Last week, hip-hop made headlines for a dubious reason.
For the first time in more than 35 years, no rap songs appeared in the Billboard Hot 100’s top 40. This came after “Luther,” Kendrick Lamar’s duet with SZA, was removed from the chart following the implementation of a new rule.
The news sparked dialogue about the lack of hits from rappers on the charts. Even with the dominant success of “Luther”—which spent 13 weeks at No. 1—rap has had a shaky year commercially.
In some ways, the latest news gave rap doubters more ammunition for a sentiment that has been reoccurring since the end of the pandemic: that the genre is dying, being lapped by fresher, more global sounds like K-pop and Latin music, and that it’s unclear whether the past couple of years are an aberration or the new normal.
One thing that complicates this narrative is that, historically, the charts haven’t always been the most important factor in hip-hop. In fact, some of the greatest and most genre-defining rap songs of the past 50-plus years—everything from Nas’ “N.Y. State of Mind” to Rick Ross’ “B.M.F.”—were never Top 40 hits, even though those songs are synonymous with hip-hop and, in some cases, have earned plaques. (“N.Y. State of Mind” went gold, while “B.M.F.” went platinum.)
This applies to the artists themselves, too. Some of the greatest and most accomplished rap artists of all time have never had a Top 40 hit. (We’re focusing on the Top 40 because that’s traditionally been the distinction between a hit and a non-hit—a measure that goes back to the 1950s.)
So, in that spirit, and to add some context to this news, here are 20 rap artists who never had a Top 40 hit.
1.Ice-T
Highest charting song: “New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)” (peaked at No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Ice-T is a gangsta rap pioneer who took Schoolly D’s framework and built a legacy that extended into rock albums, movies, and eventually TV shows. He was bold and controversial throughout his career, though he didn’t achieve significant chart success. His most iconic song is still “Colors,” but even that only reached number 70 on the Hot 100 chart.
2.KRS-One
Highest charting song: “MC's Act Like They Don't Know” (peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
KRS-One was the “Teacha”—a rapper who recorded some of the most well-known songs of the Golden Age, from “The Bridge Is Over” to “South Bronx.” But he was never able to conjure a top-charting hit.
3.Kool G Rap
Highest charting song: “Fast Life” featuring Nas (peaked at No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
When Nas and Jay-Z cite you as one of their key influences, you know you’re doing something right. Kool G Rap still stands as one of the most influential rappers of all time—the architect of a stylistic blueprint that inspired a generation of legends to cosplay as mafiosos running drug empires. His immersive storytelling turned the kingpin into a kind of god. And while his early albums with DJ Polo include some of his most iconic songs (“Road to the Riches” and “Ill Street Blues”), it wasn’t until he linked up with a rising Nas on “Fast Life” that he finally touched the Billboard Hot 100.
4.A Tribe Called Quest
Highest charting song: “Award Tour” (peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Since their debut in 1990, A Tribe Called Quest has been considered hip-hop royalty. Despite being platinum artists who produced some of the most iconic rap records of the ‘90s, they were never major players on the charts. Ironically, Q-Tip would have to go solo and release more divisive music to find Top 40 success, with “Vivrant Thing” and Missy Elliott’s “Hot Boyz” remix.
5.M.O.P.
Highest charting song: “Ante Up (Robbin Hoodz Theory)" (peaked at No. 19 on the Hot Rap Songs chart)
M.O.P.’s “Ante Up (Robbin Hoodz Theory)” remains one of the most hyped songs in hip-hop, decades after its release. Not only was it huge at the time, but it’s also become part of the cultural zeitgeist, appearing in movies like 30 Minutes or Less and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. This shows that chart positions don’t always reflect a group’s impact. The song can be heard in sports arenas, TV shows, and live performances, and fans still sing it back whenever they see the group out in the world.
6.Wu-Tang Clan
Highest charting song: “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” (peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Despite the fact that several members of the Wu-Tang Clan have achieved top 40 success as individuals, the group’s collective performance tells a very different story. As a group, they have only had two songs enter the Billboard Hot 100, both from their landmark debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). What’s crazier is that “Triumph,” their 1997 epic, went platinum…and still didn’t chart.
7.The Pharcyde
Highest charting song: “Passin' Me By” (peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
At a time when West Coast rap leaned heavily into the gangsta lifestyle, The Pharcyde offered an alternative, embracing jazz-inspired grooves. Fans embraced it; in 1992, their debut album, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, was certified gold, thanks in large part to the success of “Passin’ Me By,” an all-time great rap jam that fell just a couple of slots short of the top 40.
8.Xzibit
Highest charting song: “What U See Is What U Get" (peaked at No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Xzibit has lived many lives—from underground rapper associated with The Alkaholiks clique, to collaborating with Dr. Dre, to his role as host of Pimp My Ride in 2004 (where most people on the internet probably still know him best).
So it’s a bit surprising that, despite his successful work with Dre—Man vs. Machine debuted in the top three—it was his earlier music, like “What U See Is What U Get” and “Paparazzi,” that gave him the biggest charting hits of his career.
9.MF DOOM
Highest charting song: “3 Dollars” with Oh No (peaked at No. 9 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart)
MF DOOM remained underground for the majority of his career, but he is the North Star for so many contemporary rappers. From his quirky, lo-fi production to his dense verses, a lot of what we’ve come to love and respect in today’s underground can be traced back to what he accomplished.
Still, this means his impact on the charts throughout his career was sparse. In fact, the legendary rapper just got his first platinum plaque last year, for the iconic anti-telling anthem "Rapp Snitch Knishes."
10.Yassin Bey
Highest charting song: “Definition” as part of Black Star with Talib Kweli (peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) has consistently used his music to comment on social and political issues affecting Black Americans. Although known for his lyrical prowess, he has created anthems that feel timeless, whether it’s “Umi Says,” famously featured in the Air Jordan XVI commercial, or “Oh No,” his rap-heavy banger with Pharoahe Monch. Still, it was “Definition,” one of his collaborations with Talib Kweli, that earned him the highest-charting single of his career on the Billboard charts.
11.Freddie Gibbs
Highest charting song: “Ensalada” featuring The Alchemist (peaked at No. 40 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart)
It may have taken Freddie Gibbs almost 20 years to hit his prime, but the 43-year-old rapper has carved a special place in the industry with a rap style as prickly as his hate-it-or-love-it personality. His partnership with the Alchemist has produced two classic albums, and his recent plans to collaborate with Kaytranada prove that he’s willing to expand his sound.
12.Earl Sweatshirt
Highest charting song: “Whoa” featuring Tyler, the Creator (peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Earl Sweatshirt’s transformation from a shock-value teenage rap prodigy to an introspective, lyrically sophisticated auteur has been breathtaking to watch. He’s never released a song that dominates pop culture with a TikTok dance craze, but his albums have consistently earned critical acclaim—I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside and Some Rap Songs both peaked within Billboard’s Top 20.
13.Vince Staples
Highest charting song: “Opps” featuring Yugen Blakrock (peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart)
Vince Staples has done so much in so many forms, it’s easy to forget he’s an extremely gifted lyricist—one who has never had a Top 40 hit, despite being known for his critically acclaimed songs and albums.
14.Joey Badass
Highest charting song: “Infinity (888)” with XXXTENTACION (peaked at No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Joey Badass came into the game as a teenager with a ‘90s rap obsession that shaped his early releases, especially his debut project 1999. Over the years, his style has evolved. His beats may have changed, but his dedication to lyricism has remained the same. He’s only had one charting hit—a collaboration with XXXTENTACION.
15.Denzel Curry
Highest charting song: “Ultimate” (peaked at No. 38 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart)
XXXTENTACION, Lil Uzi Vert, and Juice WRLD may get most of the attention for ushering in the SoundCloud era, but you can’t talk about that period without mentioning Denzel Curry. After spending years running with SpaceGhostPurrp’s Rvidxr Klvn, Curry would become one of the SoundCloud era’s most talented rappers, deploying a knack for deep storytelling and vulnerability into a sound that’s fueled a lasting career nearly a decade later. So what if he’s never appeared on the Hot 100?
16.Isaiah Rashad
Highest charting song: “From The Garden” featuring Lil Uzi Vert (peaked at No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
It’s no secret that Top Dawg Entertainment boasts (and boasted) some of the most influential rappers in the history of hip-hop. Isaiah Rashad may not be the first person you think of when you read that, but his impact on the industry is easy to see. There’s personal raps, then there’s Rashad’s raps—so deep, so internal, so raw, that when you hear him speak about his grapples with addiction and mental health, you feel like you’re inside of a therapy session hearing him spill out his insecurities.
17.Cordae
Highest charting song: "Doomsday" with Lyrical Lemonade and Juice Wrld (peaked at No. 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
All it took was an Instagram message to change Cordae’s life. He reached out to join YBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay’s collective, then quickly made a name for himself with his J. Cole-inspired raps on “Old N***s”—ironically, a response to “1985.” Though he eventually left the collective to forge his own path, he has remained a consistent presence in the rap scene, even without major chart hits.
18.Benny The Butcher
Highest charting song: “Johnny P's Caddy” featuring J. Cole (peaked at No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Benny The Butcher was in his 30s when he began gaining attention for embracing Griselda’s boom-bap sound, rooted in the gritty, street-oriented rap of the 1990s. He has remained consistent with this style, refusing to abandon it, even as it limited his mainstream chart success. Even his major-label debut, Everybody Can’t Go, didn’t produce a song that cracked the Billboard Hot 100.
19.Key Glock
Highest charting song: “Let's Go” with Young Dolph (peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Inspired by his late mentor and cousin Young Dolph, Key Glock channels the raw streets of Memphis, mixing it with the city’s soulful history. He is one of the more notable contemporary rappers, but he has yet to achieve the Top 40 access his cousin enjoyed when he appeared on O.T. Genasis’ “Cut It.”
20.Ken Carson
Highest charting song: “Overseas" (peaked at No. 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart)
Opium’s influence can be seen everywhere: Black-painted nails, bleached dreads, and neo-punk aesthetics. Playboi Carti is the leader of the collective, but you can’t deny Ken Carson’s role in the label’s success. He doesn't have a Top 40 hit, yet, but he has over 7 million monthly streams on Spotify.