Topline
Kendrick Lamar dominates this week’s Billboard Hot 100, earning the top five spots with songs from his surprise album “GNX,” joining rap rival Drake as one of few acts to have ever claimed the entire top five on the chart.
Kendrick Lamar surprise-released his album “GNX” on Nov. 22. (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty … [+]
Key Facts
Lamar’s “Squabble Up” debuts at No. 1 on this week’s Hot 100 chart, dated Dec. 7, as four other tracks from his new album round out the top five and additional songs from “GNX” rank Nos. 8 and 9.
Lamar ties a record with Drake, whom he is widely perceived to have bested in a highly publicized rap feud earlier this year, as well as Taylor Swift and The Beatles as the only artists to have occupied the Hot 100’s entire top five at once.
Lamar is now the artist with the most No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 this year as “Squabble Up” becomes his third, following his song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin and his hugely popular, five-time Grammy-nominated diss track aimed at Drake, “Not Like Us.”
Billboard announced yesterday Lamar’s album “GNX,” which he released with no advance notice on Nov. 22, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 319,000 album units, composed of sales and streams.
Key Background
Lamar released “GNX” to cap off a successful year largely defined by his feud with Drake, of which many fans and media outlets declared Lamar to be the winner. Lamar made slight references to Drake on his new album, rapping on “wacced out murals,” the opening track: “Snoop posted ‘Taylor Made,’ I prayed it was the edibles/ I couldn’t believe it, it was only right for me to let it go,” referencing how rapper Snoop Dogg shared Drake’s diss track aimed at Lamar, “Taylor Made Freestyle,” to his Instagram story earlier this year, though Snoop Dogg clarified he did not support one rapper over the other. “GNX” song “heart pt. 6,” the latest installment in Lamar’s “heart” song series, also bears the title of a diss track Drake released targeting Lamar. Days after Lamar released the album, Drake’s company Frozen Moments LLC filed two petitions in court alleging label Universal Music Group—which represents both Lamar and Drake—allowed Lamar to release his chart-topping diss “Not Like Us” despite knowing it contained allegations about Drake that he says are false. On “Not Like Us,” Lamar accuses Drake of being a “certified pedophile,” an allegation he has denied. Drake also accused UMG of paying Spotify and iHeartRadio to boost the chart performance of “Not Like Us.” UMG denied Drake’s allegations in a statement, calling it “offensive and untrue” that the label would sabotage any of its artists.
Big Number
3. That’s how many No. 1 hits Lamar earned on the Hot 100 in 2024, the most of any artist. “Squabble Up” follows “Not Like Us” and “Like That” as his chart-topping songs this year.
Surprising Fact
Lamar’s surprise release effectively blocked Shaboozey from breaking the all-time record for the longest reign at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Shaboozey’s hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has ranked No 1 for 19 weeks, tying him with Lil Nas X’s smash “Old Town Road” as the chart’s longest leader. “A Bar Song” dips to No. 6 this week from No. 1, ranking behind only songs by Lamar.
Tangent
Mariah Carey’s perennial holiday chart-topper “All I Want For Christmas Is You” charts at No. 10 on the Hot 100 this week, the first appearance in the top 10 for a holiday song this season. Though holiday songs typically rule the Hot 100 every December, Lamar’s chart dominance may have delayed their return this year. At this time last year, four of the five songs in the chart’s top five were holiday songs.
Further Reading
‘Squabble Up’ Debuts Atop Hot 100, as Kendrick Lamar Lands Entire Top Five (Billboard)
