Billboard Ranks Drake, Beyoncé as Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of 21st Century

Billboard’s quarter-century recap puts Drake first and Beyoncé second, reflecting cumulative R&B/hip-hop chart performance from 2000 through 2024. (Superthrowbackparty illustration)

In a year when Beyoncé bent stadiums around the world to her will and Kendrick Lamar owned the headlines with “Not Like Us,” Billboard’s receipts say something simpler: over the first 25 years of this century, Drake stacked the most chart points. The trade’s 2000–24 recap names him the No. 1 R&B/hip-hop act of the 21st century — a data-only verdict built from weekly “Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” and “Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.”

The numbers that power his case are blunt. Inside the 2000–24 window, Drake posted a record 30 No. 1 songs on the R&B/hip-hop songs chart and 15 No. 1 albums on the R&B/hip-hop albums chart, alongside a torrent of top-10 entries that kept him in constant rotation. He did it despite arriving late — he didn’t reach Billboard’s charts until 2009 — which makes the margin feel even more modern: singles that live forever on playlists, features that blur lines between rap, R&B and pop, and projects built to stream long after release.

Beyoncé lands at No. 2 — proof that two different blueprints shaped the era. Drake optimized for the feed: relentless singles, features, and algorithm-proof hooks. Beyoncé recentered the album as an event, from “Dangerously in Love” to “Renaissance,” turning surprise drops, world-building visuals and stadium scale into the new normal. Same scoreboard, different paths.

Billboard’s top tier for 2000–24 also includes The Weeknd, Chris Brown, Usher, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Eminem and Alicia Keys — a two-generation snapshot that stretches from the ringtone era to the streaming-services age. Kendrick Lamar, who dominated 2024–25 by any cultural measure, does not appear in this top 10 snapshot. That isn’t a referendum on artistry; it’s how cumulative, week-by-week scoring favors catalogs with longer runways inside the period.

Methodology matters. In 2012, Billboard rewired its genre charts to fold in digital sales and streaming alongside airplay — a rule set that boosted crossover smashes and has been debated ever since. Fans can argue philosophy; the charts track behavior. By the late 2010s, R&B/hip-hop had already become America’s most-consumed music. Within that ecosystem, Drake’s playlist-native strategy was rocket fuel, and Beyoncé’s album-first statements kept ambition at the center of pop.

Read as a time capsule, the list isn’t about “greatest ever.” It documents how Black music became the operating system of pop this century — from Usher’s “Confessions” to The Weeknd’s “Starboy,” from Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” to Drake’s “God’s Plan.” If you want the culture war, social media has you covered. If you want the scoreboard, this one says Drake. And it says the era — albums, singles, tours, memes, playlists — belongs to the whole ecosystem that got him there.

Billboard’s top 10 R&B/hip-hop artists of the 21st century (2000–24)

1. Drake
2. Beyoncé
3. The Weeknd
4. Chris Brown
5. Usher
6. Lil Wayne
7. Jay-Z
8. Rihanna
9. Eminem
10. Alicia Keys

Lil Nas X Freed on $75,000 Bail; Prosecutors Say 3 Officers Injured; Faces up to 5 Years

A video recorded in the early hours of Aug. 21, 2025, shows a Lil Nas X walking in Studio City, Calif. The encounter that followed left three officers injured, according to authorities; a not-guilty plea was entered on four felony counts. (Screengrab)

Lil Nas X pleaded not guilty Monday to four felony charges stemming from his arrest in Studio City last week, where authorities say he injured three officers while they tried to detain him.

The Grammy winner, born Montero Lamar Hill, 26, is charged with three counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said. A preliminary-hearing setting is scheduled for Sept. 15 in Van Nuys. If convicted as charged, he faces up to five years in state prison.

🔥🚨BREAKING NEWS: Grammy award winning rapper Lil Nas X has been hospitalized after being spotted roaming nearly naked on the streets of Los Angeles at 4AM.

TMZ claims it could be a possible OD. This comes after Lil Nas X reportedly ‘ruined his career’ by intentionally and… pic.twitter.com/pyTHkFMKTo

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) August 21, 2025

“Attacking police officers is more than just a crime against those individuals but a direct threat to public safety,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in announcing the case. “Anyone who assaults law enforcement will face serious consequences, no matter who they are or how famous they may be.”

Prosecutors say the incident occurred around 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 21 in Studio City. Officers responded to a call and, during the encounter, Hill allegedly assaulted the responding officers, injuring at least three, before he was taken into custody.

New footage of Lil Nas X leaving jail after posting a $75k bail pic.twitter.com/RHrgyIAPIC

— She’s Fishy ➐ (@ShesFishy) August 25, 2025

A judge set bail at $75,000. The court also ordered outpatient drug treatment as a condition of release, according to multiple reports; Hill’s attorney told the court there’s no evidence of drug use.

Video published Monday showed Hill leaving a county facility in Van Nuys wearing a blue jail jumpsuit after posting bond.

Hill rose to global prominence with the hybrid country-rap hit “Old Town Road” and has been recognized for breaking barriers in country and pop — but he remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Bigxthaplug Booked in Dallas Hours After 'I Hope You’re Happy' Drops

Arlington Police Department

Hours after his country-rap album “I Hope You’re Happy” hit streaming services, Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug — born Xavier Landum — was booked into the Dallas County jail at about 2:20 a.m. Friday on two misdemeanor counts: possession of marijuana (less than 2 ounces) and unlawful possession of a firearm. He later posted bond.

An arrest-warrant affidavit says officers stopped the 26-year-old around 8:45 p.m. Thursday for not having a front license plate as he pulled out of a Williams Chicken in Dallas. When asked whether there was a weapon in the vehicle, Landum acknowledged one under the center armrest, according to the affidavit. Officers reported finding two firearms and a small amount of marijuana. The affidavit notes police referenced a listing for Landum in a law-enforcement gang database; the document ties that listing to a state handgun offense.

The booking capped an album-night sprint. Landum had just celebrated at a release party at Cash Cow in Deep Ellum; a second event planned for Friday at a Wingstop location was canceled after the arrest. He told local reporters he intends to reschedule.

“I Hope You’re Happy” blends trap percussion with country songwriting and features Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Darius Rucker, Shaboozey, Thomas Rhett and Ella Langley. A companion video with Jelly Roll, “Box Me Up,” arrived alongside the album.

Thursday’s arrest is Landum’s second in North Texas this year. In February, Arlington police arrested him after a traffic stop for an expired registration; officers said they smelled marijuana and found a handgun in the vehicle. Landum was booked on a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession and later released. That case was subsequently dismissed, according to local reports.

Dallas voters approved a charter amendment last fall to curb arrests and citations for low-level marijuana possession, but city officials paused enforcement in July after a court ruling in a separate case. Police have resumed enforcement while the legal fight plays out.