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The 10 Biggest Songs That Defined 2018: A Deep Dive Into The Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart

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The 2018 Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart remains a crucial snapshot of a pivotal year in modern music, marking the definitive moment that streaming became the undisputed king of consumption. As of today, December 22, 2025, an analysis of this chart reveals a landscape utterly dominated by hip-hop, a genre that accounted for nearly half of the entire list, and a handful of global superstars who leveraged digital platforms to shatter long-standing chart records.

The year was an unprecedented showcase of artistic dominance, with one artist, in particular, placing an astonishing number of tracks in the Top 100. This deep dive into the official list reveals the major trends, the surprising crossovers, and the songs that soundtracked the world in 2018, solidifying a new era of chart metrics driven by on-demand listening.

The Undisputed King and Queen: Top Hot 100 Artists of 2018

The year 2018 belonged unequivocally to Drake. The Canadian superstar not only claimed the No. 1 song of the year but also secured the title of Top Hot 100 Artist. His overwhelming presence on the chart was a direct result of the seismic shift toward streaming, a metric that allowed him to flood the Top 10 and the overall list with tracks from his blockbuster album, Scorpion.

Drake was the single most dominant force, placing an impressive eight songs on the year-end chart, a feat that demonstrated his mastery of the streaming ecosystem.

A Year of Record-Breaking Dominance: Drake’s Chart Achievements

Drake’s success in 2018 was more than just a numbers game; it was a record-breaking phenomenon that fundamentally changed how chart success is measured. His lead single, "God's Plan," was the longest-running No. 1 hit of the year, commanding the top spot for eleven non-consecutive weeks.

  • Streaming Records: The album Scorpion broke the single-day and single-week streaming records upon its release, a direct factor in his chart saturation.
  • Top 10 Saturation: Drake set a new record for the most Hot 100 top-ten hits in a single year, proving the power of a major album drop in the streaming age.
  • The "In My Feelings" Effect: Beyond "God's Plan," his track "In My Feelings" (No. 9 on the year-end list) became a cultural phenomenon, fueled by the viral "Kiki Challenge" that further amplified its chart performance through social media and on-demand video.

While Drake was the king, Cardi B emerged as the year's breakout star, securing the title of Top New Artist. Her high-energy tracks and undeniable personality made her a powerhouse, with multiple entries solidifying her as one of the most important new voices in music.

The Definitive Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Songs of 2018

The year-end Top 10 is a perfect microcosm of 2018's musical trends: a blend of inescapable hip-hop anthems, massive pop-country crossovers, and the continued rise of Latin influence. This is the official list that defined the year:

  1. "God's Plan" - Drake: The undisputed champion, blending a viral, charitable music video with a catchy, introspective beat that dominated streaming.
  2. "Perfect" - Ed Sheeran: A timeless, emotional ballad that demonstrated the enduring power of classic pop songwriting, proving that not all success was streaming-only.
  3. "Meant to Be" - Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line: A genre-bending smash that successfully merged pop, country, and R&B, spending an incredible 50 weeks on the chart.
  4. "Havana" - Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug: A late 2017 hit that carried its momentum, becoming one of the biggest Latin-influenced pop songs of the decade.
  5. "Rockstar" - Post Malone featuring 21 Savage: A dark, moody trap-pop hybrid that highlighted Post Malone’s unique position as a chart-topping genre-blender.
  6. "Psycho" - Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign: Post Malone’s second Top 10 entry, further cementing his status as a main player in the hip-hop/pop landscape.
  7. "I Like It" - Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin: The quintessential Latin crossover hit of the year, showcasing the undeniable global appeal of Reggaeton and Trap Latino.
  8. "The Middle" - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey: A slick, highly polished electronic dance-pop track that dominated radio airwaves.
  9. "In My Feelings" - Drake: The viral sensation that proved the power of social media challenges to drive massive streaming numbers.
  10. "Girls Like You" - Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B: A slow-burning pop hit featuring a high-profile female rap verse, demonstrating the necessity of collaboration for mainstream success.

The Cultural Shifts: Hip-Hop, Latin Crossover, and Streaming Power

The 2018 chart was a clear indicator of three powerful, interconnected trends: the absolute dominance of hip-hop, the explosive growth of Latin music, and the final victory of the streaming model over traditional sales and radio.

Hip-Hop’s Unstoppable Reign

In 2018, hip-hop and R&B tracks accounted for nearly half of the entire Hot 100 chart, underscoring its status as the most commercially successful and culturally relevant genre in the United States.

Beyond Drake, artists like Post Malone, XXXTentacion, and Travis Scott were chart mainstays, with their projects—including Post Malone’s Beerbongs & Bentleys and Travis Scott's Astroworld—generating a massive volume of simultaneous chart entries. This "album bomb" effect, where an entire album's tracklist debuts on the Hot 100, became the new standard for superstar releases, completely reshaping chart dynamics.

The Latin Crossover Phenomenon

Following the groundwork laid by "Despacito" in 2017, 2018 saw the Latin music "Boomita 2.0" move from a novelty to a permanent fixture on the Hot 100. The success of "I Like It" by Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin was the definitive evidence of this trend.

The song, with its vibrant blend of English and Spanish lyrics, proved that a track heavily rooted in Latin trap and salsa could be a global, mainstream No. 1 hit. Other key Latin entities, including Ozuna and Nicky Jam, also saw their visibility increase dramatically, signaling a lasting shift in the American musical palate.

The Rise of the Global Fandom and LSI Keywords

Another subtle but significant trend was the power of global, organized fandoms. While not a massive presence on the year-end Hot 100 songs list, the K-Pop group BTS was ranked as the No. 8 Top Artist of 2018, primarily due to their performance on the Social 50 chart.

This signaled that engagement metrics beyond pure sales and streaming—the LSI keywords of fan activity—were becoming increasingly important for overall artist authority. The 2018 music chart analysis confirms that a multi-faceted approach, incorporating streaming records, radio airplay, and social media engagement, was essential for achieving top ten singles status.

In summary, the billboard top 100 2018 was a year of transition. It was the year Drake solidified his legacy, Cardi B announced her arrival, and the world officially accepted the new rules of the music business: streaming is king, hip-hop is the soundtrack, and global collaborations are the key to unlocking true, universal chart success.

The 10 Biggest Songs That Defined 2018: A Deep Dive Into The Billboard Hot 100 Year-End Chart
billboard top 100 2018
billboard top 100 2018

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