Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” Claims Billboard’s Hot 100 Throne
Doja Cat has achieved yet another milestone in her musical journey as “Paint the Town Red” ascends from its No. 3 position to claim the coveted No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. This marks her second career chart-topper, following the success of “Say So,” featuring Nicki Minaj, back in 2020. Notably, “Paint the Town Red” also secures its place in history by becoming the first rap track to reign supreme on the Hot 100 in over a year, ending a lengthy hiatus for the genre on the chart, dating back to 2001.
The rise of “Paint the Town Red” to the Hot 100’s summit also has a special significance. It brings legendary songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David back to the top for the first time since 2004, courtesy of its clever sample from Dionne Warwick‘s timeless classic, “Walk on By.” The Hot 100 combines various metrics, including U.S. streaming figures, radio airplay, and sales data (physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers), with digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer sites excluded from the calculations. Fans can catch all the latest chart updates on Billboard.com or follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on social media.
Let’s dive into the details of “Paint the Town Red” (released on Kemosabe/RCA Records), which becomes the 1,155th No. 1 hit in the chart’s illustrious 65-year history.
Impressive Stats: Streams, Sales, and Airplay
During the tracking week of September 1-7, “Paint the Town Red” made impressive strides. It garnered 32.1 million radio airplay audience impressions, marking a 14% increase, along with 27.7 million streams, up by 10%. The song also saw robust sales with 8,000 downloads, showing a remarkable 32% surge, all according to Luminate. These achievements earned it the prestigious Hot 100 Streaming and Sales Gainer awards.
The single maintains its No. 2 position on the Streaming Songs chart and climbs from 6th to 5th on the Digital Song Sales chart. Additionally, it makes a notable leap from 17th to 15th on the Radio Songs chart, achieving new personal bests in these two categories.
Doja Cat’s Second Hot 100 No. 1
This chart-topping feat marks Doja Cat‘s second time leading the Hot 100, following her previous reign with “Say So,” featuring Nicki Minaj, for a week in May 2020. Just two weeks ago, “Paint the Town Red” catapulted into the top 10, marking her seventh song to achieve this distinction.
The track is part of Doja Cat’s highly anticipated fourth studio album, “Scarlet,” scheduled for release on September 22.
Breaking the Dry Spell: First Rap No. 1 in Over a Year
“Paint the Town Red” not only secures Doja Cat’s spot at the summit but also makes history by becoming the first rap track to claim the Hot 100 throne in over a year. The last time this happened was when Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” debuted at No. 1 on the chart dated August 27, 2022. This accomplishment effectively ends a 54-week hiatus during which three rap songs peaked at No. 2: Lil Durk‘s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole; Drake‘s “Search & Rescue”; and Drake and 21 Savage‘s “Rich Flex.”
Before this recent break, the Hot 100’s longest period without a rap chart-topper occurred pre- and post-Y2K. Following Will Smith‘s “Wild Wild West,” featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee, which held the No. 1 spot for a week in July 1999, rap songs were conspicuously absent from the chart’s summit until Shaggy‘s “It Wasn’t Me,” featuring Ricardo “RikRok” Ducent, began a two-week reign in February 2001. This marked a drought of 79 weeks, equivalent to just over 18 months and a staggering 22 No. 1 hits without a rap leader.