Will Kendrick Lamar steal the Hot 100 No. 1 spot from Shaboozey?

competitor is a midweek column focusing on artists aiming to reach the top advertising billboard charts and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100, due out on December 7, 2024, we’ll explore whether a big, unexpected drop could prevent Shaboozey from a historic ascent to the top of the chart.

Shaboozey, “Bar Song (Drunken)” (Dogwood/Empire/Mulan Music, USA): The biggest country crossover hit of 2024 is now officially the longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 in history, though at least for now it still has to share that status with Lil Nas X’s Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Old.” The two songs have now spent 19 weeks on the Hot 100 chart, with “Bar Song” tying Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” for the record — thanks to Exposure on an eventful night.

It’s a good 19th week for Shabozoey, as not only does the gap between “A Bar Song” and “Die With a Smile” continue to close, but the top spot on the Hot 100 is about to become very crowded. .

Kendrick Lamar, “The Brawl” (pgLang/Interscope/ICLG): Kendrick Lamar shocked the world with the surprise release of his new album on Friday (November 22) GNX At noon, there was no sign that an album (or new music in general) was imminent. The 12-song album comes after his feud with Drake thrust into the spotlight earlier this year, a feud that was essentially booked by the two Hot 100 singers: “Like That,” in which he appeared as a guest rapper on Future and Metro Boomin we still don’t trust you The album, along with his own “Not Like Us,” became an instant classic in hip-hop history.

He may now score his third chart-topper of the year. As expected, GNX The album has dominated streaming services over the past week — five days after its release, the album’s 12 songs still hold all top 12 spots on Apple Music’s live charts, and as of Tuesday, the album’s The album occupied the entire top eight spots on Spotify’s daily charts. The latter tally is led by “Squabble Up,” the album’s second track and presumed lead single, which samples Debbie Deb’s 1984 jam classic “When I Hear Music” and now also has its own music video , released on Monday.

“Squabble Up” is expected to lead Kendrick’s new album at the top of next week’s charts – and with its strong streaming numbers, it should have a good chance of taking the top spot – although it may suffer from some pressure from one of the Some of the album’s rivals. “TV Off” featuring Gunplay also became a fan favorite on the record, thanks to its highly “Not Like Us” nostalgic beat and viral “MUSTAAAARRRRRRD!” howling mid-song to check out the song’s star producer. It replaced “Squabble Up” on Apple Music and ranks just below it on Spotify – so if it continues to grow it could become a real challenger to “Squabble” as soon as next week.

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die Smiling” (Streamline/Interscope/Atlantic/ICLG): “Die With a Smile” has come close to reaching No. 1 on the Hot 100 several times, but still hasn’t overcome the odds, becoming Bruno Mars’ ninth No. 1 and Lady Gaga’s sixth. Unfortunately for the superstar duo, “Smile” may get a little more difficult in the coming weeks, as even if it finally manages to close the gap for good with “Bar Song,” now Kendrick · Lamar has had a glut of songs and a plethora of holiday songs hoping to top it on the charts. The song’s play count is still slowly creeping up, though – so if Bruno and Gaga have one more card up their sleeves for the song, a top spot might be out of reach for a while. (They should probably wait until 2025 to use it, though.)

Mariah Carey, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Columbia/Heritage): The Christmas Queen has officially ended her hibernation. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” re-enters the Hot 100 at No. 16 this week, and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, preparations for the holiday season will soon be in full swing. Anticipations high for Lamar’s debut GNX – which could push half of its tracks into the Top 10, if not more – might stay on the fringes of the Top 10 next week, but it’s only a matter of time, with “All I Want” (which has already held the lead for 14 weeks since 2019 ) is seriously challenging for the Hot 100 title.