List of Hot Black Singles number ones of 1987

In the issue of Billboard dated January 3, Bobby Brown's track "Girlfriend" was at number one, retaining its position from the previous week.

[3] The following week, it was replaced by "Control", the first of four number ones in 1987 for Janet Jackson, who also took "Let's Wait Awhile", and "The Pleasure Principle" to the peak position and provided featured vocals on "Diamonds" by trumpeter Herb Alpert.

Her brother Michael achieved three number ones during the year, topping the listing with "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", which also featured Siedah Garrett, as well as "Bad" and "The Way You Make Me Feel".

[4] Although Alpert had experienced little success to date on the black singles listing, he had placed nearly 40 songs on Billboard's pop chart, the Hot 100, beginning in 1962,[5] several years before teenaged 1987 chart-toppers Brown and LL Cool J were even born.

[6] Angela Winbush topped the Hot Black Singles chart for the first time as a solo artist, having previously reached number one as half of the duo René & Angela, and Watley gained her first solo chart-topper, having previously reached the peak position as a member of the group Shalamar.