Frank ApollonioThe Chainsmokers have been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for an astonishing 12 weeks with “Closer,” but this week, they may have to cede the top spot to a song that’s become the go-to soundtrack for the Mannequin Challenge video craze.
Billboard reports that sales of the song “Black Beatles,” by hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, are exploding thanks to its popularity in the videos, which show people frozen in various poses. Even an actual Beatle, Paul McCartney, used the song in his video, captioning it, “Love those Black Beatles.”
Because Billboard charts count streaming video, the song’s expected to make a huge jump this week, possibly to #1. But that shouldn’t bother the Chainsmokers too much — according to Billboard, their new five-song EP, Collage, has debuted at #6..
Thanks to the Chainsmokers’ chart domination — and the fact that they come off as boorish bros in some interviews — they’ve attracted plenty of online haters. But the deejay duo doesn’t mind — they also got slammed for their 2014 novelty hit “Selfie.”
Back then, the duo’s Alex Pall told ABC Radio, “We are who we are, that’s always been clear to us….This is all the stuff we’ve created in our own weird heads. If you worry about what everyone’s gonna think and say about you, you’ve already lost the battle.”
By the way, if you wonder how The Chainsmokers got their name, it’s not due to their love of tobacco.
“We were debating between three names: one was the Hamburglars, and one was the Massage Therapists, and the Chainsmokers,” the duo’s Drew Taggart said. “And we put it to all our friends, and they said the Chainsmokers was the best one.”
So the duo doesn’t actually smoke?
“No, no, no, that stuff kills you!” Drew laughed.
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