Over the past week and a half, Nicki Minaj has gone on a tear releasing new freestyles over currently-popping tracks. Although freestyles have historically performed pretty well on our chart, it's been a while since we've seen anyone this high-profile add verses to some of the most popular songs in the country. Not so surprisingly, Nicki's three new freestyles all show up within the top four of this week's chart.
Nicki leads all artists this week with three appearances inside of the top ten. New songs barely missing out on spots this week include Yelawolf's "Billy Goat Freestyle" (#11), Royce Da 5'9"'s "Field Negro" (#12), Nas, Fashawn, and Ezri's "Apostles" (#14), and Skepta's "Wish You Were Here" (#15).
10. Desiigner - Fiinesse
A few weeks ago, Desiigner reemerged with a new collab with Dave East entitled "RIICH," which debuted inside of the top ten. His latest, "Fiinesse," faces the same result. This one debuts at #10.
9. Kendrick Lamar Feat. Schoolboy Q - Michael Jordan
It's not every week that our Throwback Thusday track ends up inside of the top ten. In the case of this one, Kendrick and Schoolboy's "Michael Jordan" from Overly Dedicated, it probably succeeds because collaborations between these two TDE rappers have become rarer and rarer by the year. "Michael Jordan" debuts at #9.
8. Dax - I'm Not Joyner or Don Q
Although Tory Lanez's many ongoing beefs don't account for nearly as many spots in this week's top ten as last week's, they're still represented by this one track. Dax, an artist who's never previously sniffed the top ten, makes his way onto this week's list thanks to a thoroughly uncreatively-named track that riffs on Don Q's earlier "I'm Not Joyner." "I'm Not Joyner Or Don Q," as it's called, debuts at #8.
7. EarthGang Feat. Young Thug - Proud Of U
Atlanta duo EarthGang will soon release a new album entitled Mirrorland, and last week they shared a new single from the upcoming project. "Proud Of U" features their fellow ATLien Young Thug, a massive get from the Dreamville duo. "Proud Of U" debuts at #7.
6. Migos - Position To Win
Possibly the worst-received Migos song in HNHH history? Despite debuting inside of the top ten, Migos' "Position To Win" (originally heard in a Mountain Dew commercial) has only garnered an 18% rating from our users. Nevertheless, it debuts at #6.
5. Trey Songz Feat. Chris Brown - Chi Chi
Fellow popular R&B singers Trey Songz and Chris Brown have collaborated before in the past, and their latest work together comes in the form of new single "Chi Chi." This one debuts at #5.
4. Nicki Minaj - Barbie Drip
Of the three Nicki freestyles to appear in the top ten this week, two were shared on the February 2nd edition of her Queen Radio show on Beats 1, including "Barbie Drip." This take on Lil Baby and Gunna's "Drip Too Hard" didn't appear in the first top ten it was eligible for, but has since risen into the ranks of the biggest songs on the site. In its second week out, "Barbie Drip" is up 46 places from #50 to #4.
3. Nicki Minaj - Bust Down Barbiana
The most recent of Nicki's freestyles, shared last Wednesday, is this take on Blueface's fast-rising but controversial single "Thotiana." Nicki's take, entitled "Bust Down Barbiana," debuts at #3.
2. Key! - When X Died
Despite the enormous influence that Key! wields in hip hop, his numbers aren't always huge. That changes ever so briefly with his latest track, "When X Died," mostly because of artwork and a title that references the ever-popular XXXTentacion. This one debuts at #2.
1. Nicki Minaj - Barbie Going Bad
Especially after its new video arrived last week, Meek Mill and Drake's "Goin' Bad" has picked up considerable steam since Meek's album Championships dropped late last year. Nicki's freestyle over the song is faring similarly. In its second week out, the track is up five places from #6 to #1.