State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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Megan Thee Stallion has made major impact with “Hiss,” not only debuting atop the U.S.-based Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, but crowning the Billboard Global 200 (dated Feb. 10).
According to Luminate, “Hiss” drew 39.6 million official streams worldwide in its first week, Jan. 26-Feb. 1.
While that’s a sizeable global figure, “Hiss” owes most of its worldwide success to Megan Thee Stallion’s American fanbase, with 73% of its streams, as well as an overwhelming 95% of its sales, from the U.S. The track does not appear on any of Billboard’s 40-plus international Hits of the World lists.
So while “Hiss” hits its mark atop Billboard’s flagship global ranking, it’s harder to find on its sister chart. On the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. ranking, which removes American consumption from the equation, the track arrives at No. 104. It’s just the fourth instance since the global charts began in September 2020 that the Global 200 No. 1 is outside of the top 10 of the Global Excl. U.S. – let alone the top 100. The previous biggest disparity? Just the top 15: Drake ranked at Nos. 11 (“What’s Next,” March 2021) and No. 12 (“IDGAF,” featuring Yeat, October 2023) on Global Excl. U.S. while leading the Global 200 and Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” sat as low as No. 13 while atop the Global 200 in February 2022.
It’s rare for hip-hop tracks to lead the Global 200, but “Hiss” isn’t Megan Thee Stallion’s first. She topped the inaugural chart, as featured on Cardi B’s “WAP,” which was No. 1 for three of the chart’s first four editions. Doja Cat is the only other woman rapper to hit the top (“Paint the Town Red” for four weeks in September-October 2023), with Drake and Jack Harlow responsible for the genre’s other chart-toppers. That amounts to 13 weeks out of 178, or just 7%, that rap has crowned the Global 200.
Rap, particularly by North American artists, has struggled on both global charts, but especially on Global Excl. U.S., where “Paint the Town Red” remains the genre’s only No. 1. Inherently more focused on (rapid-fire) lyrics than melody makes the genre a tougher sell in non-English-language territories than hook-based pop music. To that end, Doja Cat and Harlow scored their chart-toppers with tracks that lean toward pop, particularly via familiar samples. For his part, Drake remains an elite star who can summon a No. 1 debut on command.
“Hiss” relies heavily on Megan Thee Stallion’s sharp wordplay and speedy delivery. That separates it from even her previous chart-topper, with “WAP” cruising along a repeated hook and a sample of its own, not to mention an instantly viral and meme-able music video, in addition to a bevy of quotable lyrics.
By the nature of its musical and lyrical structure, “Hiss” was primed to be a bigger domestic success story than international. But much of the hype that pushed the track to the top feels insular too. Following its release, listeners spotted one lyric as a reference – and not a polite one – to fellow American-born rap luminary Nicki Minaj. Minaj herself jumped in and released “Big Foot” three days later, a seething retort that generated its own Global 200 debut at No. 36.
The context around their beef spawned memes and social media back-and-forth, drawing in fans of each act, as well as those familiar with each artist’s personal lives and career history. But it didn’t do much to sell the song itself to international audiences that weren’t previously invested in the personal drama of two prominent U.S. stars that didn’t already have as strong a foothold in markets outside North America.
That’s not to say that there was no international interest in “Hiss.” The track generated 10.8 million streams outside the U.S. The fact that it debuted at all on Global Excl. U.S., albeit halfway down the chart, is more than can be said for Minaj’s own “Big Foot,” or ascendant rapper Ice Spice’s new “Think U The Shit (Fart)” (No. 78 on Global 200).
“Hiss” marks Megan Thee Stallion’s 23rd appearance on the Global 200 and 11th on Global Excl. U.S. On the latter, she’s gone as high as No. 3 with “WAP” and hit the top 40 on tracks with Dua Lipa, Maroon 5, and Ozuna. “Hiss” is her highest charting solo unaccompanied entry on Global Excl. U.S., of four overall.
Kelly Rowland is on team Jay-Z. The Destiny’s Child member and solo star spoke to ET at the red carpet L.A. premiere of the Bob Marley biopic One Love, where she was asked about Jay’s surprise comments castigating the Recording Academy for never awarding wife Beyoncé an album of the year Grammy. “Shawn Carter [Jay-Z’s […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Sonic Editions released a new collection of rare, never-before-seen photographs of Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan […]
If only it was that easy to summon Post Malone to one of your bar bashes. In a just-revealed Super Bowl LVIII ad, Bud Light has roped Posty, as well as former NFL QB Peyton Manning and UFC CEO Dana White into a funny spot slated to run in the third quarter of Sunday’s (Feb. […]
It’s 30 minutes before the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers tip-off for a late January showdown at their shared home of Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, and rapper BigXthaPlug is sitting in a purchased box suite with his entire crew. Had he wanted, he could’ve showcased his 6’3”, 400-pound frame in personal courtside seats, but for the Dallas native, it’s a small token of appreciation for those who were with him before he could afford such luxuries. “I’m not finna see nothing for the first time without people that was there when I had nothing,” he says.
Lately, BigXthaPlug has had a lot to showcase: the rapper turned in a banner year in 2023, first with the RIAA-certified gold hit “Texas” that reps his home state, and more recently, with the braggadocious “Mmhmm.” The bass-bumping, sonically nostalgic track, which showcases his bellowing voice adlibbing the song’s title throughout the chorus, broke through on a mainstream level and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in December. “You gotta say it with a little more ‘Mmmhmmm,’” BigXthaPlug instructs with a deep southern drawl that sounds naturally chopped-and-screwed.
Born Xavier Landum, the 25-year-old was raised by his mother — also a Texas native — who put him onto southern rap dignitaries ranging from UGK to Lil Wayne, while his father leaned more into the R&B acts like the Isley Brothers. BigXthaPlug grew up with NFL dreams and only began rapping a few years ago, with his self-released Bacc From the Dead project in 2020. The EP drew the attention of UnitedMasters’ A&R Aaron Hunter, who then peppered the rapper with DMs before ultimately flying to Texas for an in-person introduction at a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party for the latter’s cousin.
BigXthaPlug signed a deal with the distributor in 2021, and shortly after, he added a manager in Public Figures Management Group founder Kyle Wilson, who first discovered BigXthaPlug on Instagram through his raw track “Safehouse.” (Co-manager Brandon Farmer, a partner at Solid Foundation Management, joined the team in 2023 after watching the rapper’s SXSW set.) “His stage presence, you just don’t really see that,” Farmer says. “You can tell when somebody is a star. X is a star.”
BigXthaPlug photographed on January 22, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Daniel Dorsa
BigXthaPlug photographed on January 22, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Daniel Dorsa
But just as the pieces of his team were coming into place, BigXthaPlug was arrested on unlawful carrying of weapons and marijuana possession charges and served a 2022 jail stint in solitary confinement. The experience was a wake-up call: instead of spending the hours in monotony, he wrote rhymes on medically issued med-line paper and read the dictionary. “I tried to read the Bible but I couldn’t do it,” he says.
He was released later that year, and by 2023, BigXthaPlug translated inspiration into action: he launched his own independent record label, 600 Entertainment, and subsequently added artists Ro$ama and Yung Hood to the roster. He joined rapper Key Glock on tour that April, where he met hip-hop producer Bandplay and immediately established a rapport. In June, the two went on a creative retreat in Arizona, and one of the first songs that came about during the two-week Airbnb stay was “Mmhmm.” Bandplay first cooked up the funky beat in 2020 after hearing The Whispers’ “And The Beat Goes On” while watching a movie. But upon initially hearing the beat in Arizona — which samples the 1979 track also prominently used in Will Smith’s 1998 single “Miami” — it didn’t register with BigXthaPlug.
“I’m a groovy-ass person,” BigXthaPlug recalls. “Bandplay was playing it and me and [songwriter Ro$ama] got to dancing. Bandplay stopped it and was like, ‘Y’all know what sample this is?’ We was like, ‘Hell nah.’” Still, within 30 minutes, the hit took form.
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BigXthaPlug saw the track as an opportunity to put his friend in a position to win: in a genre where many are shy about their collaborative writing process, he asked Ro$ama to pen the song’s heavy-flexing opening verse. “I had already wrote a verse — the second is my verse,” BigXthaPlug says. “I [told him], ‘Write a verse, and if it’s good, you could get points and get paid.’ A lot of these rappers are using writers. Even if you don’t end up the biggest artist in the world, you might be the biggest writer. It made me bring the energy.”
After finishing the track, BigXthaPlug headed to nightclubs across the country to crystallize his instincts that he had a mainstream hit on his hands. “I’ll go to the club every day of the week to make sure my songs are getting played,” he says. As an unreleased version of “Mmhmm” began to dominate club venues, UnitedMasters had him pump the brakes for the rest of the summer to make sure the licensing rights were in order. But as BigXthaPlug says, he “doesn’t mind paying that bag to get sh-t cleared,” and upon getting the green light, he officially released “Mmhmm” to streaming services through UnitedMasters last October.
Two months later, he released EP The Biggest, which included a remix of the song featuring fellow Texan Finesse2Tymes. By mid-December, amid the influx of holiday songs on the all-genre chart, “Mmhmm” debuted on the Hot 100 where it has since reached a No. 65 high and compiled 75.5 million total on-demand official U.S. streams through Jan. 25, according to Luminate — and importantly, served as a means of validation for the rapper. “I always like to have reassurance,” BigXthaPlug admits. “Sometimes I catch myself like, ‘Why are you still rapping? You know you not a rapper.’ Then you get a Billboard [Hot 100 entry].”
From left: Kyle Wilson, BigXthaPlug, and Brandon Farmer photographed on January 22, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Daniel Dorsa
BigXthaPlug photographed on January 22, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Daniel Dorsa
The song’s success propelled “Texas” and featured turn on NLE Choppa’s “Pistol Paccin” onto Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and as the rapper turns the page to 2024, he isn’t resting on his laurels. He will release a collaborative EP with 600 Entertainment artists and follow it with a solo album. He also says he has a collaboration with Rod Wave, and that Megan Thee Stallion recently reached out, too.
It’s all humbling for BigXthaPlug, who’s still getting accustomed to the buzz — but teases everything will get bigger, and better, this year. He’s a Texan, after all. “I didn’t even want to make [‘Texas’],” he reflects. “If I can do this when I didn’t wanna do it, what the f–k could I do when I want to do it?”
A version of this story will appear in the Feb. 10, 2024, issue of Billboard.
A brief argument between Killer Mike and Grammy Awards security personnel over access credentials led to the Atlanta rapper’s arrest Sunday night, a source close to the situation tells Billboard. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The incident took place outside the Peacock Theater where many of […]
Killer Mike has finally spoken out about his strange night at Sunday’s (Feb. 4) 66th annual Grammy Awards. The 48-year-old rapper born Michael Santiago Render was detained at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena just before the kick-off of the prime-time broadcast after winning three top hip-hop prizes during the Grammys Premiere Ceremony before the televised program. Appearing […]
Drake did not attend Sunday night’s (Feb. 4) 66th annual Grammy Awards, but the “IDGAF” MC definitely had something to say about the ceremony. In an Instagram Story posted before the prime time show began, the 37-year-old rapper reposted video of his 2019 Grammy acceptance speech accompanied by a strongly worded message to his peers at the event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“All you incredible artists remember this show isn’t the facts it’s just the opinion of a group of people who’s name are kept a secret 🤫😂 (literally you can google it),” he wrote, per screen shots of his post (via Complex). “Congrats to anybody winning anything for hip hop but this show doesn’t dictate s–t in our world.”
The harsh comment about the broadcast was Drake’s latest lash out at the Recording Academy, with whom he has feuded for years. In his post, Drake included a snippet of his speech for best rap song for “God’s Plan” in 2019, during which he took aim at what he labelled the gamesmanship of the awards. “I want to let you know that we’re playing in an opinion-based sport. Not a factual-based sport. So it’s not the NBA where at the end of the year, you’re holding a trophy because you made the right decisions or won the games,” he said at the time.
“This is a business where sometimes it’s up to a bunch of people that might not understand what a mixed-race kid from Canada has to say or a fly Spanish girl from New York, or a brother from Houston… the point is, you’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word-for-word, if you’re a hero in your hometown. Look, if there’s people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows? You don’t need this right there I promise you. You already won.”
At press time a spokesperson for the Grammy Awards had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on Drake’s post.
Drake is a five-time Grammy winner — and 55-time nominee — and was nominated for four awards on Sunday night, including nods for best rap performance and best rap performance (“Rich Flex”), best rap album (Her Loss) and best melodic rap performance (“Spin Bout U”) for his joint album with 21 Savage. Though it was eligible, Drake did not submit his 2023 solo album, For All the Dogs, for Grammy consideration, nor did he submit 2021’s Certified Lover Boy or 2022’s Honestly, Never Mind.
But Sunday’s comment was not the first time Drizzy — who was performing at Amalie Arena in Tampa during the broadcast — has publicly taken issue with the Grammy process in recent years.
In 2020, he tweeted “the Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency” after the Weeknd was not nominated for any awards for his smash After Hours album.
Usher is sharing more details about his upcoming halftime show performance at Super Bowl LVIII.
During an interview with Good Morning America on Friday (Feb. 2), the 45-year-old R&B star said that he plans to use the opportunity on football’s biggest night to pay homage to Black artists who came before him and helped pave the way for his successful career in music.
“I think about what our country has kind of represented for Black artists, you know, having to at some point go through kitchens to even be able to perform for an audience, but they had to leave back through that same door, fear for their lives as they went to the next state to do the same thing,” Usher told reporter Kelley Carter.
The “My Boo” singer added, “So I’m coming through the front door with this one.”
The hitmaker also noted that he remembered his friends and mentors who have supported him over the decades when planning his upcoming halftime show performance.
“I didn’t start where I am now, and I didn’t get there by myself,” he said. “So, everybody that has been a part of it, I’m carrying them with me. All of my fans, my loved ones, the people who may have felt like they have been forgotten, they haven’t. I’m carrying you right with me when I walk on that stage that night.”
Usher will perform during the Super Bowl Halftime Show presented by Apple Music on Feb. 11, when the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Ahead of the big game, the R&B star will release his new album, Coming Home, on Feb. 9. The project serves as his ninth studio album, and it’s his first released independently. It’s a star-studded affair across the 20 tracks, as he’s recruited Latto, Burna Boy, 21 Savage, The-Dream, H.E.R., Summer Walker and BTS’ Jung Kook to join him on the journey.
“I put a lot of heart and time into making sure that this was curated right. Something that felt like this next chapter of my life. It’s the next frontier, the next chapter of my legacy,” the “Love in This Club” singer said of the album in a recent interview with Club Shay Shay.
Ahead of Coming Home, Usher dropped another single on Friday (Feb. 2) with the Afrobeats-tinged “Ruin.”
Watch Usher’s GMA interview about his Super Bowl halftime show in the video below.
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Lil Pump is Team MAGA forever. The “Gucci Gang” rapper and devoted follower of former president Donald Trump proved his fealty to the one-term Republican party leader once again by getting one of the most famous images of the one-time Apprentice star inked onto his leg. In an Instagram post on Tuesday (Jan. 30) Pump […]
