Megan Thee Stallion Ends the First Top 40 Rap Drought Since 1990

With her new single “Lover Girl,” which debuts at No. 38 on the chart.

Summary

• Megan Thee Stallion’s new single, “Lover Girl,” debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100
• This marks the first rap song in two weeks to enter the chart’s Top 40
• The achievement ends the first drought for the genre since 1990

Breaking a two-week drought for rap music on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, Megan Thee Stallion‘s new single “Lover Girl” has debuted at No. 38 on the November 8 chart.

This marks the first rap song to reach the top 40 since Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” on the October 18 listing, a significant return for the genre after no rap songs appeared in the top 40 for two consecutive weeks (October 25 and November 1), a first since February 3, 1990.

According to Luminate, “Lover Girl” garnered 8.5 million official U.S. streams, 1.5 million in radio airplay audience, and 5,000 sales in the week ending October 30. This also marks Megan Thee Stallion’s 21st song to enter the Hot 100’s top 40, following her collaboration with RM on “Neva Play” last year.

However, despite “Lover Girl” successfully bringing rap back to the top 40, this might not signal the start of a prolonged streak for the genre in the region. Typically, much-anticipated songs tend to fall in position after their second week, and with no other rap songs currently poised to enter the Top 40, “Lover Girl” is likely to drop on the next Hot 100.