Every recording artist dreams of a top 10 hit, but few reach that pinnacle. There are exceptions, however – performers who don’t just score big once or twice or have a brief run of successes but who end up at the highest level of musical success again and again. (These are the most dominant reigns in Billboard history.)
To determine the artists with the most Top 10 hits, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on historical Billboard Hot 100 chart performance. Artists were ranked based on the total number of songs to enter in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 throughout their careers. Supplemental data on an artist’s biggest hit is based on an inverse ranking wherein a week at No. 1 is worth 100 points, a week at No. 2 worth 99 points, and so on, up to a week at No. 100 worth one point.
Calculated weekly, the Billboard Hot 100 counts a song’s sales (physical and digital), radio airplay, and online streaming in the U.S. Music data provider MRC Data (formerly Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen Music Products) gather the sales numbers from retail stores, mass merchants, and Internet sales. MRC Data also tracks digital song sales, while Billboard, MRC Data, and the National Association of Recording Merchandisers compile the most popular streamed radio songs as well as on-demand songs and videos on leading online music platforms.
Click here to see the artists with the most top 10 hits
According to our research, some 45 artists have each won at least 15 appearances on the Hot 100 – and the most successful of them is Canadian-born rapper Drake. The 35-year-old has racked up 55 Top 10 hits, far surpassing second-place finisher Madonna, at 38, and The Beatles, in third place at 34. (These are the rappers with the most hits.)
45. Maroon 5
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 213 weeks
> Biggest hit: Girls Like You (feat. Cardi B) (No. 1 for 7 weeks)
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44. The 4 Seasons
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 77 weeks
> Biggest hit: December 1963 (Oh, What A Night) (No. 14 for 1 week)
43. P!nk
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 123 weeks
> Biggest hit: Just Give Me A Reason (feat. Nate Ruess) (No. 1 for 3 weeks)
42. Olivia Newton-John
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 111 weeks
> Biggest hit: Physical (No. 1 for 10 weeks)
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41. T-Pain
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 125 weeks
> Biggest hit: Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’) (feat. Yung Job) (No. 1 for 1 week)
40. The Beach Boys
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 71 weeks
> Biggest hit: Surfin’ U.S.A. (No. 3 for 1 week)
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39. Bee Gees
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 120 weeks
> Biggest hit: How Deep Is Your Love (No. 1 for 3 weeks)
38. The Temptations
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 83 weeks
> Biggest hit: I Can’t Get Next To You (No. 1 for 2 weeks)
37. Connie Francis
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 68 weeks
> Biggest hit: Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool (No. 1 for 2 weeks)
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36. George Michael
> Top 10 hits: 15
> Total time spent in Top 10: 83 weeks
> Biggest hit: Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (feat. Elton John) (No. 1 for 1 week)
35. Chris Brown
> Top 10 hits: 16
> Total time spent in Top 10: 150 weeks
> Biggest hit: Go Crazy (feat. Young Thug) (No. 3 for 1 week)
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34. Daryl Hall & John Oates
> Top 10 hits: 16
> Total time spent in Top 10: 111 weeks
> Biggest hit: Maneater (No. 1 for 4 weeks)
33. Rod Stewart
> Top 10 hits: 16
> Total time spent in Top 10: 99 weeks
> Biggest hit: Tonight’s The Night (Gonna Be Alright) (No. 1 for 8 weeks)
32. Lady Gaga
> Top 10 hits: 17
> Total time spent in Top 10: 142 weeks
> Biggest hit: Just Dance (feat. Colby O’Donis) (No. 1 for 3 weeks)
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31. Aretha Franklin
> Top 10 hits: 17
> Total time spent in Top 10: 80 weeks
> Biggest hit: Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) (No. 3 for 1 week)
30. Bruno Mars
> Top 10 hits: 18
> Total time spent in Top 10: 241 weeks
> Biggest hit: That’s What I Like (No. 1 for 1 week)
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29. Ludacris
> Top 10 hits: 18
> Total time spent in Top 10: 164 weeks
> Biggest hit: Stand Up (feat. Shawna) (No. 1 for 1 week)
28. Usher
> Top 10 hits: 18
> Total time spent in Top 10: 273 weeks
> Biggest hit: You Make Me Wanna… (No. 2 for 7 weeks)
27. Marvin Gaye
> Top 10 hits: 18
> Total time spent in Top 10: 88 weeks
> Biggest hit: Let’s Get It On (No. 1 for 2 weeks)
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26. Beyonce
> Top 10 hits: 19
> Total time spent in Top 10: 145 weeks
> Biggest hit: Irreplaceable (No. 1 for 10 weeks)
25. Justin Timberlake
> Top 10 hits: 19
> Total time spent in Top 10: 160 weeks
> Biggest hit: Can’t Stop The Feeling! (No. 1 for 1 week)
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24. Ariana Grande
> Top 10 hits: 19
> Total time spent in Top 10: 177 weeks
> Biggest hit: 7 Rings (No. 1 for 8 weeks)
23. Prince
> Top 10 hits: 19
> Total time spent in Top 10: 113 weeks
> Biggest hit: The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (No. 3 for 3 weeks)
22. Kanye West
> Top 10 hits: 20
> Total time spent in Top 10: 155 weeks
> Biggest hit: Gold Digger (feat. Jamie Foxx) (No. 1 for 10 weeks)
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21. Nicki Minaj
> Top 10 hits: 20
> Total time spent in Top 10: 162 weeks
> Biggest hit: Super Bass (No. 3 for 2 weeks)
20. The Supremes
> Top 10 hits: 20
> Total time spent in Top 10: 122 weeks
> Biggest hit: Come See About Me (No. 1 for 2 weeks)
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19. Chicago
> Top 10 hits: 20
> Total time spent in Top 10: 98 weeks
> Biggest hit: Hard To Say I’m Sorry (No. 1 for 2 weeks)
18. JAY-Z
> Top 10 hits: 22
> Total time spent in Top 10: 83 weeks
> Biggest hit: Empire State Of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) (No. 1 for 5 weeks)
17. Eminem
> Top 10 hits: 22
> Total time spent in Top 10: 125 weeks
> Biggest hit: Love The Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna) (No. 1 for 7 weeks)
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16. Paul McCartney
> Top 10 hits: 23
> Total time spent in Top 10: 99 weeks
> Biggest hit: Say Say Say (feat. Michael Jackson) (No. 1 for 6 weeks)
15. Whitney Houston
> Top 10 hits: 23
> Total time spent in Top 10: 183 weeks
> Biggest hit: I Will Always Love You (No. 1 for 14 weeks)
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14. The Rolling Stones
> Top 10 hits: 23
> Total time spent in Top 10: 130 weeks
> Biggest hit: Start Me Up (No. 2 for 3 weeks)
13. Lil Wayne
> Top 10 hits: 25
> Total time spent in Top 10: 143 weeks
> Biggest hit: Lollipop (feat. Static Major) (No. 1 for 5 weeks)
12. Elvis Presley
> Top 10 hits: 25
> Total time spent in Top 10: 149 weeks
> Biggest hit: It’s Now Or Never (feat. The Jordanaires) (No. 1 for 5 weeks)
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11. Justin Bieber
> Top 10 hits: 26
> Total time spent in Top 10: 324 weeks
> Biggest hit: Love Yourself (No. 1 for 2 weeks)
10. Janet Jackson
> Top 10 hits: 27
> Total time spent in Top 10: 157 weeks
> Biggest hit: If (No. 4 for 2 weeks)
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9. Stevie Wonder
> Top 10 hits: 28
> Total time spent in Top 10: 156 weeks
> Biggest hit: I Just Called To Say I Love You (No. 1 for 3 weeks)
8. Elton John
> Top 10 hits: 28
> Total time spent in Top 10: 166 weeks
> Biggest hit: Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight (No. 1 for 14 weeks)
7. Mariah Carey
> Top 10 hits: 28
> Total time spent in Top 10: 292 weeks
> Biggest hit: All I Want For Christmas Is You (No. 1 for 8 weeks)
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6. Michael Jackson
> Top 10 hits: 30
> Total time spent in Top 10: 183 weeks
> Biggest hit: Billie Jean (No. 1 for 7 weeks)
5. Taylor Swift
> Top 10 hits: 30
> Total time spent in Top 10: 179 weeks
> Biggest hit: Shake It Off (No. 1 for 4 weeks)
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4. Rihanna
> Top 10 hits: 31
> Total time spent in Top 10: 360 weeks
> Biggest hit: We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) (No. 1 for 10 weeks)
3. The Beatles
> Top 10 hits: 34
> Total time spent in Top 10: 212 weeks
> Biggest hit: Hey Jude (No. 1 for 9 weeks)
2. Madonna
> Top 10 hits: 38
> Total time spent in Top 10: 225 weeks
> Biggest hit: Take A Bow (No. 1 for 7 weeks)
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1. Drake
> Top 10 hits: 55
> Total time spent in Top 10: 325 weeks
> Biggest hit: God’s Plan (No. 1 for 11 weeks)
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