Sza’s “Kill Bill” made history as the longest-running No. 1 single by a female artist on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
After spending its 16th week at the top, Billboard reports that Sza has now surpassed Mary J. Blige’s 2006 hit “Be Without You,” which spent 15 weeks atop the songs chart. “Kill Bill” saw a 5% drop for the week of March 31–April 6, earning 23.4 million official streams in the U.S.
Now with her latest feat, Sza surpasses a lineup of R&B heavyweights with the longest-running No.1s by women. Sza tops with 16 weeks, and MJB follows up with 15 weeks for “Be Without You.” Deborah Cox, Mariah Carey, and Rihanna all spent 14 weeks at the top for their respective hits 1998’s “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” 2005’s “We Belong Together,” and 2012’s “Diamonds.”
Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” featuring Charli XCX spent 13 weeks in the No. 1 spot in 2014, and Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” held the spot for 12 weeks in 2008. Alicia Keys’ 2010 hit “Un-Thinkable” also spent 12 weeks dominating the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Sza has admitted to how “annoyed” she is over “Kill Bill’s” success as it was one of the easiest for her to make while recording her “SOS” album.
“I knew it would be something that pi**ed me off,” she told Billboard in February.
“It’s always a song that I don’t give a fu*k about that’s just super easy, not the sh*t that I put so much heart and energy into. ‘Kill Bill’ was super easy — one take, one night.”
Since
the release of “SOS” in December 2022, the album has sold more than one million copies worldwide and scored Sza four top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Kill Bill” being the best-performing single. The song is SZA’s second career No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, after “I Hate U,” which appears on the same album.