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Leon Thomas performs onstage during ONE Musicfest 20255
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Key Takeaways:
- “MUTT” marks Leon Thomas’ first Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 as an artist.
- The track gained momentum after remixes featuring Chris Brown and Freddie Gibbs.
- His recent collaborations and solo projects show a shift from behind-the-scenes work to front-stage artistry.
Leon Thomas has finally scored his first Top 10 hit on the Hot 100 as an artist. On Monday (Oct. 27), Billboard confirmed that “MUTT,” the title track from his sophomore album, climbed eight spots to No. 10.
The publication noted that Thomas now holds “the third-longest trip to the Hot 100’s Top 10” in the chart’s 67-year history, taking 38 weeks to get there. The song first arrived in August 2024, but it wasn’t until after Chris Brown appeared on a remix — following an earlier one featuring Freddie Gibbs — that the record made its biggest jump.
Of course, Thomas is no stranger to the Top 10 as a songwriter and producer. He previously helped SZA’s “Snooze” reach No. 2 in 2023 and co-produced Drake’s “In The Bible” and “Love All,” which peaked at No. 7 and No. 10, respectively, in 2021.
For a somewhat newer artist like Leon Thomas, it’s definitely better late than never. This year has been nothing short of meteoric for him, especially following the release of MUTT Deluxe: HEEL, in May. The expanded version added nine new songs, including collaborations with Halle, Kehlani — who’s also having an incredible year — and Big Sean.
Then, just last Friday (Oct. 24), Thomas dropped PHOLKS, his funk-inspired EP and first project independent from MUTT. “It taps into a lot of the roots of why I make music,” Thomas told Spotify of the release. “I just wanted to make something that was fun to sing for anybody.”
He continued, “It’s about the things that inspire me and the fact that Black music, as you mentioned earlier, isn’t just attributed to R&B — it’s also attributed to rock and roll.” Having performed some of that new material at ONE Musicfest over the weekend, Thomas is now gearing up for his “Mutts Don’t Heel Tour,” which is set to kick off this Thursday (Oct. 30).