After her Beyoncé-featuring remix came out, Megan Thee Stallion’s TikTok hit “Savage†seemed destined for No. 1. Then it got blocked for two weeks — first by another rap remix assist, then by a long-awaited collaboration on a charity single. But now that Doja Cat is over and Ariana Grande has moved on to bigger and better things, it’s finally Meg’s time. “Savage†sits pretty at the top of this week’s Billboard Hot 100, giving Megan Thee Stallion her first No. 1 and making her one of a handful of woman rappers to accomplish that. Beyoncé also joins that list, netting her seventh No. 1 and first in this decade. She’s the second artist with No. 1s in each decade of the 21st century, following Mariah Carey (whose “All I Want for Christmas Is You†finally hit No. 1 at the beginning of 2020).
And speaking of women rappers, Nicki Minaj is off this week’s chart, with Doja Cat’s solo version of “Say So†running the show once again. “The original version, without Minaj, is now driving the majority of overall activity for the song,†Billboard wrote of the decision. “The change does not affect any of Minaj’s achievements on those charts the past two weeks,†including her first-ever No. 1. It’s also the fourth new song to top the chart in four weeks, after Roddy Ricch and The Weeknd reigned for most of the winter. Tune in next week to see if Lady Gaga can make that five and get her first No. 1 debut.