Chuck D called out the music industry’s leadership and Billboard‘s policies after rap vanished from the Top 40 for the first time in over three decades.
During an interview with Rock The Bells Tuesday (November 4), the Public Enemy founder didn’t hold back, blaming the genre’s absence on a broken system.
“Lack of curation, administration and caretaking,” he said, describing what he sees as the core issue dragging rap down.
His remarks came just days after Kendrick Lamar’s “luther” featuring SZA was removed from the Billboard Hot 100.
The track had spent 46 weeks on the chart but fell to No. 38, triggering a new rule that reclassifies songs as “recurrent” if they dip below No. 25 after 26 weeks.
That left NBA YoungBoy’s “Shot Callin’” stuck at No. 44, marking the first time since 1990 that no rap song appeared in the Top 40.
“When you have a cluster of people writing the same song, things are gonna fall on the floor,” Chuck D said, criticizing the genre’s creative repetition and lack of identity. He argued that many modern rap songs sound interchangeable and fail to stand out.
Chuck D Compares Hip-Hop To Rock Music
The 65-year-old trailblazer compared rap’s current state to rock music, which he believes has managed to stay relevant by embracing variety.
“Rock has it figured out, they have songs and acts that vary in subject matter,” he said. “We have that in Hip-Hop, and we had a lot more diversity in Hip-Hop before.”
Chuck D also pointed to a deeper issue—industry infrastructure. He reflected on a time when Hip-Hop had stronger support systems, with executives and managers who helped artists navigate the business and maintain visibility.
He referenced acts like Kwamé and D.M.C. as examples of how different styles once thrived under better guidance.
Still, he believes the genre hasn’t flatlined. “We will have songs [in the Top 40] again, right now it’s like the hole in the hurricane,” Chuck D said, suggesting the current drought is temporary.
The last time Hip-Hop was completely absent from the Top 40 was in 1990, when Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend” had exited the chart.
The current dry spell, however, was short-lived. Megan Thee Stallion’s “Lover Girl” debuted at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of November 8, officially breaking the drought.
Chuck D closed with a message aimed at the next generation of artists and executives: “Art has to be fought for, but to fight for it you have to know what it is.”
