Playboi Carti and The Weeknd’s recent partnership yields another No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Rather Lie” leads the list dated July 12. The pair previously linked up for “Timeless,” which reigned for four weeks last November-December.
“Rather Lie” — from Playboi Carti’s MUSIC album — leaps from No. 4 and becomes the most played song on panel-contributing rhythm radio stations in the United States for the tracking week of June 27-July 3, according to Luminate. The song takes the throne from PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s “Somebody Loves Me” after the latter’s one-week stay.
Thanks to the current single, Playboi Carti snags his second No. 1 on the radio chart. The Weeknd, meanwhile, collects a 16th leader and moves within one champ of tying Rihanna for the second-most in the chart’s history, dating to its start in October 1992.
Here’s an updated review of the leaderboard:
- 41, Drake
- 17, Rihanna
- 16, The Weeknd
- 14, Chris Brown
- 13, Bruno Mars
- 13, Lil Wayne
- 13, Usher
- 12, Beyoncé
- 12, Nicki Minaj
In all, “Rather Lie” is the third Rhythmic Airplay entry that Playboi Carti and The Weeknd share. In addition to “Timeless,” the duo joined forces with Madonna on “Popular,” a No. 7 hit in September 2023. Beyond their recent singles, the pair has taken their collaborative to the road, with Playboi Carti serving as an opening act for the 2025 leg of The Weeknd’s After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour.
As The Weeknd welcomes another chart-topper to his collection, let’s recap his No. 1s on Rhythmic Airplay:
- “Love Me Harder,” with Ariana Grande; five weeks at No. 1, beginning Jan. 3, 2015
- “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” three, May 2, 2015
- “Can’t Feel My Face,” five, Aug. 1, 2015
- “The Hills,” five, Sept. 19, 2015
- “In the Night,” one, Feb. 13, 2016
- “Might Not,” Belly feat. The Weeknd; three, April 30, 2016
- “Starboy,” feat. Daft Punk; six, Nov. 5, 2016
- “Party Monster,” one, April 1, 2017
- “Pray for Me,” with Kendrick Lamar; two, April 14, 2018
- “Heartless,” one, Feb. 8, 2020
- “You Right,” with Doja Cat; four, Aug. 28, 2021
- “One Right Now,” with Post Malone, one, Feb. 12, 2022
- “Creepin,” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, three, Feb. 11, 2023
- “Timeless,” with Playboi Carti, four, Nov. 23, 2024
- “Cry for Me,” one, April 26, 2025
- “Rather Lie,” with Playboi Carti, one (to date), July 12, 2025
Further, thanks to “Cry for Me” and “Rather Lie,” The Weeknd achieves multiple Rhythmic Airplay No. 1s in the same calendar year for the first time since 2016.
Elsewhere, “Rather Lie” repeats at No. 9 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, but improves 4% in plays for the tracking week compared with the prior period. It also holds at No. 3 on the Rap Airplay ranking, though it gains 9% in audience. Gains from the sectors and its rhythmic strength help the single push 45-44 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. There, it added 8% in audience for the week, reaching 17.6 million in listenership.
