‘WAP’ Rises Again; ‘Dynamite’ Comes a Close Second

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are back on top as their smash hit single, ‘WAP’ scores its third non-consecutive No.1 atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With this rise, the track dethrones BTS’ all-English single, ‘Dynamite’. The South Korean boy group shook up the Western pop music scene when their recent release spent its first two debut weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making them the first Korean act to ever achieve this feat. 

‘WAP’: It’s Journey to the Top

‘WAP’ smashed records upon its release. It raked in the largest streaming numbers for a song in its first week, ever – a whopping 93 million streams, beating out previous record-holder, Ariana Grande. In addition, Cardi and Megan’s debut at No.1 marked the first time in chart history that a female hip hop duo topped the ranking. Further, ‘WAP”s third week at No. 1 gives Cardi B her second three-week peak; the first being her debut hit, ‘Bodak Yellow’. 

‘Dynamite’ is No Loser

BTS’ ‘Dynamite’ comes a close second to ‘WAP’ running up at No. 2 this week, marking its third week in the Top 10 of the chart. Further, the track continues to top the Digital Song Sales chart. In addition, with ‘Dynamite’, BTS earns their first career entry on the Billboard Radio Songs chart, as the track debuts at No. 49.

What’s more, the track has reportedly become the first song to sell over 500,000 downloads in the US in 2020. In addition, its third week sales (136,000) mark bigger sales numbers than the greatest sales week for any other song this year. 

Honourable Hot 100 Mentions

Other contenders on the Hot 100 chart are The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights (No. 5)’, which now holds the record for the most weeks spent in the Top 5. He is joined by DaBaby and Roddy Ricch’s acoustic trap hit, ‘Rockstart’ at No. 4. Further, Harry Styles’ ‘Watermelon Sugar’ continues to chime in at No. 7, staying within the Top 10. 

By: Ahalya Narayanan