Hip-hop celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Although the musical genre and cultural movement have deep roots, its genesis is often attributed to a 1973 summer party in the Bronx where DJ Kool Herc used two turntables to create a breakbeat – one of the foundations of modern hip-hop music.
What started as a New York subculture spread across the nation in the mid ‘80s and early ‘90s, which came to be known as the Golden Age of Hip-Hop – the era when innovative acts like Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, and A Tribe Called Quest hit the mainstream. (From the beginnings to today, these are the rappers with the most hits.)
To determine the most popular hip-hop groups of all time, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on chart performance from the Billboard Hot 100. Hip-hop artists were ranked based on an inverse score 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. Only songs for which a hip-hop group is the primary credited artist – not a featured act – were considered. Chart data is current through Aug. 5, 2023.
Click here for a ranking of the most popular hip-hop artists of all time
Other acts on the list that gained fame in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s include Heavy D and the Boyz, Cypress Hill, and Salt-N-Pepa. Some pioneers of the genre continued making music well into the 21st century, including the Beastie Boys, Mobb Deep, and the Atlanta duo Outkast (which has become one of the most popular musical duos of all time.)
40. Wu-Tang Clan
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 2
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 30 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) (No. 60 for 2 weeks)
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39. The Lox
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 2
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 20 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: If You Think I’m Jiggy (No. 30 for 1 week)
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38. De La Soul
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 3
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 25 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Me Myself and I (No. 34 for 1 week)
37. EPMD
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 2
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 23 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Crossover (No. 42 for 1 week)
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36. Sugarhill Gang
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 3
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 32 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Rapper’s Delight (No. 36 for 1 week)
35. The Pharcyde
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 3
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 35 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Passin’ Me By (No. 52 for 1 week)
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34. N*E*R*D
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 1 song
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 21 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Lemon (ft. Rihanna) (No. 36 for 1 week)
33. G-Unit
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 1 song
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 18 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Wanna Get To Know You (ft. Joe) (No. 15 for 1 week)
32. The Lonely Island
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 6
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 36 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: I’m on a Boat (ft. T-Pain) (No. 56 for 1 week)
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31. The Roots
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 3
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 30 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: You Got Me (ft. Erykah Badu) (No. 39 for 2 weeks)
30. Public Enemy
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 2
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 29 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Can’t Truss It (No. 50 for 1 week)
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29. Mobb Deep
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 5
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 59 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Got It Twisted (No. 64 for 2 weeks)
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28. A Tribe Called Quest
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 5
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 50 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Award Tour (No. 47 for 1 week)
27. Fugees
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 2
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 36 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Fu-Gee-La (No. 29 for 2 weeks)
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26. Onyx
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 4
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 31 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Slam (No. 4 for 1 week)
25. Goodie Mob
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 4
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 47 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Cell Therapy (No. 39 for 3 weeks)
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24. Geto Boys
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 3
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 42 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Mind Playing Tricks on Me (No. 23 for 1 week)
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23. The 2 Live Crew
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 3
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 58 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Me So Horny (No. 26 for 1 week)
22. City Girls
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 4
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 48 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Act Up (No. 26 for 1 week)
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21. Big Tymers
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 4
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 54 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Still Fly (No. 11 for 1 week)
20. Clipse
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 3
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 47 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: When the Last Time (No. 19 for 1 week)
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19. Cypress Hill
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 6
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 67 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Insane in the Brain (No. 19 for 1 week)
18. Junior M.A.F.I.A.
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 2
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 40 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Get Money (ft. The Notorious B.I.G.) (No. 17 for 1 week)
17. Another Bad Creation
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 2
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 40 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Iesha (No. 9 for 1 week)
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16. YoungBloodZ
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 2
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 44 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Damn! (ft. Lil Jon) (No. 4 for 3 weeks)
15. D12
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 3
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 45 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: My Band (No. 6 for 1 week)
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14. Terror Squad
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 2
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 47 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Lean Back (No. 1 for 3 weeks)
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13. Beastie Boys
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 7
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 74 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Intergalactic (No. 28 for 4 weeks)
12. Run-D.M.C.
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 5
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 67 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Walk This Way (No. 4 for 1 week)
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11. Three 6 Mafia
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 5
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 72 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Stay Fly (ft. Young Buck & Eightball & MJG) (No. 13 for 4 weeks)
10. Heavy D & The Boyz
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 5
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 97 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Now That We Found Love (No. 11 for 1 week)
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9. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 8
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 120 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Summertime (No. 4 for 3 weeks)
8. Kris Kross
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 7
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 111 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Jump (No. 1 for 8 weeks)
7. Ying Yang Twins
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 9
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 146 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Salt Shaker (ft. Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz) (No. 9 for 2 weeks)
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6. Naughty By Nature
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 10
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 157 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Hip Hop Hooray (No. 8 for 1 week)
5. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 8
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 145 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Tha Crossroads (No. 1 for 8 weeks)
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4. Rae Sremmurd
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 11
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 185 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Black Beatles (ft. Gucci Mane) (No. 1 for 7 weeks)
3. Salt-N-Pepa
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 10
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 217 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Whatta Man (ft. En Vogue) (No. 3 for 3 weeks)
2. Migos
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 33
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 246 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: Bad And Boujee (ft. Lil Uzi Vert) (No. 1 for 3 weeks)
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1. Outkast
> Number of Hot 100 entries as primary artist: 15
> Time spent on the Hot 100 as primary artist: 257 weeks
> Highest-charting entry: The Way You Move (ft. Sleepy Brown) (No. 1 for 1 week)
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