Rapper GloRilla has made a powerful entrance onto the gospel music scene, as her collaboration with gospel legends Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music, “Rain Down on Me,” featuring Kierra Sheard and Chandler Moore, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart (dated Oct. 26). This marks GloRilla’s first appearance on any of Billboard’s faith-based charts.
The track, from GloRilla’s latest album Glorious, has also made a strong impact on the Hot Christian Songs chart, debuting at No. 2. Glorious itself has earned the Memphis rapper her biggest week yet on the Billboard 200, where it enters at No. 5, with 69,000 equivalent album units. This achievement also marks her first top 10 album on the Billboard 200, and the LP starts at No. 2 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts.
“Rain Down on Me” racked up 3.7 million official U.S. streams during the tracking period of Oct. 11-17, according to Luminate, propelling it to No. 1 on Gospel Streaming Songs as well. The song also garnered 2.3 million in airplay audience across all formats.
This chart-topping collaboration is monumental for several of its contributors. For gospel icon Kirk Franklin, the song extends his record with a ninth No. 1 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart. Maverick City Music adds their sixth chart-topping hit, making them the act with the second-most leaders in the chart’s history. Kierra Sheard celebrates her third No. 1, while Chandler Moore scores his fourth.
On the Hot Christian Songs chart, “Rain Down on Me” marks Maverick City Music’s sixth top 10, Moore’s fifth, Franklin’s third, and Sheard’s first.
Meanwhile, “Rain Down on Me” is the first song to debut at No. 1 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart in 2024. The last track to do so was Nicki Minaj’s “Blessings” featuring Tasha Cobbs Leonard, which reached the summit in December 2023, further highlighting the increasing crossover between hip-hop and gospel music.
GloRilla’s continued success across multiple genres is a testament to her versatility, and her breakthrough in gospel is an exciting new chapter in her evolving career.
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