“Kendrick over Kanye is blasphemy”: Netizens react as Billboard reveals ranking of the best ‘R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the 21st Century’

With Drake at the top, Billboard has unveiled its Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the 21st Century list, a 100-position retrospective ranking performers based on their chart performance from January 2000 through December 2024.

The results, published on August 26, 2025, also have Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Chris Brown, and Usher rounding out the top five. The rankings are calculated from artists’ performance on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

According to Billboard, titles released before mid-1999 are excluded, though entries that charted during the 2000–24 window contribute to an artist’s placement.

However, some fans don't agree with the rankings.

However, some other fans are happy about the rankings and where their favorite artists have been placed, especially with Drake topping the chart.

Drake leads Billboard’s quarter-century recap

Drake claims the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s retrospective, despite debuting on the charts in 2009, nearly a decade into the time period under consideration.

According to Billboard’s analysis as published on August 26, 2025, his catalog has produced 30 No. 1s on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 15 No. 1 albums on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Both figures represent all-time chart records, extended further to 31 and 16, respectively, in later updates.

Drake at the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards (Image via Getty)

During the measurement window, Drake also accumulated 135 top 10 hits and 355 total entries on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. His 15 albums collectively spent 67 weeks at No. 1, with streaming keeping his catalog consistently active. Drake also dominated Billboard’s annual Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist ranking eight times, in 2012, 2015–18, 2021–22, and 2024.

Billboard describes his dominance as a combination of solo releases, featured appearances, and a range of crossover songs that allowed him to outperform his peers across genres.

Beyoncé ranks as the top female artist

In second place, Beyoncé leads all women in Billboard’s 21st-century rankings. Between 2000 through 2024, she achieved 10 No. 1 songs on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and eight No. 1 albums on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, ranging from Dangerously in Love (2003) to Renaissance (2022).

Beyoncé accepts the Album of the Year award for "COWBOY CARTER" at the 67th Annual GRAMMY (Image via Getty)

Billboard said that Beyoncé’s strategy shifted in the 2010s toward full album experiences and unconventional release rollouts. Despite that change, her records consistently topped charts. Key tracks such as Irreplaceable, Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), and Love on Top remain central to her 25-year run.

Billboard notes her solo achievements add to her earlier work with Destiny’s Child, though only her chart performance as a solo artist contributed to her ranking in this 21st-century retrospective.

The Weeknd, Chris Brown, and Usher complete the top five

The Weeknd, at number 3, emerged from the alternative R&B underground into mainstream recognition beginning in 2012. He has since scored nine No. 1 songs on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and eight No. 1 albums on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

According to Billboard, every release since his 2012 compilation Trilogy reached the top of the albums list, while singles like The Hills, Can’t Feel My Face, and Starboy helped define his quarter-century presence.

The Weeknd: After Hours Til Dawn Tour (Image via Getty)

At number 4, Chris Brown maintained consistent chart activity since his 2005 debut. Twelve of his 13 albums reached the top three of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with eight hitting No. 1. On the songs chart, he accumulated 43 top 10 hits, reflecting both solo work and collaborations with artists including Drake, Lil Wayne, and Jordin Sparks.

Usher at number 5 bridged earlier R&B traditions with modern hip-hop sensibilities. Across 2000–24, he secured 11 No. 1 songs and eight top 10 albums. His 2004 project Confessions was especially impactful, adding tracks like Yeah! to his legacy. More recently, his 2023 single Good Good with Summer Walker and 21 Savage extended his top 10 span to 28 years.

Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Eminem, and Alicia Keys round out the top 10

Lil Wayne at number 6 delivered 35 projects to the albums chart during the quarter-century, combining solo releases, mixtapes, and collaborations. His Tha Carter series became a defining body of work. Wayne also claimed 11 No. 1 songs, second only to his protégé Drake, while mentoring fellow chart regulars like Nicki Minaj.

At number 7, Jay-Z maintained strong output in the early 2000s, with seven No. 1 albums between 2000 and 2004 alone. Over the 25 years, he earned 133 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs entries, including nine No. 1s, often boosted by collaborations with Beyoncé and other leading artists.

Rihanna at number 8 concentrated her chart dominance into a single decade, from 2005-16, yet amassed 55 songs on the chart, including eight No. 1s such as Diamonds, Work with Drake, and The Monster with Eminem. Five of her albums topped the chart, including her four most recent projects.

Rihanna and Eminem perform at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards (Image via Getty)

Eminem at number 9 saw 10 of his 12 albums during 2000–24 reach No. 1 on the albums chart. Though he claimed only one No. 1 song in the period, The Monster with Rihanna, he still posted 41 total entries. His early 2000s albums, including The Marshall Mathers LP (2000), drove much of his placement.

Finally, Alicia Keys at number 10 on the Billboard chart entered the century with Fallin' and went on to achieve eight No. 1 songs and seven No. 1 albums. Billboard also notes her broader cultural presence, including Grammy hosting and the Tony-winning musical Hell’s Kitchen, which further extended her influence during the measurement window.

Billboard explained that the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the 21st Century chart measures activity between Jan. 1, 2000, and Dec. 28, 2024, across both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Only titles released during or after mid-1999 are eligible, though earlier works that charted within the period were counted toward the rankings.

This release is the first of several retrospectives Billboard is publishing. On August 29, 2025, the publication will conclude with a list of the Top Producers of the 21st Century, based on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs performance.

Billboard says the retrospectives are designed to reflect the biggest acts, projects, and contributors across the first 25 years of the century, consolidating two and a half decades of chart history.

About the author

Devangee Halder is a Food and Pop culture writer at Sportskeeda. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in International Studies. A bibliophile and foodie, her academic background, with the intersection of history and cultural studies, has deepened her love for reading and writing.

With over a year of experience, including an internship at Indian Express, which she landed through correspondence with editor Raj Kumar Jha, she transitioned into her current role at this company. As a journalist covering gastronomic trends and other news from the F&B Industry, she veers away from prescriptivism, and instead prioritizes questioning of current narratives, and forwarding relevant news, ensuring they are devoid of sensationalism.

Devangee approaches food with an interdisciplinary lens, locating it vis-à-vis areas such as culture, history, memory, and economics, within which culinary traditions found fruition and subsequently flourished. When not working, she enjoys cooking and reading, alongside her newfound interest in weightlifting. Among her favorite personalities are Sarah Todd and Vikas Khanna, and she admires the late chef Jock Zonfrillo for his work on indigenous food habits and ingredients.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay