Up to #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, #15 on the iTunes all-genre single sales chart, #6 at rhythmic radio, #19 at urban radio and #47 at pop radio, Big Sean’s new single “I Don’t F**k With You” is undeniably one of music’s hottest tracks.
A surveyed sample of mainstream radio listeners is not, however, enamored with the offering.
According to Mediabase National Callout Research, “I Don’t F**k With You” possesses abysmal “net positive” scores at both the pop and rhythmic radio formats.
At pop, the song ranks dead last among the 32 measured, “current” songs. Reviewed positively by only 46.9% and negatively by a staggering 43.8%, the song claims a “net positive” score of just 3.1%.
By comparison, Mr Probz’ “Waves,” Ella Henderson’s “Ghost” and Tove Lo’s “Habits (Stay High),” which are the format’s three most positively reviewed tracks, claim respective net positive scores of 50.1 (66.3-16.3, rounded), 49.8 (66.2-16.3, rounded) and 47.4 (68.3-20.9, rounded).
The polarizing song is not without its fervent supporters. While its “net positive” score is dead last at pop, its level of identification as a “favorite” is one of the highest for the format.
“IDFWU” claims a “favorite” score of 26.2; only Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” (35.9), Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” (32.2), the aforementioned “Habits” (31.0), Sam Smith’s “I’m Not the Only One” (26.9) and Ed Sheeran’s “Don’t” (26.6)
Despite garnering a considerably more positive overall reception, a song like the aforementioned “Ghost” has actually won the “favorite” label from a smaller portion of the pop sample (just 14.5). And while some of that particular disparity can be owed to differences in familiarity level (“IDFWU” is familiar to 85.5%, while “Ghost” is so to just 63.7%), there is no denying that “IDFWU” has cultivated passionate support despite its weak overall score.
A similar story shakes out at rhythmic radio. Big Sean’s tune claims the weakest “net positive” score (just 2.7, which is the result of a 45.5 positive score and a 42.7 negative score) but one of the greatest favorite scores. Its 26.4 in that column ranks third beneath only “All About That Bass” (28.8) and “Waves” (28.4).
The song’s reception at urban radio is decidedly more favorable. There, “IDFWU” earns a 53.0 net positive score (11th out of 26 currents) due to a positive/negative breakdown of 71.1/18.1. Its “favorite” score of 39.8 is fourth-best beneath Rae Sremmurd’s “No Type” (43.4), Bobby Smurda’s “Hot Boy” (40.9) and Disclosure’s “Latch (featuring Sam Smith)” (40.5).
And insofar as “I Don’t F**k With You” is performing well commercially and at radio, it is clear its overall success is not being hindered by the low callout scores.
Rhythmic radio, at which “IDFWU” claims its lowest net positive score,” has in fact been the song’s most supportive format to date.
