"ENDED NICKI AND TAYLOR"- Fans react after The Weeknd's Blinding Lights reaches #1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the 21st Century chart

Billboard has ranked The Weeknd's Blinding Lights at No. 1 on its "Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the 21st Century Chart," dated August 28, 2025. According to the publication, the ranking was based on "the weekly Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart from the start of 2000 through the end of 2024."

The song also holds the record of spending the most weeks (59 weeks) in the top 10 on Billboard's "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart since the chart's inception in 1958. Here are the "Top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the 21st Century Chart:"

1. Blinding Lights - The Weeknd
2. Industry Baby - Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow
3. Be Without You - Mary J. Blige
4. Sure Tjing - Miguel
5. Thrift Shop - Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz
6. That's What I Like - Bruno Mars
7. Sunflower - Pot Malone and Swae Lee
8. Snooze - SZA
9. Pretty Wings - Maxwell
10. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell

Pop Crave

@PopCrave

“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd has reached number #1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the 21st Century chart.

This news was met with mixed reactions from netizens on X, with one user writing:

"ENDED NICKI AND TAYLOR."

jonah

@arianasdealer

@PopCrave ENDED NICKI AND TAYLOR

Several netizens stated that it was not surprising for the song to hold the title, adding that it was a vibe.

KROP

@0xKrop

@PopCrave The Weeknd number 1 I love it

Hania

@haniaeheofficil

@PopCrave No surprise—it's a vibe that just won’t quit!

Elar Realm

@ElarRealm

@PopCrave Some songs don’t just play-they define an era. Blinding Lights isn’t just a hit, it’s the soundtrack of a generation still chasing neon dreams. 🌃

RJTechXocial

@i_rajeshh

@PopCrave That song was literally everywhere for like 2 years straight 😂 no surprise it’s #1

However, others seemed to disagree with this notion, implying that the list was not indicative of quality.

Sleepingkid

@21stcenthunter

@PopCrave That song being hash1 just proves how watered down and trash mainstream R&B/hip hop has become,who else is with me ?

GhostOf.SOL

@GhostOfSolami

@PopCrave none of these are played by me or in any playlist i listen to.

Some music lovers seemed surprised that the song belonged in the R&B or hip-hop genre and not pop.

Moonlightswift

@Moonlightswift9

@PopCrave I never knew in my entire life that Blinding Lights was considered an R&B/Hip-Hop song 😭😭 I always thought it was pure pop, like strong pop😭😭

ItsMeNoah713 ☣️🪿

@ItsMeNoah713420

@PopCrave Not R&B and definitely not Hip Hop

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An overview of Blinding Lights' other achievements

The Weeknd released Blinding Lights in 2020 as part of his fourth album, After Hours. The 80-inspired synthwave song, written by the singer in collaboration with Max Martin, Belly, DaHeala, and Oscar Holter, was an instant success, topping Billboard Hot 100 following its release.

In 2021, Billboard named the song as the No. 1 track on its "Greatest Songs of All Time Hot 100 Chart," replacing Chubby Checker's 1960 song The Twist.

In a November 2021 interview with Billboard in celebration of the achievement, The Weeknd (whose real name is Abel Tesfaye) said he was glad the song was released a decade into his career, adding:

"[There were] songs that transcended into pop culture, like “The Hills.” But by the time “Blinding Lights” happened, I was 10 years into my career and established as a music figure in the industry already. So I’m glad “Blinding Lights” happened when it happened as opposed to it being the first single I’ve ever dropped. That’d be scary for me."

Furthermore, he added that the song's overwhelming success hadn't fully sunk in, saying:

"I don’t think [the success of “Blinding Lights”] has hit me yet. I try not to dwell on it too much. I just count my blessings, and I’m just grateful."

In January 2024, the song surpassed four billion streams on Spotify, making it the first track to achieve the milestone on the music streaming platform at the time. In January 2025, it was crowned No. 1 on "Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century Chart."

The song's music video currently has over 961 million views on YouTube. Despite its success, Blinding Lights did not earn any Grammy nominations, resulting in the singer criticizing the awards show as being "corrupt" in an X post in November 2020, as reported by CBS News.

"The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency," he wrote in an X post.

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In other news, The Weeknd is currently on tour with Playboi Carti. The tour, titled "After Hours Til Dawn," recently became the highest-grossing R&B tour in history, after earning over $635.5 million since it kicked off in 2022. The previous record was reportedly held by Beyoncé’s "Renaissance World Tour," which crossed $579.8 million.

The Weeknd's next show is scheduled for August 30, 2025, at the NRG Stadium in Houston.