Although the noughties (2000-2009) boasted of chart-topping hits from the likes of Mariah Carey, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Fantasia, Ciara, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, Ashanti, and more, as of last week Rihanna was the only woman of color to see her name printed in the top slot of the Billboard Hot 100 this decade.
Nabbing four of those entries in one year (2010), the 8x Grammy-winner sprinkled chart-toppers across the six years that followed by her lonesome and alongside top-selling rappers Eminem, Drake, T.I., and more. Now, with the ascent of rapstress Cardi B’s breakout hit, ‘Bodak Yellow,’ Rih can finally enjoy some company.
As we reported here, B – thanks to a surge of support from fans via digital downloads, streams, and radio play – unseated Taylor Swift‘s blockbuster hit, ‘Look What You Made Me Do,’ to become this week’s chart champion. The money move not only made her the first female rapper this century to top the Hot 100 without a feature act, but also comes with a host of other achievements including becoming the second woman of color this decade to occupy the chart’s summit.
More inside:
Hot 100 This Week
Just to recap, Cardi B can thank ‘Bodak’ for making her:
- 1st (and only) female rapper to have a solo Hot 100 #1 hit this century
- 1st Latina to hit #1 since Shakira‘s ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ topped the charts in 2006
- 2nd female rapper to top the Hot 100 charts solo with her official debut single
- 2nd woman of color to have a #1 hit this decade
- Only ‘Love & Hip Hop’ act to score a top 10 hit since the show’s inception in 2011, let alone a #1
- 5th female rapper to have a #1 single by any measure:
- Lauryn Hill – ‘Doo Wop’ (That Thing)
- Lil Kim – ‘Lady Marmalade’
- Shawnna – ‘Stand Up’
- Iggy Azalea – ‘Fancy’
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Note: Although Terror Squad’s ‘Lean Back’ hit #1 in 2004, Remy Ma is not credited as a featured act
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Note: Speaking technically, Janelle Monae and British singer Kyla – both women of color – did enjoy runs atop the Hot 100 this decade when they played assistant on the hits ‘We Are Young’ (Fun, 2012) and ‘One Dance’ (Drake, 2016) respectively, but they were not the tune’s leading acts.