List of Billboard number-one rap singles of the 1980s and 1990s explained

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. With hip hop having greatly increased in mainstream popularity in the late 1980s, Billboard introduced the chart in their March 11, 1989 issue under the name Hot Rap Singles.^[1] Prior to the addition of the chart, hip hop music had been profiled in the magazine's "The Rhythm & the Blues" column and disco-related sections, while some rap records made appearances on the related Hot Black Singles chart.^[2] The inaugural number-one single on Hot Rap Singles was "Self Destruction" by the Stop the Violence Movement.^[3] From its 1989 inception until 2001, the chart was based solely on each single's weekly sales.^[4] To formulate chart rankings, Billboard assembled a panel of selected record stores to provide reports of each week's top-selling singles.^[5]

Between 1989 and 1999, 173 singles topped the Hot Rap Singles chart, with "Hot Boyz" by Missy Elliott featuring Nas, Eve and Q-Tip being the final number-one single of the 1990s. The single's 18-week reign at the top spot extended into the next decade, and until 2019 it held the record for the most weeks at number one in the chart's history.^[6] LL Cool J and Puff Daddy each attained nine number-one hits on the Hot Rap Singles chart during its first 11 years, the most for any artist during this period.^[7] ^[8] In a 25th anniversary listing of the top 100 songs in the history of Hot Rap Songs based on chart performance, "Me So Horny" by the 2 Live Crew and "Tootsee Roll" by 69 Boyz were the highest-ranked singles of the 1980s and 1990s respectively.^[9] ^[10]

Number-one singles

style="background-color:#ffff99"
	Billboard year-end number-one single
↑	Return of a single to number one

Single	Artist	Reached number one	Weeks at number one	Ref.
"Self-Destruction" ^[11]	Stop the Violence Movement		10
"Me Myself and I"	De La Soul		8
"I'm That Type of Guy"	LL Cool J		2
"Fight the Power"	Public Enemy		6
"It's Funky Enough"			4
"Smooth Operator"	Big Daddy Kane		4
"Me So Horny"	2 Live Crew		4
"Cha Cha Cha"	MC Lyte		2
"New Jack Swing"	Wrecks-n-Effect		1
"Somebody for Me"	Heavy D & the Boyz		2
""			2	^[12]
"Expression"	Salt-n-Pepa		8
""	Digital Underground		5
"Murder Rap"	Above the Law		2
"Funhouse"	Kid 'n Play		3
"911 Is a Joke"	Public Enemy		2
"AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted"	Ice Cube		3
""	Snap!		3
"We're All in the Same Gang"			4
"Untouchable"	Above the Law		1
"Banned in the U.S.A."	Luke featuring		1
"Call Me D-Nice"	D-Nice		4
"Treat Them Like They Want to Be Treated"	Father MC		1
""	LL Cool J		2
"Ice Ice Baby"	Vanilla Ice		1
"Knockin' Boots"	Candyman		6
"Monie in the Middle"	Monie Love		2
"I'll Do 4 U"	Father MC		3	^[13]
"Around the Way Girl"	LL Cool J		4
"Gold Digger"	EPMD		3
"Treat 'Em Right" ^[14]			3
"Looking at the Front Door"	Main Source		3
"It's a Shame (My Sister)"	Monie Love featuring True Image		2
"Daddy's Little Girl"	Nikki D		2
"I Got to Have It"	Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs		1
"Mama Said Knock You Out"	LL Cool J		1
"You Can't Play with My Yo-Yo"	Yo-Yo featuring Ice Cube		4
"Rise 'n' Shine"	Kool Moe Dee featuring KRS-One and Chuck D		2
"Homey Don't Play Dat"	Terminator X		1
"Pop Goes the Weasel"	3rd Bass		2
"Summertime"	DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince		2
""			2
""	Jibri Wise One		2
"Growin' Up in the Hood"	Compton's Most Wanted		1
"O.P.P."	Naughty by Nature		4
"Fuck Compton"	Tim Dog		1
"Mind Playing Tricks on Me"	Geto Boys		3
"Can't Truss It"	Public Enemy		3
"Check the Rhime"			1
"Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody"	Kid 'n Play		2
"Blue Cheese"			2
"Just the Two of Us"			2	^[15]
"" / "How I Could Just Kill a Man" ^[16]	Cypress Hill		5
""	Black Sheep		2
"Poor Georgie"	MC Lyte		1
"Oochie Coochie"	MC Brains		2
"Shut 'em Down"	Public Enemy		1
""	featuring KRS-One		1
""	Leaders of the New School		1
"Jump"	Kris Kross		5
"Tennessee"	Arrested Development		1
"They Want EFX"	Das EFX		3
"Sometimes I Rhyme Slow"	Nice & Smooth		1
"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"			3
"Take It Personal"	Gang Starr		1
"Warm It Up"	Kris Kross		3
"Don't Sweat the Technique"	Eric B. & Rakim		1
"Fakin' the Funk"	Main Source		1
"Crossover"	EPMD		3
"People Everyday"	Arrested Development		3
"Mic Checka"	Das EFX		1
"360 Degrees (What Goes Around)"	Grand Puba		1
"Here It Comes" / "Back to the Grill"	MC Serch		1
"Ever So Clear"	Bushwick Bill		1
"Blow Your Mind"	Redman		1
"Lost in the Storm"			2
"Rump Shaker"	Wreckx-n-Effect		3
"Not Gonna Be Able to Do It"	Double XX Posse		1
"Flex"	Mad Cobra		2	^[17]
"Wicked"	Ice Cube		2
"I Got a Man"	Positive K		2
"Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)"	Digable Planets		3
"Informer"	Snow		2
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang"	Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg	March 12, 1993	3
"Throw Ya Gunz"	Onyx		2
"Time 4 Sum Aksion"	Redman		1
"It Was a Good Day"	Ice Cube		1
"Down with the King"	Run–D.M.C. featuring		2
"How I'm Comin'"	LL Cool J		1
"Typical Reasons (Swing My Way)"	Prince Markie Dee and Soul Convention		1
"Deeper"	Boss		3
"Head or Gut" / "We Getz Busy" ^[18]	Illegal		2
"Lots of Lovin'"			1
"Passin' Me By"			1
"Slam"	Onyx		2
"Bonnie & Clyde" / "IBWin' wit My Crewin'"	Yo-Yo		1
"Insane in the Brain"	Cypress Hill		3
"Ruffneck"	MC Lyte		1
"Check Yo Self"	Ice Cube featuring Das EFX		1
"Alright"	Kris Kross featuring Super Cat		2
"Grand Groove" / "At Large"	Intelligent Hoodlum		1
"Chief Rocka"	Lords of the Underground		1
"We Getz Busy" ↑	Illegal		1
"Flow Joe"	Fat Joe		1
"Recipe of a Hoe"	Boss		1
"Valley of the Skinz"	Trends of Culture		1
"What's Next"	Leaders of the New School		1
"Stay Real"			1
"Shoop"	Salt-n-Pepa		5
"What's My Name?"	Snoop Doggy Dogg		3	^[19]
"Getto Jam"	Domino		6
"Whatta Man"	Salt-n-Pepa featuring En Vogue		2
"Gin and Juice"	Snoop Doggy Dogg		2
"Player's Ball"	Outkast		6
"Got Me Waiting"	Heavy D & the Boyz		3
"Regulate"	Warren G and Nate Dogg		3
"Funkdafied" ^[20]	Da Brat		11
"Tootsee Roll"	69 Boyz		1
"Flava in Ya Ear"			4
"Tootsee Roll" ↑	69 Boyz		1
"Flava in Ya Ear" ↑			10
"Tootsee Roll" ↑	69 Boyz		5	^[21]
"Big Poppa" / "Warning"			6
"Dear Mama" / "Old School"	2Pac		1
"Big Poppa" / "Warning" ↑			1
"Dear Mama" / "Old School" ↑	2Pac		1
"Big Poppa" / "Warning" ↑			2
"Dear Mama" / "Old School" ↑	2Pac		1
"Keep Their Heads Ringin'"	Dr. Dre		1
"Dear Mama" / "Old School" ↑	2Pac		2
"I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By"	Method Man featuring		6
"One More Chance/Stay with Me" ^[22]			9
"Boombastic" / "In the Summertime"	Shaggy / Shaggy featuring Rayvon		1
"Gangsta's Paradise"	Coolio featuring L.V.		11
"Cell Therapy"	Goodie Mob		1
"Hey Lover"	LL Cool J		8	^[23]
"Tonite's tha Night"	Kris Kross		5
"Get Money"	Junior M.A.F.I.A. featuring		3
"Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check" / "Everything Remains Raw"			7
"5 O'Clock"	Nonchalant		1
""	Bone Thugs-n-Harmony		6
"How Do U Want It" / "California Love" ^[24]	2Pac featuring K-Ci & JoJo / 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and		6
"Elevators (Me & You)"	Outkast		4
"Loungin"	LL Cool J		4
"How Do U Want It" / "California Love" ↑	2Pac featuring K-Ci & JoJo / 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and		2
"Bow Down"	Westside Connection		2
"Po Pimp"	Do or Die featuring Twista		1
"Bow Down" ↑	Westside Connection		1
"Street Dreams"	Nas		1
"No Time"	Lil' Kim featuring Puff Daddy		9	^[25]
"Cold Rock a Party"	MC Lyte		2
"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"	Puff Daddy featuring Mase		12
"Hypnotize"			7
"I'll Be Missing You" ^[26]	Puff Daddy and featuring 112		8
"Mo Money Mo Problems"	featuring Puff Daddy and Mase		4
"Up Jumps da Boogie"	Timbaland & Magoo		8
"Feel So Good"	Mase		6
"Been Around the World"	Puff Daddy & the Family featuring and Mase		6	^[27]
"Dangerous"			1
"Father"	LL Cool J		3
"Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" ^[28]	Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz		1
"Gettin' Jiggy wit It"			2
"Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" ↑	Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz		4
"Romeo and Juliet"	featuring Chill		4
"Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up"			4
"Money, Power & Respect"	featuring DMX and Lil' Kim		1
"Raise the Roof"	Luke featuring No Good but So Good		1
"I Got the Hook Up"	Master P featuring Sons of Funk		1
"Come with Me"	Puff Daddy featuring		5
"Lookin' at Me"	Mase featuring Puff Daddy		10
"Just the Two of Us"			2
"Superthug (What What)"	Noreaga		1
"Pushin' Weight"	Ice Cube featuring Mr. Short Khop		2
"Doo Wop (That Thing)"			4
"Pushin' Weight" ↑	Ice Cube featuring Mr. Short Khop		1
"Ghetto Cowboy"	Mo Thugs Family featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony		8	^[29]
"Watch for the Hook"	Cool Breeze featuring Outkast, Goodie Mob and Witchdoctor		3
"It Ain't My Fault\|It Ain't My Fault 2" / "Somebody Like Me"	Silkk the Shocker featuring Mystikal / Silkk the Shocker featuring Mýa		3
"What's It Gonna Be?!"	featuring		5
"Who Dat" ^[30]	featuring Solé		8
"No Pigeons"	Sporty Thievz featuring Mr. Woods		4
"Wild Wild West"	featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee		3
"Jamboree"	Naughty by Nature featuring Zhané		4
"Jigga My Nigga"	Jay-Z		2
"I Want It All"	Warren G featuring Mack 10		4
"Satisfy You"	Puff Daddy featuring		4
"4, 5, 6"	Solé featuring and Kandi		1
"Hot Boyz"	featuring Nas, Eve and Q-Tip		18	^[31]

Bibliography

Book: Keyes, Cheryl Lynette . Rap Music and Street Consciousness . 2004 . . 978-0-252-07201-7 . registration .
Book: Hess, Mickey . Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture . 2007 . . 978-0-313-33902-8 . registration .
Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn

. Joel Whitburn . Billboard's 1989 Music and Video Yearbook . 1990 . Record Research . 978-0-898-20075-1.

External links

Hot Rap Songs at Billboard

Notes and References

Hot Rap Songs Chart 25th Anniversary: Top 100 Songs . . . March 4, 2014 . March 8, 2014 . Ramirez, Erika . 1 . March 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140307112125/http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/5923200/hot-rap-songs-chart-25th-anniversary-top-100-songs . live .
Reading Billboard 1979–89: Exploring Rap Music's Emergence Through the Music Industry's Most Influential Trade Publication . Popular Music and Society . 34 . 3 . . July 2011 . 309–27 . Harrison, Anthony Kwame . Arthur, Craig E.. 10.1080/03007766.2010.522806. 191448612 .
NYC Shooting Case Inspires Rap Single . . . 111 . 17 . April 24, 1999 . October 17, 2013 . 80 . King, Aliya S..
Rap Chart Changes From Sales To Airplay . . . 114 . 23 . June 8, 2002 . October 17, 2013 . 10.
Interloper On Rap Chart . . BPI Communications . 101 . 12 . March 25, 1989 . Rossi, Terri.
Drake 'Proud'-ly Rewrites Record for Most Rap Songs No. 1s . . . February 3, 2012 . March 1, 2014 . Trust, Gary . August 21, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140821203727/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/507651/drake-proud-ly-rewrites-record-for-most-rap-songs-no-1s . live .
Web site: LL Cool J Chart History (Hot Rap Songs) . . . January 17, 2020 . November 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211117180315/https://www.billboard.com/artist/ll-cool-j/chart-history/rap/ . live .
Web site: Puff Daddy Chart History (Hot Rap Songs) . . . January 17, 2020 . November 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211117184030/https://www.billboard.com/artist/puff-daddy/chart-history/rap/ . live .
Hot Rap Songs Chart 25th Anniversary: Top 100 Songs (30–21) . . . March 4, 2014 . March 9, 2014 . Ramirez, Erika . 10 . March 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140310153212/http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/5923200/hot-rap-songs-chart-25th-anniversary-top-100-songs?list_page=7 . live .
Hot Rap Songs Chart 25th Anniversary: Top 100 Songs (10–1) . . . March 4, 2014 . March 8, 2014 . Ramirez, Erika . 10 . August 24, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140824092754/http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/5923200/hot-rap-songs-chart-25th-anniversary-top-100-songs?list_page=9 . live .
1989: The Year In Music (Year-End Charts) . . BPI Communications . 101 . 51 . December 23, 1989.
Web site: Rap Songs – 1990 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141014105213/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1990/rap-song . October 14, 2014.
Web site: Rap Songs – 1991 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141011194533/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1991/rap-song . October 11, 2014.
News: 1991's Chart-Toppers: Garth, Mariah & C C . https://web.archive.org/web/20131105195120/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-983304.html . dead . November 5, 2013 . . January 1, 1992 . June 12, 2013. subscription . Harrington, Richard.
Web site: Rap Songs – 1992 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141012183952/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1992/rap-song . October 12, 2014.
News: Garth Brooks Ropes In Seven Billboard Awards; U2 Wins Five . . . December 10, 1992 . June 13, 2013 . October 16, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131016114527/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19921210&slug=1529321 . live .
Web site: Rap Songs – 1993 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141011194536/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1993/rap-song . October 11, 2014.
Erick Sermon Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records (Part 1) – Illegal f/ Erick Sermon 'We Getz Busy' (1993) . . Complex Media . March 7, 2012 . August 29, 2013 . Isenberg, Daniel . December 8, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131208135058/http://www.complex.com/music/2012/03/erick-sermon-tells-all-the-stories-behind-his-classic-records-part-1/we-getz-busy . live .
Web site: Rap Songs – 1994 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141011202101/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1994/rap-song . October 11, 2014.
The Year in Music: Hot Rap Singles . . 106 . 52 . . December 24, 1994 . August 29, 2013 . 38.
Web site: Rap Songs – 1995 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141013104436/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1995/rap-song . October 13, 2014.
News: Here's A Look At Year's Top Music . . . December 29, 1995 . June 13, 2013 . October 6, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131006061931/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1995-12-29/entertainment/9512280389_1_john-michael-montgomery-artist-mariah-carey . live .
Web site: Rap Songs – 1996 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141012184004/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1996/rap-song . October 12, 2014.
The Year in Music: Hot Rap Singles . . 108 . 52 . . December 28, 1996 . August 29, 2013 . 42.
Web site: Rap Songs – 1997 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141018171449/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1997/rap-song . October 18, 2014.
The Year in Music: Hot Rap Singles . . 109 . 52 . . December 27, 1997 . August 30, 2013 . 42.
Web site: Rap Songs – 1998 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141024163549/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1998/rap-song . October 24, 2014.
The Year in Music 1998: Hot Rap Singles . . . 110 . 52 . December 26, 1998 . June 15, 2013 . 53.
Web site: Rap Songs – 1999 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140915042305/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/1999/rap-song . September 15, 2014.
1999 – The Year in Music: Hot Rap Singles . . . 111 . 52 . December 25, 1999 . August 30, 2013 . 59.
Web site: Rap Songs – 2000 Archive . . . March 1, 2014 . February 26, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140226015437/http://www.billboard.com/archive/charts/2000/rap-song . live .