1989 – “Self Destruction”
“Self Destruction” – The Stop the Violence Movement
Hot Rap Songs debut date: March 11, 1989
Hot Rap Songs peak date: March 11, 1989
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (10 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 24
The Top Rap Song of Every Year Since 1989
Written by djfrosty on March 11, 2024
Since Billboard first began its national survey of song sales in the 1940s, the ever-changing musical landscape has necessitated a growing portfolio of charts that capture the methods, sounds, and places around the nation – and then the world – where music is consumed.
Thirty-five years ago on March 11, 1989, Billboard debuted its first rap chart – Hot Rap Singles, with The Stop the Violence Movement’s “Self Destruction” crowning the initial list. With the genre’s national profile firmly established thanks to acts such as Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J, the first rap-dedicated chart arrived partly, as the list’s first manager, Terri Rossi wrote, to, “give proper credit to the performers, writers and producers who make this music so successful.”
While Hot Rap Songs was originally conceived as a bi-weekly sales chart, the rapid popularity and interest in the genre forced a change to a weekly sales recap before the chart reached its first anniversary. Call it prophetic: The increasing consumption of rap music and growing appetite for hip-hop culture set the stage for the genre’s explosive impact in the coming decades.
Since that first ranking, Billboard has monitored and reported popular tastes through every chapter of rap’s history: the East Coast beginnings, G-Funk’s rise, women MCs getting their proper due, regional rival pockets popping up throughout the U.S., features helping R&B singers – and then pop stars – update their sounds and images, crunk, trap, SoundCloud, drill and the list goes on. The chart’s methodology has also kept up with the times. Beginning as just a sales list, Hot Rap Songs switched to an airplay-only ranking in June 2002 amid the declining number of physical single releases.
“A number of rap’s biggest hits were never released to stores, and thus were absent from our chart,” Geoff Mayfield, Billboard’s then-director of charts, noted. “This change will yield a more relevant chart.”
Updates have since continued, with sales’ return and streaming’s addition to the formula in October 2012.
To recap the chart’s 35th anniversary, Billboard looks at the best of the best – the No. 1 year-end titles on the Hot Rap Songs chart for its entire existence. Together, the annual leaders offer snapshots of rap music’s history, with a range of artists, regions and techniques – samples, cadence and the like – that reveal rap’s expansion from block-party entertainment to an unparalleled influence over mainstream music for the last generation.
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1990 – “Expression”
“Expression” – Salt-N-Pepa
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Dec. 16, 1989
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Jan. 20, 1990
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (eight weeks)
Weeks on chart: 26 -
1991 – “Treat ‘Em Right”
“Treat ‘Em Right” – Chubb Rock
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Jan. 12, 1991
Hot Rap Songs peak date: March 2, 1991
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (three weeks)
Weeks on chart: 24 -
1992 – “The Phuncky Feel One / How Could I Just Kill a Man”
“The Phuncky Feel One / How Could I Just Kill a Man” – Cypress Hill
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Oct. 12, 1991
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Jan. 18, 1992
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (five weeks)
Weeks on chart: 25 -
1993 – “We Getz Busy / Head or Gut”
“We Getz Busy / Head or Gut” – Illegal
Hot Rap Songs debut date: May 15, 1993
Hot Rap Songs peak date: June 19, 1993
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (three weeks)
Weeks on chart: 25 -
1994 – “Funkdafied”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo “Funkdafied” – Da Brat
Hot Rap Songs debut date: June 4, 1994
Hot Rap Songs peak date: June 18, 1994
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (11 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 27 -
1995 – “One More Chance / Stay With Me”
“One More Chance / Stay With Me” – The Notorious B.I.G.
Hot Rap Songs debut date: June 24, 1995
Hot Rap Songs peak date: June 24, 1995
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (nine weeks)
Weeks on chart: 65 -
1996 – “How Do U Want It / California Love”
“How Do U Want It / California Love” – 2Pac featuring K-Ci & JoJo
Hot Rap Songs debut date: June 15, 1996
Hot Rap Songs peak date: June 22, 1996
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (eight weeks)
Weeks on chart: 107 -
1997 – “I’ll Be Missing You”
“I’ll Be Missing You” – Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112
Hot Rap Songs debut date: June 14, 1997
Hot Rap Songs peak date: June 14, 1997
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (eight weeks)
Weeks on chart: 47 -
1998 – “Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)”
“Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)” – Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Dec. 27, 1997
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Feb. 21, 1998
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (five weeks)
Weeks on chart: 45 -
1999 – “Who Dat”
“Who Dat” – JT Money featuring Sole
Hot Rap Songs debut date: April 17, 1999
Hot Rap Songs peak date: May 1, 1999
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (eight weeks)
Weeks on chart: 34 -
2000 – “Hot Boyz”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo “Hot Boyz” – Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott featuring Nas, Eve & Q-Tip
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Nov. 20, 1999
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Nov. 27, 1999
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (18 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 47 -
2001 – “My Baby”
“My Baby” – Lil Romeo
Hot Rap Songs debut date: May 19, 2001
Hot Rap Songs peak date: May 19, 2001
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (10 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 17 -
2002 – “Hot in Herre”
“Hot in Herre” – Nelly
Hot Rap Songs debut date: May 25, 2002
Hot Rap Songs peak date: July 13, 2002
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (six weeks)
Weeks on chart: 24 -
2003 – “In Da Club”
“In Da Club” – 50 Cent
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Jan. 11, 2003
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Feb. 8, 2003
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (12 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 34 -
2004 – “Lean Back”
“Lean Back” – Terror Squad
Hot Rap Songs debut date: June 26, 2004
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Aug. 14, 2004
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (12 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 43 -
2005 – “Lovers & Friends”
“Lovers & Friends” – Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz featuring Usher & Ludacris
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Nov. 27, 2004
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Jan. 15, 2005
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (eight weeks)
Weeks on chart: 27 -
2006 – “It’s Goin Down”
“Nothin’ on You” – B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Feb. 6, 2010
Hot Rap Songs peak date: April 24, 2010
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (seven weeks)
Weeks on chart: 34 -
2011 – “Look at Me Now”
“Look at Me Now” – Chris Brown featuring Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Feb. 26, 2011
Hot Rap Songs peak date: April 23, 2011
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (10 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 31 -
2012 – “The Motto”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo “The Motto” – Drake featuring Lil Wayne
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Dec. 3, 2011
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Feb. 18, 2012
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (14 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 42 -
2013 – “Thrift Shop”
“Thrift Shop” – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Oct. 20, 2012
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Jan. 19, 2013
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (15 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 54 -
2014 – “Fancy”
“Fancy” – Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
Hot Rap Songs debut date: March 22, 2014
Hot Rap Songs peak date: May 3, 2014
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (18 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 34 -
2015 – “See You Again”
“See You Again” – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
Hot Rap Songs debut date: March 28, 2015
Hot Rap Songs peak date: April 25, 2015
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (15 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 29 -
2016 – “Panda”
“Panda” – Desiigner
Hot Rap Songs debut date: March 12, 2016
Hot Rap Songs peak date: April 23, 2016
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (17 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 34 -
2017 – “Humble.”
“Humble.” – Kendrick Lamar
Hot Rap Songs debut date: April 22, 2017
Hot Rap Songs peak date: April 22, 2017
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (four weeks)
Weeks on chart: 27 -
2018 – “God’s Plan”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo “God’s Plan” – Drake
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Feb. 3, 2018
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Feb. 3, 2018
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (11 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 27 -
2019 – “Old Town Road”
“Old Town Road” – Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
Hot Rap Songs debut date: March 23, 2019
Hot Rap Songs peak date: April 13, 2019
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (20 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 36 -
2020 – “The Box”
“The Box” – Roddy Ricch
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Dec. 21, 2019
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Jan. 11, 2020
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (14 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 30 -
2021 – “Mood”
“Mood” – 24KGoldn featuring iann dior
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Aug. 29, 2020
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Oct. 24, 2020
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (17 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 54 -
2022 – “First Class”
“First Class” – Jack Harlow
Hot Rap Songs debut date: April 23, 2022
Hot Rap Songs peak date: April 23, 2022
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (14 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 27 -
2023 – “Rich Flex”
“Rich Flex” – Drake & 21 Savage
Hot Rap Songs debut date: Nov. 19, 2022
Hot Rap Songs peak date: Nov. 19, 2022
Hot Rap Songs peak position: No. 1 (13 weeks)
Weeks on chart: 26