The Weeknd Finally Knocks Roddy Ricch Out Of #1
Way the hell back in January, Roddy Ricch’s out-of-nowhere sing-rap smash “The Box” — known to some of us as the ee-urr song — hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. At the time, “The Box” wasn’t released as a single, and it didn’t even have a video. (The video finally came out in February, and it’s pretty good.) For 11 weeks — basically this entire cursed and chaotic year — “The Box” reigned at #1. “The Box” spent 11 weeks at #1 — not quite “Old Town Road” numbers, but an amazing feat nonetheless. Its stay at the top has finally ended, and the Weeknd is the man who ended it.
When “The Box” first ascended to #1, Roddy Ricch’s track blocked the debut of Justin Bieber’s comeback single “Yummy” from hitting the top spot. Future and Drake’s “Life Is Good” also spent a long time at #2 behind “The Box,” and Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” also peaked at #2. But now, as Billboard reports, “The Box” has finally fallen to #2, and the Weeknd’s synthpop jam “Blinding Lights” now occupies the top of the charts.
The Weeknd’s victory probably has everything to do with the release of his new album After Hours, which is now #1 and which just had the best first week of any album in 2020 thus far. In December, The Weeknd’s After Hours single “Heartless” also hit #1. “Blinding Lights” is the Weeknd’s fifth #1 single — a pretty incredible record for a guy who started out as a mysterious online critical favorite.