No Rap Songs in Hot 100 Top 40 for the First Time Since 1990 — Thanks to Billboard’s New Chart Update

For the first time in 35 years, no rap songs appear in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 40, marking another major signal of hip-hop’s waning commercial dominance. The milestone arrived with the chart dated October 25, 2025, when Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s 13-week No. 1 hit “Luther” fell off the chart due to new recurrence rules. Its departure left the highest-ranking rap song, YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s “Shot Callin”, at No. 44, followed by Cardi B’s “Safe”(feat. Kehlani) at No. 48, and BigXthaPlug’s “Hell at Night” (feat. Ella Langley) at No. 49.

The last time the Hot 100 had zero rap songs in the Top 40 was February 2, 1990, when Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend”sat just below the threshold at No. 41. That week marked the beginning of a 35-year streak of uninterrupted rap representation on the chart — a streak that defined hip-hop’s rise from the margins to global pop dominance.

This drought coincides with Billboard’s new chart methodology, which removes long-running songs that fall below No. 25 after 26 weeks on the chart. “Luther”, in its 46th week, was one of eight songs affected by the rule change, clearing space for new entries — yet none came from rap. With Taylor Swift’s 12 new tracks from The Life of a Showgirlmonopolizing Top 40 real estate, there was simply little room for rap hits to rebound.

The absence underscores a broader pattern: hip-hop’s market share in the U.S. has dropped from nearly 30% in 2020 to 24% in 2025, according to Luminate data. In October 2020, 16 of the Top 40 were rap songs; by 2023, that number had fallen to eight.

Scholars argue that “musical gentrification” — the corporate and stylistic dilution of hip-hop — has blurred its boundaries to the point that its influence is everywhere, even when it’s not credited.

Music historian Zachary Diaz described hip-hop as being “everywhere but nowhere,” while Ohio State professor Treva Lindsey warned that mainstream rap may be “gasping for creative breath.” Still, both believe the culture remains dynamic at its roots — in underground scenes, social movements, and global reinterpretations.

Hip-hop’s influence, they suggest, may simply be shifting beneath the surface, paving the way for a new Black musical renaissance. As Lindsey notes, “Hip-hop’s decline is in the mainstream industry — not in the culture itself.”

So while the charts may no longer reflect its former dominance, hip-hop’s story isn’t ending — it’s evolving, awaiting its next creative revolution.