Hip-hop has hit a historic chart drought. Billboard reports that, for the first time since early 1990, no rap songs feature in the Top 40 of the Hot 100 chart. The milestone follows the fall of Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s ‘Luther’, which previously spent 13 weeks at No.1 and exited the Top 40 in the chart dated October 25, 2025.

The last time the Top 40 went rap-free was February 2, 1990, when Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” sat at No.41 before climbing back up the charts the following week — launching a 35-year streak of rap presence in the upper tier of the Hot 100.

📉 Chart Rule Changes Influence Rankings

While the development has prompted questions about hip-hop’s commercial strength, Billboard also highlighted that recent chart methodology changes contributed to the shift. Songs now drop off the Hot 100 sooner if they fall below certain thresholds after long runs.

This policy pushed ‘Luther’ off the chart after 46 weeks, even though it was still sitting at No.38.

“Descending songs were deemed recurrent… if they had fallen below No. 25 after spending over 26 weeks on the chart,”
— Billboard

🎵 Rap Still Charts — Just Lower Down

Though rap is temporarily absent from the Top 40, several tracks remain on the Hot 100 lower tier:

Rank	Artist	Song
#44	YoungBoy Never Broke Again	“Shot Callin”
#48	Cardi B ft. Kehlani	“Safe”
#49	BigXthaPlug ft. Ella Langley	“Hell at Night”

Industry analysts say rap’s streaming strength remains, but the genre has shifted into a period of recalibration after dominating pop culture for a decade.

⚔️ Rap Beef Still Defines the Moment

Despite the absence in the Top 40, hip-hop remains a headline driver.

Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 album GNX surged amid his rivalry with Drake, earning him five Grammy awards — including two major wins for “Not Like Us”, a high-profile Drake diss.

The tension spilled into legal territory when Drake sued Universal Music Group, claiming defamation tied to promotion of the track. The lawsuit was dismissed, but Drake has announced plans to appeal, keeping the feud alive.

---

🕒 ETAs & Outlook

Trend	ETA / Outlook	Notes
Temporary rap dip in Top 40	Near-term	Largely influenced by chart rules & release cycles
Return of rap in Top 40	Highly likely within months	Key releases expected Q4 2025/Q1 2026
Impact of rule changes	Ongoing	Older hits likely to cycle off faster, pushing rotation