The 35-year streak of rap songs consistently charting in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 has come to an end, a direct result of a recent rule change by Billboard that adjusts the criteria for song removal, per people.com.
The defining moment came on October 29, when Kendrick Lamar’s hit track “Luther,” featuring SZA, was removed from the Hot 100 chart.
While “Luther” finished at No. 38 in its final week, it failed to meet the new criteria, which now stipulate a song must reach No. 25 after 26 weeks on the chart to avoid removal.
The rule change is a major tweak to Billboard’s longevity parameters. Previously, a song was removed if it slipped below No. 25 after 25 weeks or below No. 50 after 20 weeks. The new, more aggressive removal thresholds are:
Below No. 5 after 78 weeks
Below No. 10 after 52 weeks
Below No. 25 after 26 weeks
Below No. 50 after 20 weeks
The absence of a rap song in the upper half of the chart is the latest indicator of a slow decline in the genre’s commercial dominance since its market peak in 2020. For context, the chart on October 24, 2020, featured 16 rap songs in the Top 40—a number that was halved by the equivalent week in 2023.
The last time no rap songs were in the Top 40 slots was the first week of February 1990, just before Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” jumped from No. 41 to No. 29.
The shift highlights the current strength of pop music on the charts. Every track from Taylor Swift’s massively successful recent album, The Life of a Showgirl, currently appears on the Hot 100. Other pop artistes, including Justin Bieber, Olivia Dean and Alex Warren, also maintain strong chart positions.
Despite the current Top 40 drought, lower-ranking rap tracks remain on the Hot 100 and could still climb. The October 25 chart included YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “Shot Callin” at No. 44, Cardi B’s “Safe” (featuring Kehlani) at No. 48, and BigXthaPlug’s “Hell at Night” (with Ella Langley) at No. 49.
•Featured image: Kendrick Lamar/Michael Owens/Getty
