Mary J. Blige sang “Be Without You,” which spent 15 consecutive weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song became one of the defining R&B hits of the 2000s.
Released in 2005 as the lead single from The Breakthrough, the track was written by Blige, Johntá Austin, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Jason Perry. Its relationship-centered lyrics and polished hip-hop-soul production helped it connect with both R&B listeners and mainstream radio audiences.
The song also reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for 75 weeks. In 2007, it won Grammys for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Billboard later ranked it the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop song in the chart's history at that time.
A common mix-up is confusing the 15-week R&B chart run with its broader pop-chart performance: Be Without You did not reach number one on the Hot 100. Its record-setting achievement belongs specifically to Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.