Complex on MSN

15 predictions for rap music in 2026

With no obvious consensus about where hip-hop is headed, here are 15-occasionally reckless-predictions for rap music in 2025.
Yahoo

Rap falls off the Billboard Top 40 for the first time in 35 years — here’s what’s behind the drop

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 09: (L-R) SZA and Kendrick Lamar perform onstage during Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show ...
Rolling Out

Billboard’s top 40 loses all rap songs for first time

Hip-hop has officially exited the upper echelon of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time in more than three decades. The top 40 of the iconic chart currently contains zero rap songs, marking ...
Stereogum

There Are No Rap Songs In The Top 40 For The First Time In 35 Years

Yesterday, Billboard deputy editor and Stereogum buddy Andrew Unterberger published a piece with some confusing implications: On last week's Billboard Hot 100, there were no rap songs in the top 40.