One Hit Wonder / Rap

aka: Hip Hop

• 3rd Bass reached #29 on the Hot 100 in 1991 with "Pop Goes the Weasel", a diss track against commercialized pop rappers of the day like MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. The song's video even featured the band's members beating up a Vanilla Ice parody played by punk rocker Henry Rollins. "Pop Goes the Weasel" was 3rd Bass' only Hot 100 entry or Gold single, and the group disbanded about a year later. Members Pete Nice and DJ Richie Rich attempted a solo album in 1993, Dust to Dust, but it produced no singles and largely went unnoticed, and MC Serch would go on to become a disc jockey in Detroit, and later hosted Ego Trip's The White Rapper Show and Ego Trip's Miss Rap Supreme on VH1. While three attempts at reunions were done in the late 1990s and mid-2010s, nothing came of them, and any attempts at another reunion were dashed when Nice was convicted of misdemeanor tax fraud in 2014.
  • That said, they did manage to score a couple more hits on rap radio during their existence, one of the more popular being "The Gas Face", which peaked at #5 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. On said song is the debut appearance of a young rapper known as Zev Love X, who at the time was a member of the rap trio KMD. This was his only time getting on a chart solo of the group (who don't qualify as this for having two songs hit the top 20 of the chart), which disbanded soon after member DJ Subroc died from being hit by a car. After taking time off from the scene, he proceeded to rebuild his career from the ground up and became a much-respected figure of the genre through his re-invention as MF DOOM. However, even though he became an influential mainstay of the Alternative Hip Hop movement of the 2000s, he was also a No-Hit Wonder, and with his passing in 2020, it's incredibly unlikely he'll ever have another entry to his name.
• Despite eventually having a huge cult-like fanbase online, Afroman had his only hit with "Because I Got High", which hit #13 in the U.S. and was a U.K. number one in 2001. His other famous song, "Crazy Rap", did not chart in the US (though it was in the U.K. top 10).
• Audio Two are almost entirely known for their 1987 track "Top Billin'", which wasn't a pop hit at the time but has proven to be an enduring classic from that era of hip-hop. Both members went on to have solid production careers after breaking up, with Milk Dee notably being the mastermind behind fellow One-Hit Wonder Eamon's "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)".
• Ayo & Teo, a duo consisting of brothers Ayleo and Mateo Bowles, had a viral hit in 2017 with “Rolex”. They’ve yet to chart again. Ayo did produce another hit, also in 2017 (Kyle's "iSpy").
• Eminem is definitely not a one-hit wonder, and collaborator Royce da 5'9" is a No-Hit Wonder^note Outside of the hip-hop fan community he's probably best known for providing most of the content for the rap station in Grand Theft Auto III. Together they formed the duo Bad Meets Evil, which in 2011 had a #4 pop hit with the Bruno Mars collab "Lighters" from their reunion EP Hell: The Sequel. While the EP's lead single "Fast Lane" did chart at #32, it dropped off the chart very quickly and is all but forgotten today^note That being said, a previous single from their first run, 1999's "Nuttin' to Do", had scraped the bottom of the charts; its B-Side "Scary Movies" was featured in Scary Movie. The duo never released any more music since then, both Eminem and Royce largely returned to their solo careers. Royce guested on Eminem's Kamikaze album track "Not Alike", which reached #24 on the Hot 100 in 2018, but the two were credited separately and not under the Bad Meets Evil moniker.
• In 2012, Kirko Bangz had a modest hit with "Drank in My Cup", which reached #28 on the Hot 100 and topped the rap charts. He hasn't touched either chart since (he did slightly better on the hip-hop charts, but even there he never came close to matching "Drank"'s success).
• Belly has had many hits in his native Canada, but his only song to gain traction anywhere else was 2016's "Might Not" (featuring The Weeknd).
• Black Rob was a well-known figure in the late 90's and early 00's east coast hip-hop scene, but he only has one pop hit to his name: 1999's "Woah!".
• While Memphis-based rapper BlocBoy JB did spawn a lot of viral hits during his brief time in the spotlight, he is mostly known just for the hit-single "Look Alive" featuring Drake, which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Similar to fellow one-hit-wonder iLoveMakonnen, the song is more associated with Drake than BlocBoy and his viral dance "The Shoot" became too associated with Fortnite to the point that he tried (and failed) to sue developer Epic Games for it, which resulted in BlocBoy's eventual falloff from the mainstream public.
• Joe Budden had a top 40 hit on the Hot 100 in 2003 with "Pump It Up". Disagreements with Def Jam over the musical direction of his second album caused it to be shelved and him to leave the label. While his independent releases and work with the supergroup Slaughterhouse won a cult following, he never scored another chart hit. Budden later became better known for his work as a broadcaster, hosting Complex's Everyday Struggle and his own The Joe Budden Podcast, and he eventually retired from music in 2018 to focus on his media career.
• Cali Swag District had a viral hit in 2010 with “Teach Me How to Dougie”, which spawned a massive dance craze of the same name. The song made it to #28 on the Hot 100 and topped Billboard's R&B chart. The group never had another hit and never recorded a second album, although several of their follow-up singles made the lower rungs of the R&B chart. Within six years of "Dougie", two of their original members had died, and the group now seems to be a part-time project for the surviving members, which means it's unlikely that they'll ever have the momentum to break back into the mainstream or even on urban radio.
• Candyman had a #9 hit in 1990 with "Knockin' Boots", and then, nothing.
• The only hit for actor/rapper Nick Cannon was "Gigolo", his 2004 duet with R. Kelly. Cannon was also married to Mariah Carey from 2008-2016, managed the Ncredible Entertainment label, and became the head of TeenNick. Cannon's infamous diss-tracks towards Eminem, combined with many people seeing his rap career as a complete joke (something he acknowledges on his hit MTV/VH1 show Wild 'n' Out multiple times), is the reason why his rap career never took off.
• Midwest rapper DJ Casper, also known as Mr. C the Slide Man, had a #83 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and a #24 hit on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with "Cha Cha Slide" in 2001 (which also topped the UK Singles Chart), a celebration of the Chicago stepping movement that introduced the dance move of the same name. Like many other songs that introduced a new dance move, he faded into obscurity afterwards, with his follow-up "Oops Up Side Your Head" missing the U.S. charts completely (though it reached #16 in the UK).
• Ca$h Out had a #36 hit in 2012 with "Cashin' Out" (similarly titled 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.
• Professional wrestling superstar John Cena released an album titled You Can't See Me in 2005. The only track from said album to make any cultural impact whatsoever is "The Time is Now" due to its use as his entrance theme and association with the "Unexpected John Cena" meme, however, the meme was soon Condemned by History and "The Time is Now" has mostly gone back to being associated solely with being Cena's entrance theme. Cena, who has yet to release another album, continues to be a household name in wrestling and acting.
• Chamillionaire's "Ridin'" was a #1 hit in 2006 (generating the infamous "they see me rollin'… they hatin'!" meme and providing the basis for "Weird Al" Yankovic's most commercially successful song, "White & Nerdy"). While he was popular in his native Houston thanks to the dozens of mixtapes he released throughout the 2000s and still maintains a cult following within the southern hip-hop community, 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.
• Rap duo Chiddy Bang scraped the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2010 with "Opposite of Adults", based off of the MGMT hit "Kids". They never charted again in the U.S. (though had a couple of moderate hits in Europe) and broke up in 2013.
• Kanye West isn't a one-hit wonder by any stretch of the imagination. However, a weird example of this happened to little-known New York rapper and A Tribe Called Quest associate Consequence. West's 2005 song "Gone", which features Consequence and Cam'ron (who is not a one-hit wonder either) and was never released as single, went viral eight years later in 2013. After a woman posted a viral video of a dance to the song, "Gone" shot up to #18 on the charts, marking Consequence's only visit to the Hot 100.
• Latino rap group Cypress Hill are hardly considered one-hit wonders, having a massive fanbase not only with Hispanic and Latino audiences, but to both hip-hop and rock audiences, and they still tour to large crowds to this day. However, many will be surprised to learn they only had one Top 40 hit, their signature 1993 song "Insane in the Brain", which peaked at #19. None of their other songs reached the Top 40, and while it's still easily their best known song, it's not the only one they're known for overall.
• D4L is remembered solely for their infamous #1 smash "Laffy Taffy", which dropped in late 2005 and hit the top of the charts in by January 2006 for a week 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 he tragically died in a fatal car crash that September.
• Del tha Funkee Homosapien is a very respected underground MC, but to the general public he's best known for his guest verses on Gorillaz' 2001 debut Breakthrough Hit "Clint Eastwood", which he wasn't even credited for and was his only Hot 100 appearance. He had four hits on the Billboard rap chart, but none of them crossed over to pop.
• Sean "Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/Diddy" Combs is most certainly not a one-hit wonder as a solo artist, but Diddy-Dirty Money, his collaboration with R&B singers Dawn Richard and Kaleena Harper, is known almost exclusively for their 2011 near-Top 10 hit "Coming Home". While they had a #27 song with its predecessor "Hello Good Morning", it failed to crossover like "Coming Home" did and is mostly forgotten. They're unlikely to have another hit anytime soon, since they broke up for good in 2012. Dawn Richard has since started a critically acclaimed solo career that unfortunately has not translated into any pop hits for her.
• Digable Planets were one of the major acts in the jazz-rap scene of the early 1990s, and scored one of the genre's biggest pop hits with "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)", which reached #15 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the rap chart in 1993. While they had a handful of rap and R&B chart hits, none of them got the trio back into the pop top 40. The band's 1994 album Blowout Comb was released to critical acclaim but was a commercial flop, and the group broke up shortly after its release.
• DJ Kool (not to be confused with DJ Kool Herc) had his only hit in 1997 with "Let Me Clear My Throat". He never saw any chart action again.
• D.R.A.M., who has since changed his stage name to Shelley, scored a top 10 hit in 2016 with "Broccoli" alongside Lil Yachty before fading into obscurity. The only other things he did worth noticing are his appearances on Gorillaz' "Andromeda" and Canadian EDM group Chromeo’s “Must’ve Been”.
• Duice, a Miami Bass duo, were one-and-done with 1993's "Dazzey Duks". They never even released another single, but members Creo-D and L.A. Sno did some minor work afterward.
• The Finatticz "Don't Drop That Thun Thun!" was the first major case of a rap song becoming popularized through Vine. Originally released in 2012 and based on a song of theirs from 2009, it blew up in the summer of 2013 after a video of several girls twerking appeared on Vine, reaching #35 on the Hot 100 and #10 on the rap charts.
• Flo Rida isn't a one-hit wonder by any means, but "Sugar" featured Wynter Gordon (Who now records under her real name Diana Gordon) on the hook, who hasn't had any hit of her own aside (from some dance club hits), and "G.D.F.R" featured producer Lookas, who is so obscure that searching his name on Wikipedia used to redirect to that song.
• 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 up that song with "Do What U Feel" the following year, which although was a minor top 40 hit on the rap charts, 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 "Do It Just Like A Rockstar" featuring Crazy Mike (which would be the only time he has ever visited the Hot 100) hit #45 on the Hot 100. The song's success was, by all means, a fluke, as the only reason why that song charted in the first place was because it confused iTunes customers who thought it was the Shop Boyz' song "Party Like A Rockstar" (who themselves became one-hit wonders), 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 even remember that song today is because Danny Brown (who has not had any charting hits due to being an underground rapper, but is otherwise very popular with critics and the rap community) sampled it on "Dip" off his album Old.
• Fu-Schnickens had a handful of hits on the rap charts, but their only pop hit was "What's Up Doc (Can We Rock?)", which reached #39 in 1993. The song featured basketball star Shaquille O'Neal, who used it as the launching pad for his own surprisingly successful rap career. The collaboration was also the origin of O'Neal's nickname "Shaq Fu", which followed the same structure as the rap names of the members of Fu-Schnickens. Without Shaq, the group's next single only made it to #67 on the Hot 100, and they never released a third album.
• Obscure hip-hop artist Paul "Goldo" Goldowitz had only one radio hit, "Boom-Da-Boom" (to be precise, the more-kid friendly Radio Disney edit).
• Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's "Good Vibrations" featured a guest vocal from Loleatta Holloway, who had no other major hits on the pop charts whatsoever (although she has two #1's on the Dance charts). "Good Vibrations" sampled Holloway's 1980 single "Love Sensation" and she had reached an agreement with Marky Mark to be credited as a featured performer, and even appeared in the song's video. "Love Sensation" was also sampled in the hit singles "Ride on Time" by Black Box and "I Wanna Have Some Fun" by Samantha Fox, but Holloway is not credited as a performer on either of those songs.
• Ace Hood had a large fanbase before being screwed over by DJ Khaled's label, but his only success on the Hot 100 was 2013's "Bugatti" featuring Future and Rick Ross, which is also his only song most people not involved with hip-hop can name. He's had several songs hit the Hot 100, but none have come close to its success. He also had a minor hit as a feature on a DJ Khaled song, "Out Here Grindin'" in 2008, but since it wasn't his hit nor is it well-remembered today like "Bugatti", it can't disqualify his status as a one-hit wonder.
• House of Pain only had one top 40 hit in the US, "Jump Around", a #3 hit on the Hot 100 (they did manage four other Top 40 hits in the UK). Group member Everlast managed to be a one-hit wonder twice over: He started a solo career performing a folk-influenced style of hip hop and had a huge hit with "What It's Like", which topped the alternative chart and made to #13 on the Hot 100. Although Everlast never made the pop Top 40 again, he stuck around the alternative chart for a few years and had a few follow-up hits there.
• Huey (not to be confused with Fun Lovin' Criminals frontman Huey Morgan) is only known for his #6 hit "Pop, Lock, and Drop It'' and nothing else. Any chance for him to get another hit came to an end after he was shot and killed on June 25, 2020.
• Shreveport, Louisiana rapper Hurricane Chris scored a hit with his single "A Bay Bay" and pretty much fell-off the face of the earth afterwards. Any chance of a comeback quickly disappeared when he was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in 2020, many years after he fell off everyone's radar. While he was found not guilty in 2023, it's unlikely he'll have anymore hits.
• YouTuber iDubbbzTV and rapper David "Boyinaband" Brown had a #24 hit on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart in 2017 with "Asian Jake Paul", a diss track directed towards fellow YouTuber RiceGum. As iDubbbzTV's popularity started to wane soon after due to a backlash against Black Comedy YouTube channels like his, and because of the novelty status of the song, it's likely neither will have another hit in the near-future.
• IHeartMemphis (later known as ILoveMemphis) is seen much in the same vein as Silentó. Though not quite as big, he did manage a viral #15 hit with "Hit the Quan", his own dance move. His follow-up "Lean and Dabb" barely charted. Like Silentó, it was too much of a novelty for him to have any long-term success, and he quickly faded out of public consciousness.
• Similarly to Afroman, alt-rapper Chuck Inglish (of The Cool Kids fame) is only known for "Came Thru/Easily" after being included in the next-gen version of Grand Theft Auto V. His albums have never charted on the Billboard 200, and to make matters worse, it's probably more associated with Ab-Soul and/or Mac Miller, who are not one-hit-wonders on the rap charts.
• J.J. Fad, an all-female rap trio discovered by Eazy-E of N.W.A, scored a huge hit in 1988 with "Supersonic". The song went Top 40 on Billboard's pop, R&B and dance charts, and the single was certified Gold. Aside from Salt-N-Pepa, they were the biggest female act in hip-hop during the late 1980s. However, their success didn't last long: They had two more Hot 100 entries after "Supersonic", but neither made it to the Top 40. Their second album flopped in 1990, and the group called it quits two years later.
• J-Kwon had a massive hit in 2004 with "Tipsy", which peaked at #2 that spring. His follow-up "You & Me" petered out at #58, and he never charted anywhere again.
• Chingy is not a one-hit wonder, but his 2004 single "One Call Away" was the only hit for J-Weav. Under his real name of Jason Weaver, he is best known for his acting roles, which include Marcus Henderson on Smart Guy and the singing voice of young Simba in The Lion King (1994). J-Weav has a few minor entries on the rap charts, but none are as well-known.
• Jibbs is known only for 2006's "Chain Hang Low" and nothing else. His only other song King Kong, featuring fellow one-hit-wonder Chamillionaire, only charted at #54 and is better known from being remixed by Lil Wayne on his critically-acclaimed mixtape Da Drought 3 than being his own song.
• Jidenna had a surprise hit in 2015 with “Classic Man”, which was a top 10 urban hit and even got top 40 airplay. His followup “Yoga”, a collaboration with his mentor Janelle Monáe, fizzled at #79 and he never charted again after that. Featured artist Roman GianArthur fared even worse; “Classic Man” was his only entry on any chart.
• Kent Jones is known for his summer 2016 hit "Don't Mind" and nothing else.
• Despite being a member of the legendary Three 6 Mafia 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".
• Psychedelic hip-hop fusion group The Justin Warfield Supernaut scored just one entry on the Billboard rap charts when their song "Season of the Vic" made it to #18 in 1991. 15 years later, Warfield resurfaced again as the frontman for the goth rock duo She Wants Revenge, who had a couple hits over on the alternative charts.
• Alternative rapper K. Flay is known exclusively for her 2017 hit song "Blood in the Cut", which hit #4 on alternative radio and #18 on mainstream rock radio. She had a few other songs chart on the alternative side, but never made it past #20, and never charted again on the mainstream rock side.
• Kardinal Offishall has been wildly popular in his native Canada for over 20 years, but 2008's "Dangerous" (featuring Akon) was his only song that successfully managed to travel South, aside from a feature on Akon's own hit "Beautiful" a year later. “Numba 1 (Tide Is High)” was featured in an episode of The Office (US) and "BodyBounce" (which also featured Akon) was a minor rhythmic hit in 2010, but neither ever touched the Hot 100.
• Khia had a surprise hit in 2002 with "My Neck, My Back", which peaked at #4 in the UK and #42 in the USA. Nothing else by her ever bothered the charts again.
• Kid Ink was a fairly well-known rapper around 2013-16, but his only Top 40 hit as a lead artist was 2014's "Show Me" (featuring Chris Brown). He may be better known by mainstream audiences for his guest verse on Fifth Harmony's "Worth It", but it doesn't legitimately count as his hit, so it can't disqualify his status as a one-hit wonder.
• Kid 'N Play were one of the most well-known rap groups to mainstream audiences during the early 1990s, owing to their starring roles in the hit 1990 film House Party and having their own cartoon show, and they even had two Gold-selling albums. As a chart act however, their only major pop hit was 1991's "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody", which didn't even make the Top 40 and had a Hot 100 peak of #51. That was it for Kid 'n' Play on the pop charts, although they had a string of R&B and rap chart hits (which ended with "Nobody", their last single to chart anywhere).
• Somalian-Canadian singer K'naan's only international success is "Wavin' Flag" (which, despite not actually being a big hit, is well-known due to commercial associations with Coca-Cola, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign). Before it, he received a little airplay with "If Rap Gets Jealous", which featured Kirk Hammett on lead guitar, but that song fell short of the Billboard Alternative chart. His later song "Is Anybody Out There?" (a collaboration with Nelly Furtado) also scraped the bottom of the charts, but it's completely forgotten even in Canada. An incident where he infamously bashed Kendrick Lamar didn't help his chances of scoring another hit.
• Kreayshawn is technically a No-Hit Wonder, as her only "hit" song, "Gucci Gucci", stalled out at #57. However, due to its viral catchiness, it is remembered by most people as one.
• Coolio is by no means a one-hit wonder, but his 1995 Signature Song "Gangsta's Paradise" featured credited vocals from vocalist L.V. While the success of the song led to L.V. getting a record contract, his only charted solo single "Throw Your Hands Up" stopped at #63.
• Murphy Lee, a rapper known for his ties to ex-rap superstar Nelly, only ever had one hit of note, which was his chart-topping collaboration with Nelly and P. Diddy, "Shake Ya Tailfeater", from the Bad Boys II soundtrack. He did have a hit all on his own afterwards in the long forgotten "What Da Hook Gon' Be", and had a featured spot on another Nelly hit, "Air Force Ones", but "Tailfeather" is all anyone remembers him for, if at all.
  • Speaking of "Air Force Ones", that song marked the only ever major hit for Ali and Kyjuan, who alongside Nelly and Lee were members of the rap supergroup St. Lunatics. Ali was a one hit wonder twice over as part of the duo Ali & Gipp, who appeared on Nelly's #1 single "Grillz". The fifth member of St. Lunatics was City Spud, whose only chart appearance was via "Ride Wit Me", another Nelly classic. Spud's one-hit wonder status was more due to unfortunate circumstances as he was in jail during the song's release. In fact, St. Lunatics' only album was called Free City, which was part of a campaign to get Spud out of jail.
• Lifeseeker's "Gone Guru", which is their only hit thanks to the Song Association effect (it was in Dead Rising).
• Lil Wayne is not a one-hit-wonder in any stretch of the word, but he has featured a bunch of guest rappers, some of who are signed to his label Young Money, that are this. Examples include:
  • Static Major's only hit came from singing the chorus of "Lollipop", Wayne's highest charting single to date. 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". Instead, Static Major is probably best remembered not as a musician, but as a songwriter: He wrote Ginuwine's breakthrough smash "Pony", as well as several of Aaliyah's biggest hits like "Are You That Somebody?", "Try Again" and "More Than a Woman".
  • Young Money member Cory Gunz is only remembered for being a guest feature on Lil Wayne's "6 Foot 7 Foot", which peaked at #9 on the Billboard charts and later certified 3x-platinum, and pretty much nothing else. His only other appearances since then is being a guest artist on Lil Wayne mixtapes and scattered features on other rappers' albums. He would have had another hit if his guest verse on the leaked version of "A Milli" wasn't removed in the final product. Not helping his case is the fact he has admited that he dislikes attention and wants to distance himself from the spotlight. He is also known for being in the 2009 XXL Freshmen Class. His father Peter Gunz was one-hit wonder himself as half of the duo Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz whose Steely Dan sampling "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" also peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 but was the only single from their only album.
• Lil Peep was a technical example; he was known for being one of the most well known Soundcloud rappers, as well as one of the few musicians known for the post-emo revival style of hip hop. However, his only trip to the Top 40 was an equally-credited collaboration with fellow short-lived emo-rapper XXXTentacion (who's not a one-hit-wonder), "Falling Down", which peaked at #13. Since the song only charted as high as it did due to the latter artist having a bigger fanbase and both artists' deaths, it's extremely unlikely he'll get another hit song.
• Lil Xan is known for his song "Heartbreak", which, despite charting on #64, would end up being certified platinum. Any attempt of having any other hits halted due to receiving lots of backlash online over calling 2Pac's music boring in a interview and becoming an massive punching-bag afterwards, and his many social media antics and incidents alienating what fanbase he could've had. His only other song to chart was "Betraied", although it didn't peek very high.
• Limp Bizkit are not one-hit wonders on rock radio. However, their only trip to rhythmic airwaves was the Method Man-backed "N 2 Gether Now". Because it sounded nothing like their Nu Metal material, they never had another hit there.
• Danish jazz-rapper Lucas had a huge cross-format hit with his 1994 single "Lucas with the Lid Off". The song made it to #29 on the Hot 100 and was also a Top 30 hit on both the rap and alternative charts. The song's success had much to do with its elaborate, eye-catching video, shot entirely in a single take by French director Michel Gondry. While Lucas had no further hits, the video proved to be a breakthrough moment for Gondry, who was nominated for a Grammy for Best Music Video. Gondry became one of the defining music video auteurs of the 1990s and 2000s, while Lucas faded into obscurity.
• Luniz had a huge hit in 1995 with "I Got 5 On It". Their follow-ups weren't particularly successful on the rap charts, let alone the Hot 100.
• Craig Mack is an infamous example of a one hit wonder. "Flava In Ya Ear" was his biggest hit at #9, with its follow up "Get Down" sneaking in the Top 40 at #38. Unfortunately, the well known remix of "Flava In Ya Ear" featured Bad Boy labelmate The Notorious B.I.G., who completely murdered Mack on his own song (the fact that the remix also included LL Cool J and rising young rapper Busta Rhymes didn't help Mack either). Though his album Project: Funk Da World and its singles were successful, Mack was dropped from Bad Boy for not matching Biggie's success, and promptly fell into obscurity not long after, only making headlines almost twenty years later for having found religion in 2012. Mack was recording a comeback album in 2018, but died of heart failure before he could fully finish it.
• Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were one of the biggest internet success stories of The New '10s and are most certainly not a one-hit wonder. However, several of their hits feature an artist who always becomes a one-hit wonder.
  • "Thrift Shop", his Breakthrough Hit, features Wanz, who is especially unlikely to score another hit being in his fifties (unless he collaborates with Macklemore again).
  • "Can't Hold Us" features gospel singer Ray Dalton. While Dalton has only released one single of his own, the public hasn't shown any interest in him.
  • "Same Love" features openly lesbian singer Mary Lambert. Lambert has fared the best of all the one-hit wonders featured, having minor success as an Indie Pop singer and a modest radio hit with her song "Secrets". Still, "Love" is her only song to make the Top 40.
  • "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 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (who are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), but that group had no top 40 hits; Mel was also featured prominently on Chaka Khan's 1984 smash hit "I Feel For You", but he isn't credited on the single, so his status for "Downtown" stands. 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, Kool Moe Dee, 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 Will Smith's #1 "Wild Wild West".
  • Macklemore himself was featured on Rudimental's #1 UK hit "These Days". Of the other featured artists, only Dan Caplen has no other hits.
• Norwegian hip hop/electropop duo Madcon is mostly only known for their 2007 song "Beggin'", which is a cover of a 1967 hit by rock 'n roll band The Four Seasons, and in turn was covered years later by Italian rock band Måneskin and rediscovered.
• Biz Markie is known almost entirely for his 1989 hit "Just a Friend", which remains his only top-40 hit to date. Biz was also featured on singer Mario's 2002 version of the song, which outperformed the original at #4, but it isn't associated with him outside of interpolating the original. While Biz had other hits on the rap charts, they've largely been forgotten, and any other chance of him getting another top-40 hit vanished after his death in 2021.
• White rapper MC 900 Foot Jesus scored a #25 hit on the Billboard alternative charts in 1994 with "If I Only Had a Brain". The song's radio popularity had a lot to do with its offbeat video, directed by Spike Jonze, making an appearance on Beavis And Butthead. However, his success was short-lived. After several years of working as an experimental musician, he was 37 years old when "Brain" hit it big, and he became disinterested in continuing his musical career while recording his follow-up album. He ultimately pursued several jobs outside of music, from flight instructor to bookstore employee before settling into a career as a DJ. Nearly 25 years later, he has yet to release a follow-up to "Brain".
• Dutch hip hop duo MC Miker G & DJ Sven are known only for 1986's "Holiday Rap", a remix of Madonna's "Holiday", also containing an interpolation of Cliff Richard's "Summer Holiday". It topped the charts in several European countries including France and Germany.
• Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy only had one hit out of his Solo Side Project; his 2010 debut Top 5 single "Billionaire" with Bruno Mars. All following singles haven't even scraped the lower ends of any charts (apart from Taio Cruz's "Higher", which hit #24. It wasn't his song however, so it doesn't nullify McCoy's one-hit wonder status). His band itself is an aversion, having hit the Top 40 four separate times (though they were one for four years until they made a comeback with "Stereo Hearts"). Additionally, Fall Out Boy isn't a one-hit wonder, but frontman Patrick Stump became a one-hit wonder in association with Gym Class Heroes. His hook he provided on their #4 hit "Cupid's Chokehold" became his only Top 40 hit. He almost had another Top 40 hit on another Gym Class Heroes song with "Clothes Off!!!", but it fell short at #46. Stump attempted a solo career in 2011, but it failed to generate any major hits. British singer Neon Hitch (which is her real name, by the way) only had two chart entries in the U.S. as a feature, the biggest one being on GCH's #12 "Ass Back Home". The only other entry is a feature on 3OH!3's "Follow Me Down" from Alice in Wonderland (2010), which only peaked at #89. She had two #1 dance hits, but has never charted on the Hot 100 by herself.
• British-Sri Lankan recording artist M.I.A. had a massive crossover hit in 2008 with "Paper Planes", which reached #4 on the Hot 100, and was also a hit on the dance, rap, R&B, and alternative charts. It's also her only song to enter the Hot 100, apart from a feature on Madonna's #10 hit "Give Me All Your Lovin'" (which also featured Nicki Minaj and earned her a position in the Super Bowl halftime show) and her feature on "Franchise" by Travis Scott and Young Thug. They weren't her hits, however, so it doesn't discredit her one-hit wonder status. Although she has been a favorite of critics around the world since the beginning of her career, she never had another hit as big as "Paper Planes". Her only other UK Top 40 hit was 2010's #23 entry "XXXO", which was quickly forgotten and is not as well remembered as singles like "Galang" or "Boyz" that weren't hits. "Bad Girls" was popular as well, having been featured in media numerous times, but it wasn't a major hit anywhere.
• New York rapper Mims had a chart-topping smash with his 2007 song "This Is Why I'm Hot". His follow-up "Like This" fizzled out at #32, and afterwards he faded into complete obscurity.
• The Kentucky group Nappy Roots were one of the most hyped new musical acts of 2002, with their idiosyncratic mix of southern hip-hop, blues and soul capturing the interest of both critics and the general public. Their song "Po' Folks" was a #21 hit on the Hot 100 that year, while another single, "Awnaw", just missed the Top 40. However those would be the group's last significant hits. They took five years off between their second and third album, and their momentum had dried up by the time the latter was released. "Po' Folks" remains the group’s only Top 40 hit.
• New Boyz were a hip hop duo who had four top 40 hits, but only their 2009 debut, the #24 "You're a Jerk", is still remembered today.
• New Orleans Bounce artist Nicky da B got a viral hit with Diplo's "Express Yourself" in 2012, which he was the featured vocalist on. A local star, he sadly passed away in 2014 from an illness before he could get a proper attempt at a mainstream breakout.
• Hip hop icons N.W.A are not considered one-hit wonders in the rap community and by general listeners, especially after Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E broke up and had successful solo careers. However, they only had one top 40 hit... in 2015, long after they broke up, when "Straight Outta Compton" made it to #38. How? A combination of several new rules added to the Billboard Hot 100 (streaming and YouTube plays being integrated into the Hot 100 and older songs are now allowed to chart as long as they make it above #50) and a resurgence of interest in the band due to to the popularity of the biopic Straight Outta Compton. Because of the "stars aligning" nature of this entry, and because the band is no longer active, it's unlikely they'll ever have another top 40 hit.
• Onyx scored their only pop hit in 1994 with the platinum-selling "Slam", a #4 Hot 100 hit. The group also became known for introducing slam dancing, mosh pits, and crowd-surfing to the hip hop scene. While they had several more hits on the rap charts, and a second Top 40 hit in the UK with "Throw Ya Gunz", "Slam" was their only American Top 40 hit. Members Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz later had success as film and television actors.
• Pop-rapper Outasight managed a #38 hit with 2012's "Tonight is the Night". His follow-up "Now or Never" fell just short of charting, and he never saw any chart action again afterwards.
• The Bay-Area-based hyphy-group The Pack is known for their breakout single "Vans" and nothing else. Any attempts of having another hit fell through after the group disbanded in 2011. It is also known for being the group that Lil B used to be part of, who is considered one of the most recognizable underground acts on the internet and one of the most influential rappers of the 2010s.
• New York duo Partners in Kryme had a #13 hit in 1990 with "Turtle Power" from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie soundtrack. On the other side of the pond, it did even better, topping the UK Singles Chart for 4 weeks. It was also their only major hit anywhere.
• Atlanta hip-hop duo Playaz Circle, a member of Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace family, scored a top 20 hit with "Duffle Bag Boy" in 2007, thanks mostly to a feature from Lil Wayne. Their subsequent singles and both of their albums failed to go anywhere; however, group member Tity Boi would later change his name to 2 Chainz and have more success.
• Fugees member Pras only ever had one hit in his solo career with 1998's "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" from the film Bulworth. The song, which interpolates Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' 1983 hit "Islands in the Stream", also featured guest vocals from non-one hit wonders Mýa and Ol' Dirty Bastard.
• "Kryptonite (I'm On It)" was the only hit of the Purple Ribbon All-Stars, a short-lived Supergroup from the ATL that consisted of Big Boi, Killer Mike, and several other guys that were under Purple Ribbon Records at the time. Even then, it was a fairly minor hit, as it only peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Rap veteran Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest fame is hardly considered a one-hit wonder, but he’s only had one top 40 hit: 1999’s “Vivrant Thing”, which reached #26. He also contributed a guest rap verse to Deee-lite's #4 pop smash "Groove Is In the Heart", but was not credited on Billboard for his appearance.
• "Come On & Ride It (The Train)" by The Quad City DJ's. They had another top 40 hit with the Space Jam theme, and it is fondly remembered, but more as a song from a movie than as a hit.
• Rich Boy is barely remembered for anything but his hit-single "Throw In Some D's".
• Asher Roth got hyped in the late 2000s as the hottest white rapper since Eminem (though he did not like that comparison), which resulted in him being in the 2009 XXL Freshmen Class. He scored a #12 hit in 2009 with "I Love College" and faded back into obscurity after his debut-album "Asleep in the Bread Aisle" debuted at #5 and creative differences with his then-manager Scooter Braun (who also managed Justin Bieber) resulting in Roth leaving the mainstream rap game shortly afterwards.
• Sage the Gemini has a few featured hits (including "GDFR"), but his only hit as a lead was 2013’s “Gas Pedal”. It was also the only hit for featured rapper Iamsu!
• The Filipino pop-rap group Salbakuta may have released a couple or so noteworthy songs in later years, but whenever people think of the group, they'd almost always just associate them with their 2001 breakthrough single "S2pid Luv".
• Juelz Santana had many hits as a featured artist (including Chris Brown's Breakthrough Hit "Run It!"), but his only Top 40 entry as a lead artist was 2006's "There It Go (The Whistle Song)".
• New Zealand rapper Savage had a #45 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2008 with a remix of his 2005 hit "Swing" that featured guest verses from Soulja Boy. After that, nothing. He fared better back home, though.
• Sheck Wes had a massive hit in 2017 with "Mo Bamba." His only other trip to the top 40 was as a featured artist on Travis Scott's "No Bystanders," which stalled out at #31. Since it wasn't his hit, it isn't enough to disqualify his one-hit wonder status.
• Bobby Shmurda had a #6 hit in the fall of 2014 with "Hot Nigga," popularized by its viral Shmoney dance, which would be done by A-list celebrities like Rihanna and Drake, and far too many memes to count, such as "Mitch caught a body about a week ago" and Bobby throwing his hat in the air and not falling down. He later became one of the most promising new rap stars of 2014, and the song was being remixed by various rappers, primarily from the Chicago drill scene. Despite this buzz, his follow-up "Bobby Bitch" only reached #92. Soon afterwards, he was arrested on murder conspiracy and drug trafficking charges. In October 2016, he was sentenced to seven years, which he would later be released on parole on December 2020 after serving 5 of his 7 year sentence. Time will tell if he can get another hit following his release. He also had a feature (that he recorded via telephone from prison) on 6ix9ine's 2018 #25 hit "Stoopid", but it wasn't technically his hit, so it can't disqualify his one-hit wonder status.
• The Shop Boyz are known for their 2007 #2 hit "Party Like a Rockstar" and nothing else, which resulted in the group breaking up a couple years later, although they did release a song in November 2020 that went nowhere..
• 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 in 2008. Interestingly, they're probably better remembered as a Two-Hit Wonder instead, for both that song and its predecessor "Buzzin'", despite the fact that the latter song topped out at #46.
• Silentó hit #3 with "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" in 2015. Despite being panned by general audiences, the music video became one of the most-viewed videos of 2015. The song, which is an instructional tutorial of a wide variety of dance moves, became extremely popular with kids across the U.S. However, due to the widespread hatred of the song and unfavorable comparisons to "Crank That", and that it was too much of a novelty to be taken seriously, it's unlikely that he'll have any chance at a long-term career. In 2021, Silentó was charged with the murder of his cousin, ending any chance of him having another hit.
• Sir Mix-A-Lot is one of the more beloved one-hit wonders (especially in his native Seattle), but his massive 1992 chart-topper "Baby Got Back" is his only top 40 hit, and nothing else has even came close. Over twenty years later, it reentered pop culture as it was sampled in Nicki Minaj's memetic song "Anaconda". That said, his first album, "Swass" went platinum, despite not generating any top 40 songs.
• Skee-Lo's 1995 hit "I Wish" managed to peak at #13 on the Hot 100. After that, he never made the charts again, with only "Top of the Stairs" making it to #73 on the R&B charts.
• Grime artist Skepta is a weird example. He certainly isn't one in his native UK with 17 hits in the top 40 alone, but in the United States his only charting song was as a featured artist on "Praise The Lord (Da Shine)" by A$AP Rocky, which hit #45. However, he also had a solo hit with "Skepta Interlude", which peaked even higher at #36 and would've broken him out of one hit wonder status... were it not for the fact that "Skepta Interlude" is credited solely to Drake, even though Skepta is the only one providing vocals on the track.
• Soulja Boy isn't a one-hit wonder, but I-15, who sang the chorus to his minor hit "Soulja Girl" is.
• Alt hip-hop quartet Souls of Mischief made a huge splash in 1993 with their debut single "93 'Til Infinity", which became one of the most critically acclaimed songs in any genre that year. The song made it to #72 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the rap chart, but it wound up being their only major hit and their only Hot 100 entry. Although their debut album is considered a hip-hop classic, they hit a Sophomore Slump with their second album and lost all their commercial momentum.
• Soulja Slim was the featured artist on Juvenile's 2004 #1 hit "Slow Motion", but was unable to follow it up as he was murdered prior to the song's release.
• In 2010, Maine rapper Spose had a viral hit with "I'm Awesome", which peaked at #37. The follow-up "We Hate Money" didn't chart anywhere. He wasn't heard from again until four years later, when he wrote an article for Cracked about how Executive Meddling, poor timing and the novelty status of his hit ruined his career.
• Stakka Bo had a hit across Europe in 1993 with "Here We Go". In addition to being a #4 hit in his native Sweden, it also reached #13 in the UK and #20 on the alternative chart across the Atlantic in the US. Stakka Bo never had a hit again outside of Sweden, but he's been quite successful as a music video and television director under his real name Johan Renck. He has directed acclaimed videos for artists like Madonna, New Order and David Bowie and episodes of Breaking Bad. He even won an Emmy in 2019 for directing the miniseries Chernobyl.
• The Sugar Hill Gang, a team of rappers gathered by Sylvia Robinson (more on her on the R&B page), had a #36 hit in 1980 with "Rapper's Delight". While it was a minor pop hit, it is considered the first popular hip-hop song. They never had another major hit, though.
• T-Wayne scored a viral hit in 2015 with "Nasty Freestyle", which hit #9 with practically no radio airplay. The song featured the Texas hip-hop artist freestyling over the beat of "Nasty" by Bandit Gang Marco. However, like most modern hip-hop one-hit wonders, it only became a hit because of Memetic Mutation — the line "first let me hop out the motherfucking Porsche" spread across the internet. Since it only became a hit because of a meme, and not him, he quickly faded back into obscurity. He attempted a comeback in 2017 with "Fell In Love", but it never charted anywhere.
• Atlanta duo Tag Team had a massive #2 hit in 1993 with "Whoomp! (There It Is)" but never saw the charts again outside a couple alternate versions of their only hit. A month prior to the release of "Whoomp!", another Miami group called 95 South released a very similar song called "Whoot, There It Is". That song was also successful, and reached #11 on the Hot 100, but was 95 South's only Hot 100 entry and has fallen into obscurity compared to the more popular "Whoomp!".
• Baltimore rapper Tate Kobang had a minor chart hit with "Bank Rolls (Remix)" in 2015, largely driven by its local popularity; the remix was created in response to the death of Freddie Gray in police custody and the subsequent unrest in the city; the song being a heartfelt tribute to Baltimore and its hip-hop scene was what a lot of listeners were looking for at the time. Thanks to the song's grassroots origins and Tate Kobang's lack of interest in trying to break into the mainstream, he remains a one-hit wonder.
• Tay-K reached #44 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the Billboard rap chart in 2017 with his song "The Race", which received remixes from famous rappers. At the time of its release, Tay-K was a wanted fugitive and the subject of a nationwide manhunt after his involvement in a fatal home invasion, a series of robberies and the murder of a photographer. He was captured a few months later, and was sentenced to 55 years in prison in 2019, following a trial in which the lyrics to "The Race" were entered as evidence against him. His imprisonment ended his recording career. He later got even more years added to his sentence in 2020, after stabbing a prison guard with a knife.
• British rapper Tinie Tempah crossed over to US charts in 2011 with the top 20 hit "Written in the Stars", which gained popularity stateside after WWE chose it as the theme song to that year's WrestleMania event. Though he remains popular in the UK, he hasn't managed to crack the US Top 40 since. Featuring artist Eric Turner gets hit with this as well; nothing else he's done has charted anywhere.
• Latino/Black rap group Terror Squad had a #1 hit in 2004 with "Lean Back", which introduced the easy-to-use dance move of the same name. Like many other songs that introduced a new dance move, they faded into obscurity afterwards, with their follow-up "Take Me Home" only peaking at #62. Any chance they had of scoring a comeback was lost when they broke up completely in 2006. They still have a cult following in the rap community, however; plus the group was fronted by Fat Joe, who was one of the biggest names in hip-hop during the mid-to-late-2000s and is not a one-hit wonder.
• Trinidad James only managed a charting hit with his 2012 debut single, "All Gold Everything". The song is likely most noteworthy for its "don't believe me, just watch" hook being interpolated in Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' mega-hit "Uptown Funk", which earned Trinidad James a writing credit and a respectable cut of that song's royalties.
• Although he's fairly popular in the rap community, R&B singer Ty Dolla $ign only had one top 40 hit of his own, with 2014's "Paranoid" (featuring 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 Suicide Squad (2016), but "Paranoid" is the only song that can legitimately qualify as his hit.
• British jazz-rap group Us3 had a top-10 Hot 100 hit in 1993 with its very first single, "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)". The song didn't chart in the UK on its first release, but did reach the top 40 there with a re-release. This was the group's only single to chart at all in the States, although it had two other top-40s in the UK.
• Rapper V.I.C., much like Fort Minor or Big & Rich, had exactly one top 40 hit on the Hot 100 but is now remembered as one for another song. "Get Silly" hit #29 in 2008 and was quickly forgotten, but was somewhat notable for being the last snap hit on the charts before that genre died for good. Follow-up "Wobble" flopped due to the attention drawn to it over its highly obscene lyrics — but interest was renewed in late 2011 after a dance craze involving the song brought it back to the spotlight. Nowadays, V.I.C. is remembered as a one-hit wonder, but for "Wobble" instead of "Get Silly". Not helping matters is the fact that "Get Silly" involved Soulja Boy.
• While Fetty Wap certainly isn't a one-hit wonder, briefly becoming a rap superstar after "Trap Queen" and faring far better than the other three rappers who scored viral hits through Vine in 2015 before falling off the face of the earth, he has two songs that feature a one-hit wonder. "679" has Remy Boyz, a duo of two of his associates consisting of Monty and P-Dice, the latter having since been kicked out while "My Way" features Monty, solo from the Remy Boyz.
• The only song anyone remembers from Webstar and Young B is their hit "Chicken Noodle Soup". It also turns out to be the only song that the The Voice of Harlem is known for.
• YC scored a hit in 2011 with his debut single "Racks", which reached #42 on the Hot 100 and #4 on the rap charts, and earned a gold certification. It also marked the first Hot 100 appearance for its guest artist Future, who quickly overshadowed the song's lead artist, and became a superstar while YC faded into obscurity.
• Young Black Teenagers - despite the name, none of the members were Black - had a crossover hit in 1992 with "Tap the Bottle", which reached #55 in the US, #5 on the Billboard rap chart, and #39 in the UK. The group had the support of Public Enemy, that group's DJ Terminator X had produced "Tap the Bottle", and the rest of their album was produced by the Public Enemy production team the Bomb Squad. The band never had a hit like "Tap the Bottle" again. Group member DJ Skribble later went onto a long career as a club DJ and radio personality, and is probably better known for his stint as a host and DJ for MTV in the late '90s than he is for his group.
• Young Dro is mostly remembered just for the song "Shoulder Lean" featuring T.I., the latter of whom is not a one-hit wonder in any sense of the word. His other songs "Rubberband Banks", "Take Off", "FBD", and "We in da City" only charted on the Rap Charts and all received very little fanfare.
• Young M.C. had a #7 hit in 1989 with "Bust a Move", which has been featured countless times in media. Although his follow-up "Principal's Office" did manage to scrape the Top 40, landing at #33, he's completely fallen off the map ever since. This tag could even be applied to his albums; his debut Stone Cold Rhymin made the Top 10, his follow-up Brainstorm only reached #66, and all albums since didn't even chart. This was lampshaded with his 1997 album Return of the 1 Hit Wonder.
• Detroit Trap Music duo Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion McCall had a viral hit in early 2017 with “Juju on That Beat (TZ Anthem)”, which hit #5 on the Hot 100, before fading into obscurity (their article on Wikipedia used to redirect to the song’s article).

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