Hip-Hop Slumps To New Low On The Billboard Hot 100

Chatter in regards to the decline of hip-hop’s business success in 2025 continues, and now, there’s some new knowledge that proves simply how dangerous issues have gotten. Reportedly, zero rap songs landed within the prime 40 of the Billboard Scorching 100 final week. The final time this occurred was in February of 1990. On the time, the highest-ranked track was Biz Markie’s “Only a Good friend.” The hit later labored its approach up into the highest 10.

Per Billboard, the best rating rap track at present is NBA YoungBoy’s MASA observe, “Shot Callin” at No. 44. That is adopted by Cardi B’s Am I The Drama? observe “Secure” that includes Kehlani at No. 48 and BigXthaPlug’s I Hope You are Comfortable observe “Hell at Evening” that includes Ella Langley at No. 49.

One issue that contributes to some songs’ drop-off is a current change to Billboard Scorching 100 guidelines. Descending songs are thought-about recurrent and may be taken off the chart after a sure period of time, relying on their rating.

That is removed from the primary proof followers have seen of hip-hop’s business decline in current months, nevertheless. It is also mirrored within the lineups of standard music festivals like Coachella. When the fest dropped its star-studded record of 2026 performers in September, there was a noticeable absence of hip-hop acts.

This marks a 70% drop off from 2022, when a powerful 19 hip-hop artists have been featured on the Coachella lineup. It additionally marks simply the second time since 2017 that the variety of hip-hop artists on the lineup was beneath 10. The 2025 rendition of the lineup boasted 10 hip-hop artists, whereas 2024 and 2023 boasted 9 and 17, respectively.