Earlier this week it was officially announced that 2023 had its first number-one rap song on the Hot 100. In its fifth week on the charts Doja Cat’s song “Paint The Town Red” elevated from number three to number one officially becoming the first hip-hop song to top the charts in over a year. She follows up Nicki Minaj, who debuted her single “Super Freaky Girl” at the top spot last year. Technically, Doja is the second rapper to appear on the top spot this year. Latto lent a guest verse to K-pop superstar Jung Kook’s single “Seven” earlier this year which also debuted at number one.
It’s Doja Cat’s second time appearing at the number one spot. She previously topped the charts alongside Nicki Minaj with the pair’s remix of Doja’s viral hit “Say So.” But “Paint The Town Red” represents her first ever time topping the charts by herself. Fittingly, she took to Instagram to celebrate the track’s success. As is often the case with her Instagram photo dumps there’s a surreal and random feeling to it throughout. Right in the middle of the series of pictures, however, is a screenshot of the track at the number one spot on the Hot 100.
Doja Cat Has The First Number One Rap Hit This Year
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 17: Doja Cat performs onstage during YouTube Brandcast 2023 at David Geffen Hall on May 17, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for YouTube)
Doja Cat’s highly anticipated new album Scarlet is slated to arrive later this month. The project will drop on September 22 and has been preceded by three singles. “Paint The Town Red” was the album’s second single, following “Attention” and succeeded by “Demons.” Doja is also going on tour later this year. The Scarlet Tour kicks off on Halloween night and features Ice Spice and Doechii as openers.
What do you think of Doja Cat’s newest surreal Instagram photo dump? Let us know in the comment section below. We’re not permitted to post the images directly on HotNewHipHop, but if you’d like to see them, you can do so by clicking the Via link below.
Although 2016 seems so long ago, that year consisted of memorable rap moments and hit singles. That particular year still holds significance to music listeners as they feel nostalgic towards its prolific releases. Multiple publications have penned articles about why 2016 was one of the best and biggest years for music, citing many monumental hip-hop songs and albums. In fact, British comedian James Acaster once published a book that argued 2016 was the best year for music ever.
Beyond the significant albums that were released that year, from Drake’s Views to Chance The Rapper’s Coloring Book, 2016 was a year full of major rap hits. Looking back at the memorable year from the past decade, here are seven No. 1 rap songs from 2016. Each of these songs reached No. 1 on a Billboard chart, including the Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Rap Songs charts. Take a look at the tracks below.
Like many previous and subsequent years, Drake dominated the charts in 2016. His album, Views, had the highest first-week consumption out of any hip-hop album released that year. However, Drake’s biggest No. 1 songs of 2016 did not feature rapping. His biggest hits that year included the dancehall and afro-fusion chart-topper “One Dance,” as well as “Hotline Bling.” Additionally, both of his collaborations with Rihanna, “Work” and “Too Good” also reached No. 1 on the charts that year. Out of his No. 1 2016 hits, Drake’s only rap song to top the charts was “Summer Sixteen.” The single served as a victory lap following his beef with Meek Mill in 2015 and led to his tour with Future of the same name. “Summer Sixteen” also simultaneously reached No. 1 on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts.
6. Chance The Rapper – “No Problem” Ft. Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz
Chance The Rapper had achieved a massive amount of success as an independent artist but took things to a new level with his Grammy-award-winning mixtape, Coloring Book. Following his show-stopping verse on Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam,” Chance continued to wave the flag for independence, shunning record labels on the song’s chorus. He exclaims, “If one more label try to stop me / It’s gon’ be some dreadhead n****s in your lobby.” Fresh off their ColleGrove collaboration, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz contributed guest features. Wayne’s verse particularly aligned with the song’s message as he was engulfed in label drama at the time, preventing Tha Carter V from being released. “No Problem” reached No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for two consecutive weeks and won a Grammy award for Best Rap Performance.
While Tory Lanez is currently in very different circumstances than he was seven years ago, 2016 was undeniably his breakout year. His debut single, “Say It” was quite successful as it was also his first song to peak at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for four weeks and also sat atop the US Rhythmic chart. The song was released in 2015 but was the lead single from his 2016 debut album, I Told You. “Say It” remains the biggest hit of Tory Lanez’s rap career and is currently 3x platinum.
“Black Beatles” is one of Rae Sremmurd’s biggest hits to date. The SremmLife 2 single featuring Gucci Mane conquered social media in 2016 as it became the soundtrack to the viral “Mannequin Challenge” trend. The song was a major moment for Gucci Mane, who had been released from prison earlier in the year and continued a prolific run of guest features. Not only did it top the Billboard Hot 100, marking both Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane’s first chart-topping single, “Black Beatles” sat at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Rap Songs, and the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts for the last six weeks of 2016.
By 2016, G-Eazy had been on a run of releasing nonstop hits. He had just released his fourth album When It’s Dark Out, which remains his biggest album to date. While the album and its lead single, “Me, Myself & I” were both released in 2015, the hit single sat atop the rap charts during the first quarter of 2016. A collaboration with Bebe Rexha, “Me, Myself & I” is still one of the biggest hits of both of their careers. The song held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Rap Songs chart for nine weeks.
DRAM had released his breakthrough single in 2015 with “Cha Cha” but “Broccoli” marked a new phase in his career. The 2016 hit became the lead single for his debut album, Big Baby DRAM. It is now the biggest song of his career, achieving 7x platinum status in 2018. Also on “Broccoli” is Lil Yachty, who was in the middle of his breakout moment with the release of his debut mixtape. A feel-good pop song with a light-hearted instrumental and bubbly chorus, the song became a massive crossover hit for both artists through its production and Lil Yachty’s auto-tuned verse. While it reached No. 1 on multiple Billboard charts, “Broccoli” remained in the top spot on the Rap Songs chart for nine consecutive weeks. It was also nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2017 Grammys.
The success of “Panda” in 2016 was undeniable. One of the best-charting rap songs of 2016, Desiigner’s debut single was an immediate hit. The track had the ultimate cosign from his GOOD Music boss Kanye West as it was prominently sampled on “Pt. 2” from The Life of Pablo. “Panda” introduced the world to Desiigner’s choppy flow and animated ad-libs that landed him a spot on the 2016 XXL Freshman Class, as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance. The hit record sat atop the Rap Chart for a whopping 15 consecutive weeks, not to mention its No. 1 positions on other charts for multiple weeks as well. Like each of these tracks, “Panda” was one of the No. 1 rap songs that helped define 2016 as a memorable year.
As of earlier this week, it’s officially been an entire year without a rap song hitting number one. Last year, Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” debuted at the top spot and spent one week there. In the entire 365 days following a rap song has failed to reach the same chart successes. Two have come close with both Drake’s “Search & Rescue” and Lil Durk and J. Cole’s “All My Life” both peaking at number 2. Technically, there has been a rapper at the top spot in 2023, just not a rap song. Latto gave a guest verse to BTS member and K-Pop superstar Jung Kook on his song “Seven” which debuted at the number one spot in its first week.
One artist is pretty sure that he can step up and end the very long drought. NLE Choppa is taking the burden upon himself to become the next rapper to hit number one. “Bet lemme change that rq,” he responded in a quote tweet to a post about the long lack of chart toppers. It would be a pretty impressive boost for the rapper to soar all the way up to number one given that he’s never had a song inside the top 20 before. His biggest hit to date is “SLUT ME OUT” which made a sustained climb all the way up to its peak at number 28.
The Billboard 200 had also been completely dry of rap albums at the top of the chart for almost the entire first half of the year. Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape finally broke the streak and was quickly followed by Travis Scott’s UTOPIA. UTOPIA didn’t just hit the top spot but has stuck there, aiming for a full month at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 this week.
The best chance NLE Choppa has to break the streak before anyone else does it likely his newest single. The track “Bonjour” is a collaboration with Gambi that he released last week. What do you think of NLE Choppa aiming for a number one hit on the Hot 100? Let us know in the comment section below.
It seems like her near-beef with Latto over a misinterpreted lyric has really informed Coi Leray’s perspective. Moreover, she just took to Twitter to lament the fact that there still hasn’t been a number one rap song in 2023, and she has a plan to change that. What is it? Well, it consists of bringing together as many female rappers as possible for a ladies night of camaraderie, pure talent, and the ultimate collaborative spirit. “Ain’t been a #1 rap song at all this year,” the Boston native began her message. “Calling all the female rappers to front. Here me out. ladies night. Hip hop. Unity. #splash let’s make history with a number 1 … together .. with love. #justanidea.”
In addition, she also responded to fan questions and backlash. For example, one fan pointed out that there are simply too many out there to make a cohesive great song in time. “Someone of us can share verses,” Coi Leray suggested. “Split it up. Back and forth. Adlibs.” Another said that they don’t want unity, but rather beef. While Coi called that “distasteful and weird,” it’s unfortunately a prevailing attitude among not just fans, but plenty of artists alike right now.
Coi Leray’s Proposition For An All-Femcee Number One Song
Ain’t been a #1 rap song at all this year. Calling all the female rappers to front. Here me out. ladies night. Hip hop. Unity. #splash let’s make history with a number 1 … together .. with love. #justanidea
How many times have outlets like ours reported on the latest beef between rappers or their fanbases across genders, including Coi Leray herself? Egos are big, the attention and money that beef makes is even bigger, and especially female rappers are unfortunately pitted against each other thanks to misogynistic stereotypes and an unfortunate inability to “play with the boys” as a result. The perception of there being one hot female rapper at a time is quickly vanishing, but fanbases and outlets are far too quick to make them step on each other to reach an elevated status at all.
Regardless, the 26-year-old has more music to look forward to in the future regardless of whether this single works out. Her upcoming sophomore album COI has a lot of singles under its belt already, and many are excited to see what she brings to the table. Hopefully her tweets plant the seeds for a banger to come, especially one that shows that the women in rap are leading the way right now. For more news and the latest updates on Coi Leray, keep checking in with HNHH.
let’s make history with a number 1 … together .. with love.