History OneHitWonder / Rap

* A rule introduced in 2012 that allowed older songs to chart brought a "new" act to the Hot 100's top 40 for the first time with '''Music/{{NWA}}''''s "Straight Outta Compton" due to the popularity of [[Film/StraightOuttaCompton the documentary of the same name]]. Because the song's re-charting was a fluke and the group is long since defunct (with one member being long dead), it's unlikely they'll ever have another top 40 hit.

* While '''Wiz Khalifa''' is hardly considered a one-hit wonder (having two #1 hits, many top 10s and plenty of hit features such as Music/{{Maroon 5}}'s "Payphone"), only one of his songs (as a lead artist) ever became a bona-fide pop crossover hit: "See You Again," his Paul Walker tribute song from the ''Music/Furious7Soundtrack''. Since "See You Again" sounds nothing like most of his pure rap music, it's unlikely he will ever have another major crossover as a lead. One chart where Khalifa will indisputably be a one-hit wonder is the Adult Top 40 chart. As "See You Again" proved to have massive crossover appeal, being liked even by those who don't normally listen to rap, it reached #2 on Hot AC (a rare feat for a rapper). Naturally, it's unlikely any of his other material is going to chart there since it was a fluke and he is most certainly '''not''' an adult pop artist.

* The duo of rapper '''Shwayze'' and singer-guitarist '''Cisco Adler''' only had one top 40 hit: "Corona & Lime", which made it to #23 on the Hot 100. Interestingly, they're probably better remembered as TwoHitWonder instead, for both that song and its predecessor "Buzzin'", despite the fact that the latter song topped out at #46.

* '''Travis Scott''' isn't even close to being a one-hit wonder on the urban format, but his only top 40 hit was his late 2015/early 2016 single "Antidote".

** "Downtown" ups the ante with '''Eric Nally''', '''Melle Mel''' and '''Grandmaster Caz'''. The former is a singer for a band (Foxy Shazam, mentioned in the "rock" folder), and is highly unlikely to score a solo hit. The latter two, however, provide an interesting case among Macklemore's guests in that even though this was their only chart hit, they were already famous for being old-school hip-hop legends. Melle Mel was the lead rapper for the iconic Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive and he's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that group [[NoHitWonder had no top 40 hits]]. Caz, meanwhile, is widely considered to be one of the first emcees ''ever'', and collaborated with the genre's creator DJ Kool Herc in the early 1970s before forming the pioneering Cold Crush Brothers (also No Hit Wonders). A third hip-hop icon, Music/KoolMoeDee, is featured on the song; while it's unlikely he gets another hit either, he isn't a one-hit wonder to begin with as he was featured on Creator/WillSmith's #1 ''Film/WildWildWest''.

* Despite featuring rap superstars Music/LilWayne, Music/NickiMinaj and Music/{{Drake}}, none of whom are one-hit wonders, '''Young Money''' is known for 2010's "Bedrock" and little else. "Every Girl" went Top 10 the year before, but general audiences have mostly forgotten about it.

* '''Tyga''' is one of the most well-known rappers, but his only notable hit as a lead artist is "Rack City". His follow up, "Faded" (a Lil Wayne collaboration), scraped the bottom of the Top 40 and is seemingly forgotten outside of his audience. The rest of his Top 40 entries are the #2 "Bedrock" by his label Young Money (see above) and via three Music/ChrisBrown hits ("Deuces", "Loyal" and "Ayo"), none of which really count as ''his'' hits.

* '''Post Malone''' hit #14 in the beginning of 2016 with "White Iverson". His follow-ups "Go Flex" and "Deja Vu" barely charted.

* '''Music/GEazy''' scored a top 10 hit in early 2016 with "Me, Myself & I" featuring Bebe Rexha. His only other trip to the top 40 was as a featured artist on Britney Spears' "Make Me." But since it wasn't his hit and only lasted on the Hot 100 for 3 weeks, it isn't enough to disqualify his one hit wonder status.

* '''G-Eazy''' scored a top 10 hit in early 2016 with "Me, Myself & I" featuring Bebe Rexha. His only other trip to the top 40 was as a featured artist on Britney Spears' "Make Me." But since it wasn't his hit and only lasted on the Hot 100 for 3 weeks, it isn't enough to disqualify his one hit wonder status.

* Despite being a member of the legendary Music/ThreeSixMafia and having many hits as a featured artist, '''Juicy J''''s only hit as a lead artist was 2012's "Bandz a Make Her Dance".

Rap is particularly notorious for its high volume of One-Hit Wonders compared to other genres. The more successful long-running veterans such as Music/{{Eminem}}, Music/SnoopDogg and Music/KanyeWest are considered major exceptions to the rule.

* '''Lifeseeker''''s "Gone Guru", which is their only hit thanks to the SongAssociation effect (it was in ''VideoGame/DeadRising''). According to their [[http://www.myspace.com/lifeseeker1 Myspace page]], it's over 100 times more popular than their next-best songs.
* '''Music/SirMixALot''' is one of the more beloved one-hit wonders (especially in his native UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}), but his massive 1992 chart-topper "[[StuffyOldSongsAboutTheButtocks Baby Got Back]]" is his only Top 40 hit, and nothing else has even come close. Over twenty years later, it reentered pop culture as it was sampled in Music/NickiMinaj's [[MemeticMutation memetic]] song "Anaconda".
* '''Music/MCHammer''' was one of the biggest rappers on Earth in the early 1990's, and with his five top-10 hits, would ''not'' be considered a one-hit wonder by any stretch of the imagination. However, most people born after Hammer's heyday would be hard-pressed to name any song of his that isn't "U Can't Touch This." Interestingly enough, it was the lowest-peaking of the five top 10 hits he had (it only hit #8). This is mostly because "U Can't Touch This" was only released in the form of a rare 12-inch single, because Capitol Records was afraid that a single release would hurt his album sales. In all honesty, it was robbed of a well-deserved number-one spot.

* '''Chamillionaire''''s "Ridin'" was a #1 hit in 2006 (generating the infamous "they see me rollin'… they hatin'!" meme). His only other top 40 hit was "Good Morning", which peaked exactly at #40. He also had another Top 10 hit as a feature on Ciara's "Get Up", but it wasn't ''his'' hit (nor is it well-remembered today) so it can't really disqualify his one-hit wonder status.
* '''Music/VanillaIce''' had two Top 5 hits: "Ice Ice Baby" and "Play That Funky Music". Today, people are only familiar with the former, as it was his only #1 hit, and "Funky Music" was blacklisted from radio after a lawsuit from the original artist, Wild Cherry.

* In 2010, "I'm Awesome" became a surprise hit for little-known rapper '''Spose'''. The followup "We Hate Money" didn't chart anywhere.
* '''Static Major''''s only hit came from singing the chorus of Music/LilWayne's "Lollipop". This was not in his control because he died before the song was even released.
** Static Major was also a member of the R&B group '''Playa''', who had a single top 40 hit in their repertoire as well, that song being "Cheers 2 U."
* "Come On & Ride It (The Train)" by '''The Quad City DJ's'''. They had another top 40 hit with the Film/SpaceJam theme, and it is fondly remembered, but more as a song from a movie than as a hit.
* '''Music/HouseOfPain''' only had one Top 40 hit in the US, "Jump Around" (they did manage four other Top 40 hits in the UK). Group member '''Everlast''' managed to be a one-hit wonder twice over, as he also achieved only one Top 40 hit in his solo career, "What It's Like". While it was nowhere near as big as "Jump Around" was, he managed to have a few other minor hits on the alternative charts, which are probably better remembered today than any of House of Pain's other songs unless you're in an area with a heavy Irish-American population.
* '''Kardinal Offishall''' is rather popular in his native Canada, but "Dangerous" (his 2008 collaboration with Akon) was his only song that successfully managed to travel South.

** "White Walls" has '''Hollis''', who is completely unheard of outside that song. She was an uncredited vocalist on his song "Wings," but it can't disqualify her status as a one hit wonder since it never charted nor was it her hit.
** "Downtown" ups the ante with '''Eric Nally''', '''Melle Mel''' and '''Grandmaster Caz'''. The former is a singer for a band (Foxy Shazam, mentioned in the "rock" folder), and is highly unlikely to score a solo hit. The latter two, however, provide an interesting case among Macklemore's guests in that even though this was their only chart hit, they were already famous for being old-school hip-hop legends. Melle Mel was the lead rapper for the iconic Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive and he's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that group [[NoHitWonder had no top 40 hits]]. Caz, meanwhile, is widely considered to be one of the first emcees ''ever'', and collaborated with the genre's creator DJ Kool Herc in the early 1970s before forming the pioneering Cold Crush Brothers (also No Hit Wonders). A third hip-hop icon, Music/KoolMoeDee, is featured on the song; while it's unlikely he gets another hit either, he isn't a one-hit wonder to begin with as he was featured on Creator/WillSmith's #1 "Film/WildWildWest".

* '''Kid Ink''' is a fairly well-known rapper and isn't usually considered a one-hit wonder, but his only Top 40 hit as a lead artist was 2014's "Show Me" (featuring Music/ChrisBrown). He may be better known by mainstream audiences for his guest verse on Music/FifthHarmony's "Worth It", but it doesn't legitimately count as his hit, so it can't disqualify his status as a one hit wonder.

* '''Post Malone''' hit #14 in the beginning of 2016 with "White Iverson". His follow-ups "Go Flex" and "Deja Vu" barely charted, and it's safe to say that he won't have another hit again.

* '''Yo Gotti''' has six Hot 100 entries ever since he debuted there in 2009, but his only major hit was 2016's "Down in the DM". Since it only got all the way up to #13 primarily due to a Nicki Minaj credited remix, he probably won't have another hit anywhere close to "DM"'s success.
* '''Ca$h Out''' had a #36 hit in 2012 with "Cashin' Out" (similar to his stage name). He had another Hot 100 entry two years later with "She Twerkin'", but it didn't get any higher than #98.

** "Downtown" ups the ante with '''Eric Nally''', '''Melle Mel''' and '''Grandmaster Caz'''. The former is a singer for a band (Foxy Shazam, mentioned in the "rock" folder), and is highly unlikely to score a solo hit. The latter two, however, provide an interesting case among Macklemore's guests in that even though this was their only chart hit, they were already famous for being old-school hip hop legends. Melle Mel was the lead rapper for the iconic Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive and he's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that group [[NoHitWonder had no top 40 hits]]. Caz, meanwhile, is widely considered to be one of the first emcees ''ever'', and collaborated with the genre's creator DJ Kool Herc in the early 1970s before forming the pioneering Cold Crush Brothers (also No Hit Wonders). A third hip-hop icon, Music/KoolMoeDee, is featured on the song; While it's unlikely he gets another hit either, he isn't a one-hit wonder to begin with as he was featured on Creator/WillSmith's #1 "Film/WildWildWest".

** "Downtown" ups the ante with '''Eric Nally''', '''Melle Mel''' and '''Grandmaster Caz'''. The former is a singer for a band (Foxy Shazam, mentioned in the "rock" folder), and is highly unlikely to score a solo hit. The latter two, however, provide an interesting case among Macklemore's guests in that even though this was their only chart hit, they were already famous for being old-school hip hop legends. Melle Mel was the lead rapper for the iconic Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that group [[NoHitWonder had no top 40 hits]]. Caz, meanwhile, is widely considered to be one of the first emcees ''ever'', and collaborated with the genre's creator DJ Kool Herc in the early 1970s before forming the pioneering Cold Crush Brothers (also No Hit Wonders). A third hip-hop icon, Music/KoolMoeDee, is featured on the song; While it's unlikely he gets another hit either, he isn't a one-hit wonder to begin with as he was featured on Creator/WillSmith's #1 "Film/WildWildWest".

** "Downtown" ups the ante with '''Eric Nally''', '''Melle Mel''' and '''Grandmaster Caz'''. The former is a singer for a band (Foxy Shazam, mentioned in the "rock" folder), and is highly unlikely to score a solo hit. The latter two, like Wanz, are all in their '50s and are highly unlikely to have another hit. The two of them provide an interesting case among Macklemore's guests in that even though this was their only chart hit, they were already famous for being old-school hip hop legends: Melle Mel was the lead rapper for the iconic Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that group [[NoHitWonder had no top 40 hits]]. Caz, meanwhile, is widely considered to be one of the first emcees ''ever'', and collaborated with the genre's creator DJ Kool Herc in the early 1970s before forming the pioneering Cold Crush Brothers (also No Hit Wonders). A third hip-hop icon, Music/KoolMoeDee, is featured on the song; While it's unlikely he gets another hit either, he isn't a one-hit wonder to begin with as he was featured on Creator/WillSmith's #1 "Film/WildWildWest".

** "Downtown" ups the ante with '''Eric Nally''', '''Melle Mel''' and '''Grandmaster Caz'''. The former is a singer for a band (Foxy Shazam, mentioned in the "rock" folder), and is highly unlikely to score a solo hit. The latter two, like Wanz, are all in their '50s and are highly unlikely to have another hit. In Melle Mel's defense, he appeared uncredited on Chaka Khan's #3 hit "I Feel For You" (which can't disqualify him as a one-hit wonder) and was a member of the influential Music/GrandmasterFlashAndTheFuriousFive (who never had a top 40 hit on their own either). Also, Music/KoolMoeDee is featured, and while it's unlikely he gets another hit either, he isn't a one-hit wonder to begin with as he was featured on Creator/WillSmith's #1 "Film/WildWildWest".

* '''Music/VanillaIce''' (pictured on the main page) had two Top 5 hits: "Ice Ice Baby" and "Play That Funky Music". Today, people are only familiar with the former, as it was his only #1 hit, and "Funky Music" was blacklisted from radio after a lawsuit from the original artist, Wild Cherry.

* Although he has a strong following, '''Young Thug''' has only had one hit in the U.S., "Lifestyle", his collaboration with Rich Homie Quan under the Cash Money umbrella group name '''Rich Gang''' (who also only had that top 40 hit). Young Thug did have another featured spot on a Rae Sremmurd song that scraped the bottom of the top 40, but nothing else as a lead. A previous single released under the Rich Gang name, "Tap Out", just missed the top 40.

* Despite being a member of the legendary Music/ThreeSixMafia and having many hits as a featured artist, '''Juicy J''''S only hit as a lead artist was 2012's "Bandz a Make Her Dance".

* Juvenile is not a one-hit wonder, but his 2003 #1 hit "Slow Motion" was the only hit for featured artist '''Soulja Slim''', who was murdered before the song's release.

* '''Ca$h Out''' had a #36 hit in 2012 with "Cashin' Out" (similar to his stage name). He had another Hot 100 entry two years later with "She Twerkin'", but it didn't get any higher than #98.

* '''Music/SirMixALot''' is one of the more beloved one-hit wonders (especially in his native UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}), but still, his massive 1992 chart-topper "[[StuffyOldSongsAboutTheButtocks Baby Got Back]]" is his only Top 40 hit, and nothing else has even come close. Over twenty years later, it reentered pop culture as it was sampled in Music/NickiMinaj's [[MemeticMutation memetic]] song "Anaconda".

* '''Lifeseeker's''' "Gone Guru", which is their only hit thanks to the SongAssociation effect (it was in ''VideoGame/DeadRising''). According to their [[http://www.myspace.com/lifeseeker1 Myspace page]], it's over 100 times more popular than their next-best songs.

* '''Chamillionaire's''' "Ridin'" was a #1 hit in 2006 (generating the infamous "they see me rollin'… they hatin'!" meme). His only other top 40 hit was "Good Morning", which peaked exactly at #40. He also had another Top 10 hit as a feature on Ciara's "Get Up", but it wasn't ''his'' hit (nor is it well remembered today) so it can't really disqualify his one-hit wonder status.

* Although he's fairly popular in the rap community, '''Ty Dolla $ign''' only had one top 40 hit of his own, with 2014's "Paranoid" (featuring [[{{Music/Bob}} B.o.B]]). Like Kid Ink above, he's probably better-known for his involvement on a Fifth Harmony song ("Work from Home"), and also his involvement in the all-star collaboration "Sucker For Pain" from ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'', but "Paranoid" is the only song of his that can legitimately qualify as ''his'' hit.

* '''Yo Gotti''' has six ''Hot 100'' entries ever since he debuted there in 2009, but his only major hit was 2016's "Down in the DM". Since it only got all the way up to #13 primarily due to a Nicki Minaj credited remix, he probably won't have another hit anywhere close to "DM"'s success.
* '''Ca$h Out''' had a #36 hit in 2012 with "Cashin' Out" (similar to his stage name). He had another Hot 100 entry two years later with "She Twerkin'" but it didn't get any higher than #98.

As noted [[DeaderThanDisco/HipHop here]], rap is particularly notorious for its high volume of One-Hit Wonders compared to other genres. The more successful long-running veterans such as Music/{{Eminem}}, Music/SnoopDogg and Music/KanyeWest are considered major exceptions to the rule.

* '''Yo Gotti''' has six ''Hot 100'' entries ever since he debuted there in 2009, but his only major hit was 2016's "Down in the DM". Since it only got all the way up to #13 primarily due to a Nicki Minaj credited remix, he probably won't have another hit anywhere close to "DM"'s success.

* '''[=D4L=]''' is remembered solely for their infamous #1 smash "Laffy Taffy", which dropped in late 2005 and hit the top of the charts by January 2006 thanks to enormous online and ringtone sales. Like so many of their fellow snap acts, they had a second chart entry ("Betcha Can't Do It Like Me") that no one remembers (it only peaked at #72). Thanks to snap's massive hatedom within both the mainstream and in hip-hop itself (where it was probably even more despised), most people probably don't even remember the [=D4L=] name and just remember the song from endless tinny ringtones and cars blasting it at red lights. The group dissolved almost immediately afterwards; former member '''Shawty Lo''' later had his own minor hit with "Dey Know" in 2008, but he too ended up a one-hit wonder as a soloist. Any chance that Shawty Lo or his group would escape being a one-hit wonder evaporated in 2016 when [http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/21/entertainment/shawty-lo-dead/ he tragically died in a fatal car crash that September].

* '''[=D4L=]''' is remembered solely for their infamous #1 smash "Laffy Taffy", which dropped in late 2005 and hit the top of the charts by January 2006 thanks to enormous online and ringtone sales. Like so many of their fellow snap acts, they had a second chart entry ("Betcha Can't Do It Like Me") that no one remembers (it only peaked at #72). Thanks to snap's massive hatedom within both the mainstream and in hip-hop itself (where it was probably even more despised), most people probably don't even remember the [=D4L=] name and just remember the song from endless tinny ringtones and cars blasting it at red lights. The group dissolved almost immediately afterwards; former member '''Shawty Lo''' later had his own minor hit with "Dey Know" in 2008, but he too ended up a one-hit wonder as a soloist.

* Atlanta rapper '''Freak Nasty''' had a #15 hit in 1997 with his smash-hit "Da' Dip", which stayed on the charts for 33 weeks and made it to #34 on that year's Hot 100 Year-End chart. He followed it up with "Do What U Feel" the following year, which although it was a minor hit on the rap charts, peaking at #33 there, did not chart on the Hot 100 and was immediately forgotten. He then quickly faded into obscurity and it was ''extremely'' unlikely he would have another song hit any chart, let alone the Hot 100, until 2007, when he hit #45 on the Hot 100 with "Do It Just Like A Rockstar" featuring Crazy Mike. The only reason why that song charted was because confused iTunes customers thought it was the Shop Boyz' (see above) song "Party Like A Rockstar", and once the Shop Boyz' officially released their song digitally, "Do It Just Like A Rockstar" dropped off the charts immediately. He was once again completely forgotten soon after and he is only known for "Da' Dip" today and nothing else, and the argument can be made that part of the reason that people still remember even that is because Music/DannyBrown (who has not had any charting hits but is otherwise quite popular) sampled it on "Dip" on ''Old''.

* Although he's fairly popular in the rap community, '''Ty Dolla $ign''' only had one top 40 hit of his own, with 2014's "Paranoid" (featuring {{Music/Bob B.o.B}}). Like Kid Ink above, he's probably better-known for his involvement on a Fifth Harmony song ("Work from Home"), and also his involvement in the all-star collaboration "Sucker For Pain" from ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'', but "Paranoid" is the only song of his that can legitimately qualify as ''his'' hit.

* '''Yo Gotti''' has six ''Hot 100'' entries ever since he debuted there in 2009, but his only his only major hit was 2016's "Down in the DM". Since it only got all the way up to #13 primarily due to a Nicki Minaj credited remix, he probably won't have another hit anywhere close to "DM"'s success.

* Atlanta rapper '''Freak Nasty''' had a #15 hit in 1997 with his smash-hit "Da' Dip", which stayed on the charts for 33 weeks and made it to #34 on that year's Hot 100 Year-End chart. He followed it up with "Do What U Feel" the following year, which although it was a minor hit on the rap charts, peaking at #33 there, did not chart on the Hot 100 and was immediately forgotten. He then quickly faded into obscurity and it was ''extremely'' unlikely he would have another song hit any chart, let alone the Hot 100, until 2007, when he had a #45 hit with "Do It Just Like A Rockstar" featuring Crazy Mike. The only reason why that song charted was because confused iTunes customers thought it was the Shop Boyz' (see above) song "Party Like A Rockstar" and it only stayed on the charts for 3 weeks. He was once again completely forgotten soon after and he is only known for "Da' Dip" today and nothing else, and the argument can be made that part of the reason that people still remember even that is because Music/DannyBrown (who has not had any charting hits but is otherwise quite popular) sampled it on "Dip" on ''Old''.