You know the chart’s not the same as it was. That’s because Steve Lacy hit No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, capping off a run for his song “Bad Habit†that began after it debuted at No. 100 in July. After spending weeks at No. 2, “Bad Habit†became just the 12th song to log a 100–1 chart climb — and dethroned Harry Styles’s record-breaking “As It Was†in the process. That song, now at No. 2, sits as the fourth-longest-running No. 1 of all time (and the longest for a soloist) after 15 weeks at the top; a 16th week would tie it for second. Lacy’s No. 1 sets up some competition for the next few weeks — “As It Was†already holds the record for most times bouncing back to No. 1 (four, after its initial run) and could very well extend that. But Lacy, a former member of the Internet, has the power of R&B and rock radio on his side after “Bad Habit†broke out as a crossover hit from his latest album, Gemini Rights.
Lacy and Styles may also have some competition further down the chart. Sam Smith and Kim Petras debuted at No. 3 with their long-awaited TikTok hit “Unholy.†The song is currently No. 1 in the U.K., Smith’s home country, and could jump on next week’s Hot 100 thanks to views for its music video, which wasn’t released during this week’s frame. But “Unholy†likely already made history with its debut as one of the highest-charting songs ever by a trans artist, never mind two (Smith is nonbinary and Petras is a trans woman). Keeping with Lacy’s trend, it’s also Petras’s first appearance on the Hot 100. Below, a few chart regulars, GloRilla and Cardi B, enter at No. 9 with their collaboration, “Tomorrow 2.†This is just the second time on the Hot 100 for Glo, after her song “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)†earlier this year. Who knows — maybe she could be at No. 1 tomorrow? (Next week, but you get it!)