Hot Rap Songs is a record chart published by the music industry magazine Billboard which ranks the most popular hip hop songs in the United States. Introduced by the magazine as the Hot Rap Singles chart in March 1989, the chart was initially based solely on reports from a panel of selected record stores of weekly singles sales. The first song to reach number one on Hot Rap Singles during the 2000s was "Hot Boyz" by Missy Elliott featuring Nas, Eve and Q-Tip, which spent a record 18 weeks atop the chart from December 1999 to March 2000.
As a response to the music industry's move away from physical retail-available singles in the late 1990s, Billboard revamped the chart from a sales-based chart to an airplay-based chart in 2002. Named Hot Rap Tracks, the new chart's rankings were based on each track's estimated audience, as monitored by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems from a panel of 134 radio stations. Speaking of the changes, Billboard stated that the new chart "more accurately reflects rap's most popular acts." The first number-one song to benefit from the changes was "I Need a Girl (Part One)" by P. Diddy featuring Usher and Loon, which rose from number twenty to the top spot the week the changes took effect.
By the end of the 2000s, 89 singles had topped the Rap Songs chart, with the final number-one hit being "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys. "Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell, which originally topped the chart for 10 weeks from November 2004 to January 2005, was the number-one single on the Billboard decade-end Rap Songs chart. The top Rap Songs artist of the 2000s was 50 Cent, who attained seven number-one singles during the decade—"In da Club", "21 Questions", "Magic Stick", "P.I.M.P.", "Candy Shop", "Hate It or Love It" and "Just a Lil Bit"—and tied with Bow Wow and Kanye West for the most number-one singles for any artist during this period.
Number-one singles +Key Billboard year-end number-one single Billboard decade-end number-one single ↑ Return of a single to number one ← 1990s20002001200220032004200520062007200820092010s → Single Artist Reached number one Weeks atnumber one Ref. "Hot Boyz" featuring Nas, Eve and Q-Tip 18 "Whistle While You Twurk" Ying Yang Twins 2 "Wobble Wobble" 504 Boyz 6 "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)" Nelly 4 "Flamboyant" Big L 3 "Callin' Me" Lil Zane featuring 112 5 "Bounce with Me" Lil' Bow Wow featuring Xscape 2 "Callin' Me" ↑ Lil Zane featuring 112 1 "Bounce with Me" ↑ Lil' Bow Wow featuring Xscape 7 "Move Somethin'" and Hi-Tek (Reflection Eternal) 1 "It's OK" featuring André 3000 2 "Souljas" Master P 1 "Baby If You're Ready" Doggy's Angels featuring LaToiya 8 "Oh No" Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch featuring Nate Dogg 1 "Baby If You're Ready" ↑ Doggy's Angels featuring LaToiya 1 "Ms. Jackson" Outkast 3 "It Wasn't Me" Shaggy featuring 2 "Bow Wow (That's My Name)" Lil' Bow Wow 4 "What Would You Do?" City High 6 "My Baby" Lil' Romeo 10 "Purple Pills" D12 3 "My Projects" Coo Coo Cal 4 "Raise Up" Petey Pablo 10 "Dansin wit Wolvez" Strik 9ine 6 "Round and Round" Jonell featuring Method Man 8 "Lights, Camera, Action!" Mr. Cheeks 8 "Feels Good (Don't Worry Bout a Thing)" Naughty by Nature featuring 3LW 5 "Ballin' Boy" No Good 1 "I Need a Girl (Part One)" P. Diddy featuring Usher and Loon 1 "Oh Boy" / "The ROC (Just Fire)" Cam'ron featuring /Cam'ron featuring Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek 4 "Hot in Herre" Nelly 7 "Dilemma" Nelly featuring 10 "Work It" 12 "Air Force Ones" Nelly featuring Kyjuan, Ali and Murphy Lee 2 "In da Club" 50 Cent 12 "21 Questions" 50 Cent featuring Nate Dogg 7 "Magic Stick" Lil' Kim featuring 50 Cent 5 "Right Thurr" Chingy 4 "P.I.M.P." 50 Cent 2 "Get Low" Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring Ying Yang Twins 2 "Shake Ya Tailfeather" Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee 3 "Get Low" ↑ Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring Ying Yang Twins 1 "Damn!" YoungBloodz featuring Lil Jon 1 "Stand Up" Ludacris featuring Shawnna 8 "" Outkast featuring 5 "Slow Jamz" Twista featuring and 7 "One Call Away" Chingy featuring J-Weav 3 "Tipsy" J-Kwon 5 "Overnight Celebrity" Twista 8 "Slow Motion" Juvenile featuring Soulja Slim 6 "Lean Back" Terror Squad 12 "Drop It Like It's Hot" Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell 10 "Lovers and Friends" Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring Usher and Ludacris 8 "Candy Shop" 50 Cent featuring Olivia 6 "Hate It or Love It" featuring 50 Cent 4 "Just a Lil Bit" 50 Cent 9 "Let Me Hold You" Bow Wow featuring Omarion 7 "Like You" Bow Wow featuring Ciara 4 "Gold Digger" featuring 4 "Soul Survivor" Young Jeezy featuring Akon 6 "I Think They Like Me" Dem Franchize Boyz featuring Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and Bow Wow 2 "Grillz" Nelly featuring , Ali and Gipp 10 "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" Dem Franchize Boyz featuring Lil Peanut and Charlay 7 "What You Know" T.I. 6 "It's Goin' Down" Yung Joc 9 "Shoulder Lean" Young Dro featuring T.I. 3 "Pullin' Me Back" Chingy featuring Tyrese 6 "Money Maker" Ludacris featuring Pharrell 7 "Shortie Like Mine" Bow Wow featuring and 7 "We Fly High" 3 "Runaway Love" Ludacris featuring 5 "This Is Why I'm Hot" Mims 7 "I'm a Flirt" featuring T.I. and T-Pain or Bow Wow featuring 5 "Party Like a Rockstar" Shop Boyz 7 "Make Me Better" Fabolous featuring Ne-Yo 6 "Shawty" Plies featuring T-Pain 3 "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" Soulja Boy 5 "Good Life" featuring T-Pain 9 "Low" Flo Rida featuring T-Pain 11 "Independent" Webbie featuring Lil Phat and Lil Boosie 4 "Lollipop" Lil Wayne featuring Static Major 14 "" Lil Wayne 7 "Put On" Young Jeezy featuring 1 "Whatever You Like" T.I. 10 "Live Your Life" T.I. featuring Rihanna 10 "Heartless" 5 "Dead and Gone" T.I. featuring 4 "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" Soulja Boy featuring Sammie 2 "Dead and Gone" ↑ T.I. featuring 4 "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" ↑ Soulja Boy featuring Sammie 2 "Boom Boom Pow" 1 "Best I Ever Had" Drake 15 "Run This Town" Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and 7 "Forever" Drake featuring , Lil Wayne and Eminem 1 "Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z featuring 9
Most number ones + Three or more number-one singlesArtistNumber-one singles50 CentBow WowKanye West7NellyT.I.6LudacrisT-Pain4Lil Wayne3
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External links Hot Rap Songs at Billboard