JAY-Z and Beyoncé’s daughter Rumi Carter has broken her own sister Blue Ivy’s chart record.
“Protector,” a collaboration between Beyoncé and her daughter from the album Cowboy Carter, made its debut at No. 42 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, flooding the chart with material from the same project. Consequently, Rumi Carter has become the youngest female artist ever to appear on the Hot 100 at six years and nine months old, surpassing her older sister Blue Ivy, who previously held the record at the age of 7 when “Brown Skin Girl,” her collaboration with Beyoncé from Lion King: The Gift, charted in 2019.
However, as Billboard pointed out, Blue Ivy still remains the youngest artist to appear on any Billboard chart thanks to her cameo on dad JAY-Z’s “Glory” in 2012 (under the name “B.I.C.”).
That song, released just days after she was born, peaked at No. 23 on the Hot Rap Songs chart and No. 63 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Rumi appears at the beginning of “Protector,” the fourth song on Beyoncé’s 27-track Cowboy Carter, and sweetly asks: “Mom, can I hear the lullaby please?”
A tender acoustic ballad, the song is about Bey’s love of her children and features lyrics such as: “I will lead you down that road if you lose your way/ Born to be a protector/ Even though I know someday you’re gonna shine on your own/ I will be your projector.”
The poignant track quickly evoked emotional reactions from fans upon the release of Cowboy Carter in late March.
One individual expressed on social media: “Okay, but Beyoncé, hold up, because I wasn’t prepared for PROTECTOR,” accompanied by a gif of Dua Lipa shedding tears.
Another fan remarked: “PROTECTOR IS A MASTERPIECE! OH BEYONCÉ, I’M IN TEARS,” sharing an equally emotive gif.
Rumi isn’t the sole member of the Carter family marking a new chart achievement this week.
Thanks to her recently released LP, Beyoncé has become the latest artist to achieve at least 100 career entries on the Billboard Hot 100, with 23 songs from the album making it onto this week’s chart.
She joins an exclusive group as only the 17th artist, and the third woman, to accomplish this milestone since the Hot 100’s inception in 1958.
Leading the pack is the former chart-topper “Texas Hold ‘Em” at No. 2, followed by “II Most Wanted” featuring Miley Cyrus at No. 6, and Beyoncé’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” at No. 7.
Additionally, 10 other songs from the album have entered the top 50, including collaborations like “Levii’s Jeans” with Post Malone, “Bodyguard,” and a cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird.”
Cowboy Carter itself debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with 407,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, marking the highest sales tally of the year thus far.