Chart Metrics vs. Cultural Mettle: Deconstructing the Narrative of Hip-Hop's "Fall"

The removal of Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "luther" from the Billboard Hot 100 chart has reignited the heated debate of rap's decline in 2025. The conversations are unsurprising when this is the first time in over 35 years that there's not a single rap song in the Top 40. Its eviction (and I use that word deliberately) from the Hot 100 is a direct result of Billboard's newest Top 40 rule changes, which states that songs need to reach a certain chart position after a number o...