Is the Industry Pulling Back? No Hip-Hop Songs in Billboard’s Top 40 Sparks Debate

For the first time since 1990, no rap songs appear in Billboard’s Hot 100 Top 40.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” dropped off after 46 weeks due to Billboard’s recurrent rule.

Billboard attributes the rap-free chart to a decline in rap’s market share, which has fallen from 30% in 2020 to 24% in 2025.

Rapper 6ix9ine once claimed he bought his No. 1 spot on Billboard, and the current absence of hip-hop hits suggests that labels may no longer be investing in the genre as heavily.

No rap songs are on the Billboard Top 40 for the first time in 35 years | The FADER