Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Hiss’ hits No. 1 following feud with Nicki Minaj

Megan Thee Stallion‘s “Hiss” is the No. 1 song in the United States, marking the Houston rapper’s first solo No. 1.

“Hiss” became the catalyst to a shockingly strange string of events after its arrival on Jan. 26. An online rap war between Megan and Nicki Minaj erupted over one line in the song — “These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law” — was widely interpreted as a reference to Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty, a registered sex offender. In response, Minaj crafted her own diss track called “Big Foot,” directly referencing Megan’s dead mother and her 2020 shooting by Tory Lanez.

Though Megan never directly addressed Minaj, the controversy was enough to get the internet (including Minaj) talking for days. In that same period, Megan went on Good Morning America to announce she would be going on tour this summer and officially signed an agreement with Warner Music Group, in tandem with Roc Nation, that will allow her to remain an independent artist with the benefits of label services.

“Hiss” launches to No. 1 with 29 million streams, nearly 3 million radio airplay audience impressions and 104,000 downloads sold, according to Luminate. The song also entered at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. With the launch, she becomes the first female rapper in a lead role to start atop the tally.

Meanwhile, Jack Harlow’s former chart-topper, “Lovin on Me,” slips to No. 2 with a strong hold (75.9 million impressions) on radio. Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” is at No. 3 and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” remains at its No. 4 peak. The lower half of the top 10 singles continue with Tate McRae’s “Greedy” at No. 5; Zach Bryan’s “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves, at No. 6 and Doja Cat’s “Agora Hills” at No. 7.

New in the Top 10 this week, Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” at No. 8 with 19 million streams and a striking 800,000 million in airplay audience impressions. Boone signed to Warner Records in October 2021 and has launched a handful of singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Ghost Town” and “In the Stars”). Still, nothing has compared to the reach of “Beautiful Things,” which debuted on the chart at No. 15 in its first week in January.