Bruno Mars now shares one of the biggest longevity marks on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. “I Just Might” has reached its 31st week at No. 1 on the chart dated October 10, drawing level with Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” for the longest stay on top in the ranking’s 68-year history.

That puts Mars, Kendrick and SZA at the same rare checkpoint: 31 weeks at the summit of a chart built to measure the most popular R&B and hip-hop songs in the United States. More importantly, it leaves a very straightforward next step. If “I Just Might” remains No. 1 for one more chart week, Mars would own the record outright.

The tie is notable not merely because it is a large number. A week at No. 1 is a snapshot of competitive performance; 31 weeks represents a song sustaining that position through changing listener habits, radio rotations and new releases. For a chart that has operated as an all-encompassing R&B/hip-hop ranking since October 1958, the mark stretches across several generations of music.

What drove “I Just Might” to the tie

“I Just Might” was released through Atlantic Records in January as the lead single from The Romantic. It entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 1 on the January 24-dated edition, giving the track an immediate lead in its long chart campaign.

During the tracking period running from September 25 through October 1, the song recorded 5.3 million official U.S. streams, reached a 51.9 million airplay audience and sold 1,000 copies. Those inputs matter because Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a combined chart rather than a tally based on only one form of consumption.

How the combined chart works

In basic terms, official streams reflect eligible U.S. listens on approved services. Airplay audience refers to the size of the radio audience reached by a song’s spins, rather than simply the raw count of times it was played. Sales cover purchases. The chart combines those measures to assess a song’s overall popularity.

That structure helps explain why a long run at No. 1 is especially difficult. A record cannot rely on one metric alone if challengers are stronger elsewhere. A song with large streaming numbers may face a radio giant; one with massive radio support may encounter a release that is surging in purchases and streams. “I Just Might” has maintained enough strength across the inputs to remain above its competition for 31 weeks.

There was one interruption. Drake’s “Janice STFU” took the top spot for seven weeks from May into July. Apart from that stretch, “I Just Might” has held No. 1 since its debut. The result is an unusually durable chart run rather than a short burst followed by repeated returns much later.

Related coverage includes Bruno Mars Matches Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s 31-Week R&B/Hip-Hop Chart Record.

Mars’ broader crossover run

The R&B/hip-hop chart record is part of an even wider performance story for “I Just Might.” The single became Mars’ 10th No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. It has also topped both Pop Airplay and Rhythmic Airplay, while reaching No. 2 on Adult R&B Airplay.

Each of those placements highlights a slightly different audience lane. The Hot 100 is an all-genre singles ranking, while Pop Airplay focuses on pop-radio performance and Rhythmic Airplay tracks songs played by rhythmic-format stations. Adult R&B Airplay, meanwhile, reflects performance within its own format. Reaching the top across the first three, and No. 2 on the fourth, shows that the song’s appeal has not been confined to one radio or listener segment.

This is also Mars’ fifth No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. His previous leaders were “That’s What I Like,” “Finesse” with Cardi B, “Please Me” with Cardi B, and “Leave the Door Open,” the Silk Sonic single with Anderson .Paak.

That list illustrates the range of Mars’ prior success on the ranking, from solo releases to prominent collaborations and Silk Sonic. Still, five chart-toppers and a historic 31-week stay are different achievements. The former measures repeated success at reaching the top; the latter measures just how long one song can keep everyone else from reaching it.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA remain level at the summit

“Luther,” credited to Kendrick Lamar and SZA, set the 31-week standard across 2024 and 2025. The song appears on Kendrick’s GNX and incorporates a sample from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s version of “If This World Were Mine.”

Mars matching “Luther” keeps all three artists attached to the central benchmark for the time being. It also underlines how different paths can arrive at the same chart result. “Luther” is a Kendrick and SZA collaboration tied to a particular sampled musical lineage; “I Just Might” is Mars’ lead single from The Romantic. Their common denominator is not style or release setup, but their extraordinary longevity on a hybrid popularity chart.

There is a larger conversation around Drake, Kendrick and the competitive culture that can surround major rap releases, but chart outcomes ultimately depend on the underlying consumption and airplay measures rather than fan narratives alone. For a related look at how those rivalries can extend beyond the records themselves, see this discussion of Drake-Kendrick “side picking” and fan rivalries.

The next chart week is the real test

A record tie is not automatically a record break. “I Just Might” needs another week at No. 1 to become the sole longest-running leader in Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs history. The latest figures establish the song’s current strength, but they do not guarantee its position on the next ranking.

That challenge is heightened by new music from Drake and Don Toliver on the October 2 deluxe edition of HABIBTI. New releases can alter the competition quickly, particularly when they create immediate streaming interest. Whether they can translate that attention into enough combined chart strength to displace Mars is not established here; the next chart will determine the result.

For now, the key facts are clear. Mars has equaled a 31-week No. 1 record held by Kendrick Lamar and SZA. “I Just Might” has done so with a mix of U.S. streaming, radio audience and sales, after yielding the lead only to Drake’s “Janice STFU” during its run. And one more week at the summit would turn a historic tie into a solo record.