Some may argue Rihanna will never be a legend, but at the rate she’s meeting or surpassing the records of her legendary predecessors, the history books will argue otherwise.
For, despite shortcomings on the Billboard 200 side of charts, her 11 year career has seen her equal or eclipse many-a-Hot 100 record of pop music’s royalty (Whitney Houston, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, etc). In fact, those who need a refresher should traipse with us down memory lane for a few highlights:
2010s
As of time reporting, Rihanna is the only female artist of color to top Hot 100 this decade
2011
Rihanna outraces Madonna for most top 10 singles amassed in shortest period of time
2013
Rihanna surpasses Whitney Houston‘s Hot 100 top 10 record
2016
Rihanna ties Janet Jackson & Mariah Carey‘s top 10 record
Now, it appears the ‘Diamonds’ diva has her sights set on the Hot 100 crowns of King of Pop Michael Jackson. With the ascension of her (not Drake‘s) latest tune ‘Work’ to the tally’s perch, the songbird is just one #1 hit away from breaking two of his prized records.
Find out which below:
Last week when ‘Work’ worked its way to the #4 spot, it put her in an exclusive club of hitmakers. In fact, she became the 8th artist in history to amass 20 or more top 5 singles.
The song [‘Work’] is Rihanna’s 20th top five Hot 100 hit, making her just the eighth artist to hit that milestone.
Here is an updated look at the acts with the most top five Hot 100 hits:
29, The Beatles
28, Madonna
26, Mariah Carey
24, Janet Jackson
21, Elvis Presley (whose career predated the Hot 100’s 1958 launch by two years)
20, Michael Jackson
20, Rihanna
20, Stevie Wonder
But, as if tying MJ’s top 5 record last week wasn’t enough, this week the diva’s Drake-assisted hit zoomed to #1 (as seen in charts below). With it, Rih not only nabbed her 14th #1 single, but also tied the King of Pop’s Hot 100 #1’s record.