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Grupo Firme & Maluma "Cada Quien"
Courtesy PhotoMaluma earns a career first No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart thanks to “Cada Quien,” his collaboration with Grupo Firme, as the song jumps from the runner-up slot on the Feb. 5-dated survey.
“Cada Quien” evicts Calibre 50’s “Si Te Pudiera Mentir” from its two-week reign thanks to a 16% gain in audience impressions, to 7.7 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 30, according to MRC Data. (“Si Te Pudiera” dips to No. 2 with a 7% decline in audience).
“This are very nice news because I’ve always been a fan of regional Mexican music, of ranchera and mariachi,” Maluma tells Billboard. “Being on a Mexican chart in the U.S., well that’s a big deal. I always dreamt of that. When I travel to Mexico, it’s like being at home, I feel part of it, and I am very grateful to Grupo Firme for making this possible.”
Maluma rewrites his personal best, as the pair’s collaborative single is his first leader but not his first visit to the regional Mexican tally. He scored his first top 10 through another team-up: “100 Años,” with Carlos Rivera, peaked at No. 6 on the May 29-dated ranking.
Grupo Firme, meanwhile, secures its fourth chart champ, following “Ya Supérame (En Vivo Desde Culiacán, Sinaloa),” the three-week ruler that marked a milestone for the Tijuana-based group when the title debuted at No. 92 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart (Oct. 30-dated list), becoming just the third regional Mexican act to score an entry on the 100-deep list.
Back to Maluma, he becomes the sixth act to top the list who traditionally charts with music other than of the regional Mexican genre, following Natalia Lafourcade’s three-week reign through her featured role in Los Angeles Azules’ “Nunca Es Suficiente” in 2019. The other four — notably, all Latin pop acts — are Enrique Iglesias, Pilar Montenegro, Franco de Vita and David Bisbal.
Here’s a recap of all the non-regional Mexican acts who have secured a No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay since the chart launched in 1994. N
1997, Enrique Iglesias, “Enamorado Por Primera Vez,” (5 weeks at No. 1)
2002, Pilar Montenegro, “Quítame a Ese Hombre” (nine weeks)
2008, Franco de Vita with K-Paz, “Un Buen Perdedor” (2 weeks)
2017, Christian Nodal with David Bisbal, “Probablemente,” (four weeks).
2019, Los Angeles Azules featuring Natala Lafourcade, “Nunca Es Suficiente” (3 weeks)
2022, Grupo Firme & Maluma, “Cada Quién”
Elsewhere, “Cada Quien” pushes up the all-Latin genre Latin Airplay chart with a 10-5 climb. Over on Hot Latin Songs, the song holds at No. 20 for a fourth week with 2.4 million U.S. streams, earned in the week ending Jan. 27, after its No. 7 peak (the highest ranking for Grupo Firme).
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There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
