Tank Sets New Adult R&B Airplay Record: ‘Being No. 1 … Is Just Something Different’

Tank is no stranger to No. 1s, but even this newest one is sure to have him shouting “YES”!

The singer captures his 12th No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart (dated Oct. 17), breaking a tie with Charlie Wilson for the most leaders by a male artist in the chart’s 33-year history. Overall, Tank ranks second to Alicia Keys and her 14 No. 1s.

“Having a [No.] 1 song is always special, but being [No.] 1 in the history of the platform is just something different,” Tank tells Billboard. “Just keep singing the R&B music you love and God will do the rest.”

“YES,” released and promoted through R&B Money/BMG, rises from the runner-up spot to crown the list. The track’s ascent cements its status as the most played song on panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations in the United States for the tracking week of Oct. 2-8, according to Luminate. For its coronation week, “YES” registered the largest increase in plays among all songs at the format, winning it the weekly Greatest Gainer honor.

Here’s a look at the acts with the most chart-toppers:

As “YES” advances, it swaps places with last week’s champ, October London’s “Silent Treatment,” which falls after one week in charge.

The new Adult R&B Airplay leader has its roots in a previous champ, as “YES” interpolates the R&B duo Floetry’s “Say Yes,” which spent seven weeks at No. 1 in 2003. Through its use, Floetry members Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart are credited as songwriters on “YES.”

Now that Tank makes history as the first man to reach a dozen No. 1s, here’s a recap his 12 Adult R&B Airplay chart champs: