Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne return to the charts with “Mercy” and “5 Star,” as both land inside the … More
Throughout the years, Nicki Minaj has teamed up with her friend and mentor Lil Wayne countless times. The two have been working together for well over a decade, and Wayne helped Minaj rise to prominence and become the most successful female hip-hop musician of all time. While neither artist has anything brand new out this week, they manage to score a pair of wins together on a couple of Billboard charts, even reaching the top 10 with several cuts simultaneously.
“Mercy” Launches at No. 3
Wayne, Minaj, and DJ Drama hit No. 3 on both the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales and Rap Digital Song Sales charts with the same tune, “Mercy.” It earns one of the top starts this frame on the lists, which look at all tracks that Billboard labels as hip-hop, R&B or rap.
“5 Star” Opens Inside the Top 10
Another track joins “Mercy” just a few spaces further down. “5 Star,” another collaboration credited to Wayne, Minaj, and DJ Drama, also reaches both of those purchase-centric tallies, though in different spots. The track opens at No. 6 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales tally and No. 7 on the Rap Digital Song Sales ranking.
Nicki Minaj’s 100-Plus Top 10 Smashes
Among the three musicians, Minaj claims the most top 10 hits on both charts, and she adds to her historic total with both “Mercy” and “5 Star.” The chart-topper has now reached the highest tier on the Rap Digital Song Sales list 102 times and has pushed into the loftiest space on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales ranking 108 times.
Wayne has landed 77 and 76 top 10s, respectively, on the same tallies. DJ Drama, meanwhile, has scored just four top 10 smashes on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales list, but his two new bestsellers bring him to a milestone 10 top 10s on the rap-only roster.
Lil Wayne’s Dedication Mixtape Series
Neither “Mercy” nor “5 Star” are new. In fact, both were released years ago. “Mercy” appeared on Wayne’s Dedication 4 mixtape, which arrived in September 2012. “5 Star,” meanwhile, followed more than half a decade later on Dedication 6.