The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” is the biggest song in the history of the Hot 100, so it is not surprising that it took this honor as well.
After Drake was named Billboard‘s top hip-hop artist of the 21st century earlier this week, his fellow Torontonian has joined him at the top. The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” was named the top R&B/hip-hop song of the first 24 years of the century, a not at all surprising accomplishment for one of music’s biggest hitmakers.
“Blinding Lights” earned the top spot because it achieved something that no other song on the chart has ever done. It was in the top 10 for a staggering 59 weeks, the most of any song not only from 2000-2024, but in the entire history of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, dating back nearly 70 years, to 1958.
Additionally, “Blinding Lights” spent 11 of those 59 weeks at the very top of that chart. That makes it the most of The Weeknd’s nine career #1 entries.
Billboard ranks The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” as the #1 R&B/Hip-Hop song of the 21st century 📈🏆
#1: The Weeknd – Blinding Lights
#2: Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow – Industry Baby
#3: Mary J. Blige – Be Without You
#4: Miguel – Sure Thing
#5: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz -… pic.twitter.com/lb8eYzdxde— HotNewHipHop (@HotNewHipHop) August 28, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
In 2021, “Blinding Lights” dethroned Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” as the biggest song in the history of the Hot 100. By extension, that makes it the most popular song in modern history (by the numbers, at least). That distinction meant that, unsurprisingly, the top song of the 21st century outright is also The Weeknd’s 2020 mega-hit.
Rounding out the top three on the R&B/Hip-Hop songs list was Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow‘s “Industry Baby” and Mary J. Blige‘s “Be Without You.”
The Weeknd has been enjoying a successful tour for the last several years, and it seems to be actually near its conclusion this time. On Thursday evening, he will perform the second of consecutive nights at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He will finally be concluding the tour on September 3 at the Alamodome, after a stunning 110 shows.
