This weekend, social media and Twitter were abuzz with excitement over new music from XL/Columbia’s Adele, teased during The X Factor U.K. This begs the question, with her international success, selling power and genre-bending tracks, can she be a Rhythm artist? Taylor Swift made her way here, as did Daft Punk and Sam Smith, and none of those artists fit the “look” or “core sound” of what the Rhythm format traditionally has been. The label tells me they will attack all formats simultaneously. Adele’s music most certainly speaks for itself, but will Rhythm programmers see the power and effect of her mass appeal? Stay tuned!


Staying with Columbia, Ayelet Schiffman and James White have Dej Loaf f/Big Sean’s “Back Up” leaping #26-21, gaining 235 spins. It continues to build and see new commitments each week. J Cole’s “No Role Modelz” (Roc Nation) is also climbing as it enters the Top 25, up 180 spins. Calvin Harris & Disciples’ “How Deep Is Your Love” moves to #29 with a slight gain of 75 spins. Meanwhile, Empire Cast f/Jussie Smollett & Pitbull’s “No Doubt About It” rises to #35, pulling in an additional 140 spins.

At Republic, Gary Spangler, Davey Dee and Stef Cole flip-flop at the top spot as Drake’s “Hotline Bling” (YMCMB) blasts to #1. It was up 500 spins, which allowed the track to easily jump over The Weeknd’s “The Hills” (XO), which is sitting at #2. The two Toronto natives are molten hot and continue to dominate the chart. Republic’s brand new artist, Post Malone, is enjoying quite a start to his career with “White Iverson,” which moves to #16 with an increase of 590 spins—another personal best increase for him. Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” (Big Machine) climbs inside the Top 25 this week, powered by her hefty 200-spin increase. Nick Jonas’ “Levels” (Safehouse/Island) moves to #31, while Dawin f/Silento’s “Dessert” (Casablanca) inches closer to a debut, landing at #46, up 135 spins. Shawn Mendes’ “Stiches” (Island) is making a successful transition from Top 40, where it’s currently Top 5 and still growing like a monster. This week at Rhythm, it’s up 150 spins and sits just outside the chart at #47.


Def Jam’s Rick Sackheim, Noah Sheer and Scott Maness watch Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?,” up a whopping 470 spins, rocket inside the Top 10, moving from #11-6. Alessia Cara’s “Here” is another huge mover, climbing #17-11 with an increase of 400 spins. Both records are really crushing at the Top 40 format as well, with Bieber going for #1 at Pop for the first time in his career. Big Sean’s “Play No Games” (G.O.O.D. Music) tacks on an additional 205 spins to land at #26. Two songs just getting started are 2 Chainz‘s “Watch Out” and Rick Ross f/Chris Brown’s “Sorry.”

RCA’s John Strazza, Inca and Lori G take R City f/Adam Levine’s “Locked Away” Top 10 this week. Chris Brown’s “Zero” had a healthy 520-spin increase and surged #25-19. And after just one week, Tinashe f/Chris Brown’s “Player” debuts at #40, grabbing 360 new spins. Elle King’s alternative crossover hit “Ex’s And Oh’s” is at #54, up 70 spins, while Bryson Tiller’s “Don’t” moves to #58, tacking on 95 spins. This Tiller record is really making noise at Urban, so heads up.


Epic’s Sujit Kundu and team continue to run Future f/Drake’s “Where Ya At” (A1/Freebandz) up the chart. It climbs to #18 this week, increasing 390 spins—his best spin increase to date. Travi$ Scott’s “Antidote” (Grand Hustle) is up 150 spins at #28 this week. Meghan Trainor f/John Legend’s “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” adds 120 spins, good enough for #48. Puff Daddy & The Family’s “Finna Get Loose” is a new signing to Epic, and L.A. Reid just re-teamed with Diddy to distribute Bad Boy Records. They’re looking to regroup and find some new believers with his new song.

Christine Chiappetta and RECORDS has Nelly f/Jeremih’s “The Fix” firing on all cylinders, as it moves #16-13, grabbing 300 more spins. Chia also has iLoveMemphis’ “Hit The Quan” (Palmtree/Rushhour) leaping #30-22, up 305 spins. This one is gathering momentum quickly.

And finally, Lee L’Heureux and Warner Bros. get Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Downtown” (Macklemore) into the Top 5 with a massive 610-spin increase.

Largest Increases:
1) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis “Downtown” Macklemore/Warner Bros.
2) Post Malone “White Iverson” Republic
3) Chris Brown “Zero” RCA
4) Drake “Hotline Bling” YMCMB/Republic
5) Justin Bieber “What Do You Mean” Def Jam

The Pulse:
1) Tinashe f/Chris Brown “Player” RCA
2) ILoveMemphis “Hit The Quan” Palmtree/Rushhour/RECORDS
3) Travi$ Scott “Antidote” Grand Hustle/Epic
4) Chris Brown “Zero” RCA
5) Dawin f/Silento “Dessert” Casablanca/Republic