The Class of 2006: “the R&B and rap #1s turning 20”
Beyoncé twice, Ne-Yo and Rihanna's first, Sean Paul's dancehall takeover: the records that ran the Hot 100 twenty years ago.
2006 was a crowded year at the top. Eighteen different singles reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the most in a chart year since 1991, and R&B, rap and dancehall owned a big share of them. Twenty years on, here's the class, in the order they got there.
- Nelly ft. Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp — Grillz
- #1 from Jan 21 · 2 wks
- Beyoncé ft. Slim Thug — Check on It
- #1 from Feb 4 · 5 wks
- Ne-Yo — So Sick
- #1 from Mar 18 · 2 wks
- Sean Paul — Temperature
- #1 on Apr 1 · 1 wk
- Rihanna — SOS
- #1 from May 13 · 3 wks
- Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone — Ridin'
- #1 from Jun 3 · 2 wks
- Ludacris ft. Pharrell — Money Maker
- #1 from Oct 28 · 2 wks
- Justin Timberlake ft. T.I. — My Love
- #1 from Nov 11 · 3 wks
- Akon ft. Snoop Dogg — I Wanna Love You
- #1 from Dec 2 · 2 wks
- Beyoncé — Irreplaceable
- #1 from Dec 16 · 10 wks
Check on It. Beyoncé and Slim Thug took over on February 4 and held the top for five weeks, the first of two Beyoncé No. 1s that year.
So Sick. Ne-Yo's breakup ballad reached No. 1 on March 18. It was his first Hot 100 No. 1, and it stayed two weeks.
Temperature. Sean Paul brought dancehall back to the summit on April 1, a week at the top for the Dutty Rock star.
SOS. Rihanna's first Hot 100 No. 1 arrived on May 13 and lasted three weeks. Plenty more were coming.
Ridin', Money Maker, My Love, I Wanna Love You. Houston, Atlanta and the West Coast all got a turn. Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone in June, Ludacris and Pharrell in October, then T.I.'s first No. 1 as Justin Timberlake's guest on "My Love," and Akon's first with Snoop Dogg on "I Wanna Love You."
Irreplaceable. Beyoncé closed the year on December 16 and didn't let go: ten straight weeks at No. 1, running into late February 2007. It was the longest-running No. 1 of 2006, and "to the left, to the left" is still a whole lifestyle.
Ten records, one year. Which one still runs your playlist?
