It’s not a bird…not a plane…it’s ‘Super Freaky Girl’ – the latest single from Rap Queen Nicki Minaj – that serves as this week’s crowned champion of the Billboard Hot 100.
Soaring to the top of the tally with the year’s biggest first-week sales, the Dr. Luke-produced tune proved to be just what the doctor ordered in many ways. Boasting global dominance of digital platforms since its August 12 unveiling, the song’s ongoing commercial performance not only reminds us of just how big of a superstar Nicki remains over a decade into her career but also reasserts her position as a groundbreaking and record-breaking musical phenom.
Look inside to see 8 ways ‘Super’ rocked history books this week.
- 1. Breaks Her Own Record as Oldest Female Rapper to Own a Hot 100 #1 Hit
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- In 2020, Nicki – at 37-years-young – became the oldest female rapper to own a #1 hit on the Hot 100 when she topped the chart not once, but twice with ‘Say So’ (with Doja Cat) and ‘TROLLZ‘ (with 6ix9ine) respectively. The arrival of ‘Super Freaky Girl’ atop this week’s chart sees Minaj, 39, best herself.
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- 2. Breaks Her Own Record for Biggest Sales Week of 2022
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- When Nicki’s ‘Do We Have a Problem’ entered the Hot 100 at #2 in February thanks to sales of 48,000 its inaugural week of availability, it made her the first female rapper to net 20 top 10 hits on the Hot 100. The figure stood as the year’s top-selling first week of any artist until ‘Super’ shattered the record this week with 89,000 units sold (nearly doubling its predecessor’s value). ‘Super’ is the first female #1 debut of the year.
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- 3. Extends Her Record as Female Rapper with Most Top 10, Top 20, and Top 40 Hits
- Thanks to ‘Super,’ Minaj – with 124 appearances to date on the Hot 100 overall – lengthens her record as the female rapper with the most top 10 hits (21), top 20 hits (43), and top 40 hits (65). Among all female artists, Nicki has now passed Beyonce to become the 7th most-mentioned act in the list of women with the most top 10 hits in the Hot 100’s 64-year history. Among all acts, only Drake (158), Lil Wayne (86), Taylor Swift (86), Elvis Presley (81), and Kanye West (71) have more top 40 hits.
- 4. Extends Her Record as Female Rapper with Most #1 Hits on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales Chart
- Just a day after its premiere, ‘Super’ shot to the top of iTunes in over 50 countries including the USA (where it marked her record-extending 28th #1 on iTunes). By the end of the tracking week, the song had moved 89,000 units in America alone – not only granting it the year’s best first-week sales yet but also sending it straight to the top of Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart. Her 12th chart-topping hit on that tally, she breaks a four-way tie with Beyonce, Katy Perry, Eminem, and BTS among acts with most #1s on the all-time Digital Song Sales list. Only Taylor Swift (23), Rihanna (14) , Justin Bieber (13), and Drake (13) boast more.
- 5. First Solo Female Rap Song to Debut at #1 This Century
- In the 64-year history of the Hot 100, only two solo female Rap songs have debuted at its perch: 1998’s ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ by Lauryn Hill and now Minaj’s ‘Super Freaky Girl.’
- 6. Only the Fourth Solo Female Rapper in History To Own a Solo #1 Hit
- Before ‘Super Freaky Girl’ gripped the Hot 100’s pole position, only three other female Rap acts knew what it was like to occupy the spot without assistance: Hill (with ‘Doo Wop’), Cardi B (with ‘Up’ and ‘Bodak Yellow’), and Lizzo (with ‘Truth Hurts’ and ‘About Damn Time’).
- 7. Nicki joins Cardi B as the only female acts to have 3 or more Hot 100 #1 hits
- In summer 2018, Cardi became the first and only female rapper to (at the time) to have more than one song top the Hot 100 over her career. In the four years that followed, she was joined by Minaj and Lizzo. Unlike Minaj, Lizzo and Cardi remain the only two female rappers to own two solo #1 hits. Unlike Liz, on the other hand, Minaj and Cardi are now the only female rappers to boast 3 or more Hot 100 chart-toppers. As of time reported, Cardi holds the overall record (5).