Rihanna beats Madonna’s Billboard Hot 100 record… or not?

We have much respect for Rihanna but Billboard should rethink their article claiming Rihanna beat Madonna in the “Fastest Solo Artist to 20 Hot 100 Top 10s” category.

One Rule : quickest collection of top 10 hits in the Billboard Hot 100 (starting from an artist’s first Hot 100 appearance)

Here’s what the article stated…

Having first graced the Hot 100 the week of June 11, 2005, with the eventual No. 2-peaking “Pon De Replay,” Rihanna reaches 20 top 10s in a span of just six years and four months, besting Madonna for the quickest collection of top 10s among soloists (from an artist’s first Hot 100 appearance) in the chart’s 53-year history. Madonna tallied her 20th top 10, “Hanky Panky,” the week of July 28, 1990, for a stretch of six years and nine months after her chart introduction with “Holiday.” Rihanna, thus, bests Madonna’s mark by five months.

We should not forget that Madonna’s first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was Borderline, when it reached position ten on June 16, 1984.
So the time between Madonna’s first top 10 and her 20th top 10, Hanky Panky, is a little bit over 6 years and one month – still beating Rihanna with her 6 years and nine months.

Of course, Billboard.com added the “starting from an artist’s first Hot 100 appearance” rule, because without it they wouldn’t have a newsworthy article to publish.