Lil Wayne has become the first artist ever to rack up six number 1 songs on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B Hip-Hop radio airplay chart in a single calendar year, according to Billboard. The designation was reached today when the prolific rapper’s “She Will” feat. Drake rose from number 3 to number 1 on the chart. “She Will is the fourth single from Wayne’s latest album “Tha Carter IV”, which topped the Billboard 200 back in August with sales of 964,000 copies in its first week.
Wayne already beat Usher’s old record of four number 1’s on the chart earlier this year when “How to Love” ascended to the top spot. His other peak slotters over the last 12 months are “6 Foot 7 Foot” feat. Cory Gunz, “Look at Me Now” (actually a Chris Brown track on which the rapper was featured with Busta Rhymes), “Motivation” (a Kelly Rowland song featuring Wayne), and “I’m on One” (a song by DJ Khaled featuring Wayne, Rick Ross and Drake).
Whether or not it’s fair that an artist can claim a number 1 single when they were only a featured guest on the track and not the top-billed artist is another matter, though it’s a question that’s certainly worth pondering.
In addition to the single-year record, Wayne also holds the overall record for the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, with thirteen number 1’s over the course of his career including “She Will”.
“Tha Carter IV” has so far sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States.
Wayne was listed in the 2012 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most Billboard Hot 100 singles of any rap artist in history, with a total of 64 between 1999 and 2010.