R&B/hip-hop music is the most popular genre in the U.S. since it overtook rock in 2017. Its influence has become so great that it spread to nearly all other popular genres, from rock to country. Because of its popularity, there are countless musicians trying to succeed within the genre, with many trying their hand at one of the genre’s cornerstones — rapping.
Not everyone can be the best, of course, and there are a limited number of spots at the top. The best rappers are able to release several hit songs, consistently outperforming the competition in terms of popularity.
To determine the rappers with the most hits, 24/7 Wall St. has examined artists’ performance on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, which has been tracking the most popular rap songs since 1989. These rappers have repeatedly released songs that command the attention of the genre’s fans, cementing their status as the very best.
Billboard has altered the way it determines its chart rankings over the years, and in 2012 it began incorporating digital download sales and streaming data in the ranking. This has helped numerous younger rappers chart multiple hits, when they may not have under Billboard’s pre-2002 method of simply tracking physical singles sales. Cardi B, Post Malone, and Kodak Black are among the rappers who have both had the most hits and are still under 30 years of age.
Artists from the days before streaming are included as well. Public Enemy — who had 11 songs on the Hot Rap charts — scored their biggest hit with “Fight the Power” in 1989. One year later, M.C. Hammer “U Can’t Touch This” peaked at No. 2. He had 14 songs chart in total.
The No. 1 rapper on this list — the one with the most songs on the Hot Rap Songs chart — will likely not be a surprise to rap fans. He’s broken numerous records in recent years, and has nearly twice as many charting songs as the artist in the No. 2 spot.
To determine the rappers with the most hits, 24/7 Wall St. identified those artists who have had the greatest total number of unique songs appear on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart. Only songs in which the rapper in question was the primary artist were included in their count. For instance, a song by Jay-Z that features Kanye West would only be counted for Jay-Z, not Kanye West. Ties were broken by the greatest number of total weeks spent on the chart in cases where two or more artists had the same number of charting songs. Biggest rap hit refers to the artist’s song that performed best on the chart, and the date refers to the year the song peaked on the chart, not necessarily when the song was released.
50. XXXTENTACION
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 11
> Total weeks spent on chart: 93
> Biggest rap hit: Sad! (2018)
49. Redman
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 11
> Total weeks spent on chart: 93
> Biggest rap hit: Blow Your Mind (1992)
48. Cardi B
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 11
> Total weeks spent on chart: 108
> Biggest rap hit: Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) (2017)
47. French Montana
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 11
> Total weeks spent on chart: 110
> Biggest rap hit: Unforgettable (2017)
46. Public Enemy
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 11
> Total weeks spent on chart: 125
> Biggest rap hit: Fight the Power (1989)
45. 2 Chainz
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 11
> Total weeks spent on chart: 132
> Biggest rap hit: No Lie (2012)
44. The Game
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 11
> Total weeks spent on chart: 166
> Biggest rap hit: Hate It Or Love It (2005)
43. Twista
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 11
> Total weeks spent on chart: 175
> Biggest rap hit: Slow Jamz (2004)
42. 2Pac
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 11
> Total weeks spent on chart: 188
> Biggest rap hit: How Do U Want It/California Love (1996)
41. Kodak Black
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 12
> Total weeks spent on chart: 96
> Biggest rap hit: ZEZE (2018)
40. A Tribe Called Quest
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 12
> Total weeks spent on chart: 106
> Biggest rap hit: Check the Rhime (1991)
39. Heavy D & The Boyz
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 12
> Total weeks spent on chart: 157
> Biggest rap hit: Got Me Waiting (1994)
38. Gucci Mane
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 12
> Total weeks spent on chart: 174
> Biggest rap hit: Wasted (2009)
37. Plies
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 12
> Total weeks spent on chart: 180
> Biggest rap hit: Shawty (2007)
36. Nas
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 13
> Total weeks spent on chart: 134
> Biggest rap hit: Street Dreams (1996)
35. Ice Cube
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 13
> Total weeks spent on chart: 153
> Biggest rap hit: Pushin’ Weight (1998)
34. Bow Wow
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 13
> Total weeks spent on chart: 163
> Biggest rap hit: Bow Wow (That’s My Name) (2001)
33. Ja Rule
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 13
> Total weeks spent on chart: 171
> Biggest rap hit: Holla Holla (1999)
32. Fat Joe
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 13
> Total weeks spent on chart: 174
> Biggest rap hit: Flow Joe (1993)
31. OutKast
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 13
> Total weeks spent on chart: 185
> Biggest rap hit: The Way You Move (2003)
30. M.C. Hammer
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 14
> Total weeks spent on chart: 172
> Biggest rap hit: U Can’t Touch This (1990)
29. Too $hort
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 14
> Total weeks spent on chart: 177
> Biggest rap hit: 2 B*tches (2000)
28. Snoop Dogg
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 14
> Total weeks spent on chart: 225
> Biggest rap hit: Drop It Like It’s Hot (2004)
27. Fabolous
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 14
> Total weeks spent on chart: 262
> Biggest rap hit: Make Me Better (2007)
26. Wiz Khalifa
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 15
> Total weeks spent on chart: 185
> Biggest rap hit: See You Again (2015)
25. Young Jeezy
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 16
> Total weeks spent on chart: 238
> Biggest rap hit: Put On (2008)
24. Travis Scott
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 17
> Total weeks spent on chart: 111
> Biggest rap hit: Sicko Mode (2018)
23. Nelly
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 17
> Total weeks spent on chart: 245
> Biggest rap hit: (Hot S**t) Country Grammar (2000)
22. Flo Rida
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 17
> Total weeks spent on chart: 275
> Biggest rap hit: Low (2008)
21. Migos
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 18
> Total weeks spent on chart: 158
> Biggest rap hit: Bad and Boujee (2017)
20. Big Sean
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 18
> Total weeks spent on chart: 230
> Biggest rap hit: My Last (2011)
19. Busta Rhymes
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 18
> Total weeks spent on chart: 233
> Biggest rap hit: Turn It Up [Remix]/Fire It Up (1998)
18. Post Malone
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 19
> Total weeks spent on chart: 214
> Biggest rap hit: Rockstar (2017)
17. Rick Ross
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 19
> Total weeks spent on chart: 253
> Biggest rap hit: Aston Martin Music (2010)
16. Pitbull
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 24
> Total weeks spent on chart: 390
> Biggest rap hit: Timber (2014)
15. LL Cool J
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 25
> Total weeks spent on chart: 322
> Biggest rap hit: The DEFinition (2004)
14. DJ Khaled
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 25
> Total weeks spent on chart: 328
> Biggest rap hit: I’m On One (2011)
13. Ludacris
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 25
> Total weeks spent on chart: 353
> Biggest rap hit: Money Maker (2006)
12. 50 Cent
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 25
> Total weeks spent on chart: 379
> Biggest rap hit: In Da Club (2003)
11. T.I.
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 26
> Total weeks spent on chart: 481
> Biggest rap hit: Whatever You Like (2008)
10. Kendrick Lamar
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 27
> Total weeks spent on chart: 291
> Biggest rap hit: Humble. (2017)
9. Meek Mill
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 28
> Total weeks spent on chart: 145
> Biggest rap hit: Going Bad (2018)
8. Nicki Minaj
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 29
> Total weeks spent on chart: 385
> Biggest rap hit: Moment 4 Life (2011)
7. Future
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 34
> Total weeks spent on chart: 333
> Biggest rap hit: Mask Off (2017)
6. Lil Wayne
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 35
> Total weeks spent on chart: 453
> Biggest rap hit: Right Above It (2010)
5. J. Cole
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 37
> Total weeks spent on chart: 272
> Biggest rap hit: Deja Vu (2016)
4. Kanye West
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 39
> Total weeks spent on chart: 433
> Biggest rap hit: Good Life (2007)
3. Eminem
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 41
> Total weeks spent on chart: 370
> Biggest rap hit: The Monster (2013)
2. Jay-Z
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 47
> Total weeks spent on chart: 457
> Biggest rap hit: Jigga My N**** (1999)
1. Drake
> Songs on Hot Rap Songs chart: 92
> Total weeks spent on chart: 1,018
> Biggest rap hit: The Motto (2012)