Partners in ‘Crime’: Mariah the Scientist & Kali Uchis Score Shared No. 1

Mariah The Scientist and Kali Uchis each score a second No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart thanks to their collaboration “Is It a Crime.” The single rises from the runner-up spot to lead the ranking dated Dec. 20 as the most played song on U.S. panel-contributing rhythmic radio stations in the tracking week of Dec. 5-11, according to Luminate.

“Is It a Crime,” released and promoted through Buckles Laboratories/Epic Records, captures the crown with a 15% increase in plays compared with the prior week. Thanks to its improvement, it wins the Greatest Gainer honor, given each week to the song with the largest play increase. As it ascends, “Is It a Crime” replaces Tyler, The Creator’s “Sugar on My Tongue,” which falls 1-9 after three weeks in charge, shedding 28% in plays for the week.

For Mariah The Scientist, “Is It a Crime” lands her back-to-back champs. Her prior single, breakout hit “Burning Blue,” topped the list for one week in July. In addition to its Rhythmic Airplay victory, the track unlocked new levels of success for the singer-songwriter, including her first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with its No. 25 peak.

Kali Uchis, likewise, nabs her second Rhythmic Airplay leader, after “Telepatía” ruled for two weeks in April 2021.

Elsewhere, “Is It a Crime” pushes 6-4 on the plays-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, surging 18% in weekly plays to a new peak. On the audience-based R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, the collaboration climbs 8-7 with 14.6 million in audience from the genre, up 20%. On both lists, the single earns Greatest Gainer awards.

Improvements from the R&B/hip-hop and rhythmic formats force the track 25-18 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. There, “Is It a Crime” reaches 25.6 million in total audience, a 21% week-over-week lift.

“Is It a Crime” and “Burning Blue” appear on Mariah The Scientist’s Hearts Sold Separately album, which was released in August. The set debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart and yielded the singer-songwriter’s best results on several charts, including Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (No. 3) and the Billboard 200 (No. 11).