Rap music in 2025 was a rich mix of introspection, experimentation and cultural significance. As mainstream rap fell in and out of favor, the genre flourished with adventurous producing, serious ...

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.

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 ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts. Lil Wayne’s “The Days” featuring Bono debuts at No. 21 on the Hot ...

You know how the cliché goes: rappers want to be basketball players, and basketball players want to be rappers. This has been a truism since the '90s, when rap really started taking off as a ...

We should address the elephant in the room: hip-hop did not have a strong year on the charts. In fact, rap music had its worst showing in years. Back in October, it made headlines when—for the first ...

Jazmin Kylene is a Miami-bred writer and editor with a decade-long career that spans all editorial genres, though she has a particular passion for music journalism. Upon graduating Florida Atlantic ...