainer honor, given each week to the song with the largest increase in plays.
As “Nokia” ascends to the top slot, it unseats Doechii’s “Anxiety” after its two-week reign. “Anxiety” slides to No. 2 with a 4% drop in plays for the week.
With a 40th Rhythmic Airplay No. 1, Drake continues to lap the competition for the most champs since the radio chart’s launch in October 1992. Here’s a review of the updated leaderboard:
40, Drake
17, Rihanna
15, The Weeknd
14, Chris Brown
13, Bruno Mars
13, Usher
13, Lil Wayne
Elsewhere, “Nokia” nears the top of multiple other radio charts. It climbs 4-3 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay with a 4% gain in weeky plays and 22-20 on Pop Airplay (up 21%).
Shifting to audience-based airplay charts, “Nokia” holds at No. 2 on the Rap Airplay chart – its third consecutive week in the runner-up position – though it added 6% more audience impressions than the previous frame. On R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, the single rises 7-6 through a boost to combined 11.3 million in audience from mainstream R&B/hip-hop and adult R&B formats, up 3% from the prior week. The multi-format increases drive “Nokia” 19-15 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, where it registered 32.4 million in total audience for the tracking week, an 11% improvement from the week before.
“Nokia” appears on $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, largely a collaborative album from PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake. The pair share billing on 14 of the album’s 21 tracks, while Drake has six solo cuts, including “Nokia,” and PARTYNEXTDOOR has one. The set, released in February, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and has remained in the top 10 for its first 12 weeks on the list.
