DaBaby Nabs First Streaming Songs Leader With 'Rockstar'
It’s the first song since Roddy Ricch's "The Box" to hit No. 1 after neither debuting there nor benefiting from a remix or the release of a new album.
by Kevin RutherfordIn its fifth week on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, DaBaby’s “Rockstar,” featuring Roddy Ricch, climbs to No. 1 on the May 30-dated list.
“Rockstar” crowns the ranking with 34.3 million U.S. streams earned in the tracking week ending May 21, up 8 percent, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. Its ascent follows the song’s initial No. 2 debut on the May 2-dated chart, toward which it garnered 28.1 million first-week streams.
As such, “Rockstar” is somewhat of a rarity in 2020: a Streaming Songs No. 1 that neither debuted there nor rose to No. 1 thanks to a remix, new version or the release of its corresponding album. Of the now seven new Streaming Songs rulers in 2020, three -- 6ix9ine’s “Gooba,’ The Scotts, Travis Scott & Kid Cudi’s “The Scotts” and Drake’s “Toosie Slide” -- debuted there. One (Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” featuring Beyonce) was aided by a newly released remix, and another (The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”) earned its first week at No. 1 upon the release of its parent album, despite originally reaching the chart the previous December.
The only song in a boat similar to “Rockstar”? Roddy Ricch’s “The Box,” which ascended to No. 1 in its fourth week on Streaming Songs as buzz around the track continued to grow, eventually reigning for 13 weeks. (Perhaps Roddy is a good luck charm, as he's featured on “Rockstar.”)
Both "The Box" and "Rockstar" also ascended to No. 1 at first without the aid of an official music video having been released at that time.
“Rockstar” is DaBaby’s first Streaming Songs No. 1; before “Rockstar,” his best had been the No. 2 peak of “Bop” in December 2019.
The song concurrently jumps to a new peak of No. 4 on the all-format Billboard Hot 100 after initially debuting at No. 9.