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4w ago

Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Lover Girl’ Puts Rap Back in the Hot 100 Top 40

Fueled by fresh streaming gains and a recent recurrent-rule tweak, the song’s arrival suggests a cautious, not guaranteed, revival for rap on the chart.

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Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson have been dating since July, sharing clips of their romance to social media.
Megan Thee Stallion's "Lover Girl" debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, ending a historic drought for rap music on the chart.

Overview

  • Megan Thee Stallion’s “Lover Girl” debuts at No. 38 on the Nov. 8 Billboard Hot 100, ending a two-week stretch with no rap titles in the top 40.
  • Billboard confirms it is the first back-to-back top-40 absence for rap since February 1990, a gap now broken by Megan’s new single.
  • According to Luminate, the track earned 8.5 million U.S. streams, a 1.5 million radio audience and 5,000 in sales in the week ending Oct. 30.
  • Billboard’s recent recurrent-policy update, which sped removals of long-running hits such as Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther,” helped reshape the top 40’s openings.
  • Other rap entries show mixed movement, with YoungBoy Never Broke Again and BigXthaPlug slipping as Gunna and Cardi B notch modest gains, while “Lover Girl” marks Megan’s 21st top-40 hit and arrives via her independent Hot Girl Productions.