SZA Ties Whitney Houston's Billboard Record

The "SOS" singer is the first R&B album to dominate the charts for seven weeks, or at least the first since Houston's sophomore effort.

BYGabriel Bras Nevares
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SZA's newest album SOS tied Whitney Houston's record for the longest-running R&B album at Billboard's No. 1 spot. Moreover, SOS just accomplished seven weeks atop their 200 album chart, which Houston did with her 1987 sophomore album, Whitney. While that album was the first R&B by a woman to reach the top spot, the new generation also pushed boundaries.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 07: SZA performs during weekend one of 2022 ACL Music Festival at Zilker Park on October 07, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage)

Furthermore, SOS is the longest-running No. 1 album by a woman since Adele's 25 in 2016. Additionally, it's the first album to spend at least seven weeks straight on the charts since Disney's Encanto soundtrack in March of 2022. Moreover, the last R&B or hip-hop album to do so was Drake's 2018 album Views, which spent 13 non-nonsecutive weeks at No. 1.

Overall, the TDE artist's success is nothing short of astounding. For example, the new album garnered over 400 million streams for the biggest first-week album streams ever in R&B. Also, it's the second-biggest streaming week of all time for a female artist. With dominant singles like "Kill Bill," we're sure that the numbers will keep stacking.

However, it's not all the 33-year-old has to look forward to. Moreover, her first arena tour starts soon, kicking off in Columbus, Ohio in late February. Later, SZA's scheduled for 17 shows in total, ending in March in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, SZA also recently teased a collaboration with Miley Cyrus, who just dropped the much-anticipated single "Flowers." Cyrus also shouted her out for her success, and said she's looking forward to linking up. Given similar praise from the likes of Taylor Swift and many more, the "Gone Girl" star is dominating the industry. What's more is that her song even got actress Vivica Fox to want to star in another Kill Bill.

Still, what did you think of SZA and Whitney Houston having some of the longest-running No. 1 albums in R&B? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news on SZA, chart numbers, and amazing voices in R&B.

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About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.