Russ and Bia's ‘Best’ Week Ever: A First Rhythmic Songs No. 1

Russ and Bia each claim a career first No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Songs airplay chart as “Best on Earth” jumps 3-1 on the list dated March 28.

The collaboration rises through a 7% boost in plays in the week ending March 22 compared with the week prior, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.

For Russ, “Earth” achieves the rapper’s maiden leader on his 10th Rhythmic Songs entry. His previous best was a No. 8 showing for “Losin Control” in 2017. “Earth,” meanwhile, marks the first Rhythmic Songs entry for Bia.

“Earth” tops the Rhythmic Songs chart in its 18th week on the list, the longest wait for any song to reach the summit since Khalid’s “Better” also needed 18 frames before it led in February 2019.

Among all the chart’s No. 1s, “Earth” completes one of the 15 longest trips among 385 chart-toppers since the list began in October 1992. Here’s the full recap:

Weeks to No. 1, Song, Artist, Date Reached No. 1
24, “Waterfalls,” TLC, Aug. 5, 1995
20, “Day ‘N’ Nite,” Kid Cudi, May 23, 2009
20, “Sky Walker,” Miguel featuring Travis Scott, Feb. 3, 2018
19, “Don’t Let Go (Love),” En Vogue, Feb. 15, 1997
19, “Work Out,” J. Cole, Dec. 31, 2011
18, “Freak Like Me,” Adina Howard, June 10, 1995
18, “Me & U,” Cassie, July 29, 2006
18, “Dangerous,” Kardinal Offishall featuring Akon, Sept. 6, 2008
18, “The Show Goes On,” Lupe Fiasco, June 11, 2011
18, “Party Rock Anthem,” LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock, Aug. 20, 2011
18, “Mercy,” Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz, Sept. 8, 2012
18, “All of Me,” John Legend, May 3, 2014
18, “Turn Down for What,” DJ Snake & Lil Jon, May 31, 2014
18, “Better,” Khalid, Feb. 16, 2019
18, “Best on Earth,” Russ & Bia, March 28, 2020

Elsewhere, “Earth” holds at its No. 8 peak on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, though it slips 2% to 17.5 million in audience in the week ending March 22. It also maintains its No. 4 showing on Rap Airplay, though it gains 1% in audience in the same window. The net radio gains help “Earth” keep its No. 26 rank on the all-genre Radio Songs chart for a second straight week, where it improves 1% to 34 million in audience.

Radio gains also help the collaboration crack the upper half of the Billboard Hot 100, which combines radio airplay with song sales and streams. There, “Earth” rockets 62-46, a move also aided by the decline of many Lil Uzi Vert songs from the rapper’s Eternal Atake in their sophomore week.

“Earth” features on Russ’ latest studio album, Shake The Snow Globe, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts in February.