Latto has reasserted Hip Hop’s chart dominance by becoming the first rapper to top the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023.
The Atlanta rapper’s “Seven” collaboration with BTS star Jung Kook, which dropped earlier this month, made a grand entrance on this week’s Hot 100 by debuting at No. 1.
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According to Billboard, the upbeat, dancefloor-friendly song soared to the top spot thanks to 21.9 million streams, 6.4 million in airplay audience and 153,000 combined digital and CD singles in its opening week.
It marks the first No. 1 single for both Latto and Jung Kook, with the former’s previous best coming in April 2022 with “Big Energy,” which peaked at No. 3. She currently has one other song on the Hot 100 with her Cardi B-assisted “Put It On Da Floor Again,” which sits at No. 42.
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Latto celebrated the news by posting a photo on Instagram of her pretending to wipe tears from her eyes, along with another of her blowing a kiss to the camera.
“#1,” she captioned the post, which was met with congratulatory comments from Yung Miami, Flo Milli and more.
Beyond Latto and Jung Kook’s personal achievements, “Seven” marks an end to Hip Hop’s curious lack of a No. 1 single in 2023 after spending the last half-decade as the most popular genre of music in the U.S., statistically speaking.
By the midway point of last year, Future and Drake (“Wait For U”) and Jack Harlow (“First Class”) had topped the Hot 100, even amidst Harry Styles’ historic 15-week run with “As It Was.”
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Hip Hop was facing a similar struggle on the Billboard 200, experiencing the longest drought of a No. 1 rap album since 1993. That was until a few weeks ago when Lil Uzi Vert’sPink Tape broke the curse.
The Philly rapper’s long-awaited third LP debuted atop the chart after moving 167,000 equivalent album units in its first week, the largest sales week for any rap album this year so far.
Prior to Latto and Uzi’s respective success, Billboard speculated that Hip Hop’s chart struggles were largely down to a lack of releases from heavyweights like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Future and Kanye West.
They also cited the overall stagnation that has plagued the charts this year, pointing out that just five new albums had topped the Billboard 200, along with the same number of new songs on the Hot 100.
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With blockbuster releases from Travis Scott (Utopia), Drake (For All the Dogs), Nicki Minaj (Pink Friday 2), Lil Wayne (Tha Carter VI), A$AP Rocky (Don’t Be Dumb), Quavo (Rocket Power) and Future and Metro Boomin (TBA) on the horizon, Hip Hop’s recent chart slump may prove to be nothing more than a blip.
