Billboard Hot 100 Highlights April 21, 2018

And the album bombs keep coming. But in this case the album that's bombing in is actually alright. plus Drake gets unseated by...Drake. This is gonna be a busy week. Highlights.

Top 20

1. Nice For What by Drake (New)
2. God's Plan by Drake (1)
3. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line (2)
4. Psycho by Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign (3)
5. Look Alive by BlocBoy JB ft. Drake (5)
6. The Middle by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey (6)
7. Perfect by Ed Sheeran (7)
8. I Like It by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin (New)
9. Freaky Friday by Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown (9)
10. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B (8)
11. Be Careful by Cardi B (16)
12. Walk It Talk It by Migos ft. Drake (10)
13. Plug Wank by Rich The Kid (13)
14. Mine by Bazzi (12)
15. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (14)
16. Havana by Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug (11)
17. Pray For Me by The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar (15)
18. Sad! by XXXTENTACION (18)
19. Stir Fry by Migos (17)
20. Call Out My Name by The Weeknd (4)

Fell Off Top 20

25. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar & SZA (19)
26. Ric Flair Drip by Offset & Metro Boomin (20)

Big Gains (10+)

29. Japan by Famous Dex (53)
32. Bartier Cardi by Cardi B ft. 21 Savage (51)

Moderate Gains (5 - 9)

11. Be Careful by Cardi B (16)
72. Boo'd Up by Ella Mai (78)

Big Losses (10+)

20. Call Out My Name by The Weeknd (4)
44. Him & I by G-Eazy & Halsey (32)
45. Lights Down Low by MAX ft. gnash (33)
55. Marry Me by Thomas Rhett (44)
60. Most People Are Good by Luke Bryan (49)
61. X by Nicky Jam x J Balvin (47)
63. Wasted Times by The Weeknd (27)
70. Dura by Daddy Yankee (59)
73. El Farsante by Ozuna & Romeo Santos (63)
74. Try Me by The Weeknd (26)
77. Tequila by Dan + Shay (66)
82. Broken Halos by Chris Stapleton (64)
84. Hardaway by Derez De'Shon (68)
86. Medicine by Queen Naija (45)
89. Five More Minutes by Scotty McCreery (76)
90. Top Off by DJ Khaled ft. Jay-Z, Future & Beyoncé (70)
91. When We by Tank (80)
93. All On Me by Devin Dawson (75)
94. Red Roses by Lil Skies ft. Landon Cube (77)
95. I Lived It by Blake Shelton (81)
96. No Roots by Alice Merton (84)
97. Broken Clocks by SZA (82)

Moderate Losses (5 - 9)

16. Havana by Camila Cabello (11)
25. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar & SZA (19)
26. Ric Flair Drip by Offset & Metro Boomin (20)
27. New Rules by Dua Lipa (22)
31. Let You Down by NF (24)
34. Friends by Marshmello & Anne-Marie (25)
35. Wait by Maroon 5 (30)
37. In My Blood by Shawn Mendes (31)
41. You Make It Easy by Jason Aldean (36)
42. Say Something by Justin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton (37)
46. I Fall Apart by Post Malone (39)
47. King's Dead by Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake (40)
48. Bad At Love by Halsey (42)
49. New Freezer by Rich The Kid ft. Kendrick Lamar (49)
54. Delicate by Taylor Swift (46)
64. IDGAF by Dua Lipa (57)
66. Changes by XXXTENTACION (58)
67. Zombie by Bad Wolves (61)
68. Billy by 6ix9ine (60)
69. Tell Me You Love Me by Demi Lovato (62)
71. The Long Way by Brett Eldredge (65)
75. One Number Away by Luke Combs (67)
76. Everyday by Logic & Marshmello (69)
78. Moonlight by XXXTENTACION (71)
79. Sit Next To Me by Foster The People (72)
80. I Like Me Better by Lauv (73)
81. Sativa by Jhene Aiko ft. Rae Sremmurd (74)
87. She's With me by High Valley (79)
88. Up Down by Morgan Wallen ft. Florida Georgia Line (83)
98. For The First Time by Darius Rucker (90)

Dropouts

• I Was Never There by The Weeknd ft. Gesaffelstein (35, 35, 1 week)
• Hurt You by The Weeknd ft. Gesaffelstein (43, 43, 1 week)
• Lemon by N*E*R*D & Rihanna (48, 36, 22 weeks)
• Privilege by The Weeknd (52, 52, 1 week)
• Nowadays by Lil Skies ft. Landon Cube (85, 55, 13 weeks)
• Say Amen (Saturday Night) by Panic! At The Disco (86, 60, 2 weeks)
• No Smoke by YoungBoy Never Broke Again (87, 61, 18 weeks)
• Tempo by Chris Brown (88, 88, 4 weeks)
• OKRA by Tyler, The Creator (89, 89, 1 week)
• Echame La Culpa by Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato (91, 47, 20 weeks)
• Take Back Home Girl by Chris Lane ft. Tori Kelly (92, 92, 1 week)
• Written In The Sand by Old Dominion (93, 51, 20 weeks)
• Woman, Amen by Dierks Bentley (94, 94, 1 week)
• La Modelo by Ozuna x Cardi B (95, 52, 14 weeks)
• Beautiful Trauma by Pink (97, 78, 15 weeks)
• NBAYoungboat by Lil Yachty ft. YoungBoy Never Broke Again (98, 63, 4 weeks)
• Get You by Daniel Caesar ft. Kali Uchis (99, 93, 5 weeks)
• Focus by H.E.R. (100, 100, 1 week)

New Entries

1. Nice For What by Drake
8. I Like It by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
21. Drip by Cardi B ft. Migos
23. I Do by Cardi B ft. SZA
28. Ring by Cardi B ft. Kehlani
38. Get Up 10 by Cardi B
39. Best Life by Cardi B ft. Chance The Rapper
43. Bickenhead by Cardi B
50. Thru Your Phone by Cardi B
57. She Bad by Cardi B & YG
58. Money Bag by Cardi B
59. Diamond Teeth Samurai by YoungBoy Never Broke Again
62. One Kiss by Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa
65. A$AP Forever by A$AP Rocky ft. Moby
83. Barbie Tingz by Nicki Minaj
85. Get Along by Kenny Chesney
92. Chun-Li by Nicki Minaj
100. Alone by Halsey ft. Big Sean & Stefflon Don

New Entries Ranked

1. Chun-Li

Hell yeah, this is the Nicki I actually like. Intense, sax driven beat with Nicki spitting with absolute fury. Awesome. Plus her bars connect well as she sorta adopts the role of the "bad guy" in rap. And she pulls it off convincingly. However, the part in the second verse where she rhymes "King Kong" with itself several times gets old fast. Even when she's on fire, she doesn't wanna give up that weakness of hers, I guess. Still, this blows all of the singles she released last year clean out of the water. Can't wait for more.

2. Nice For What

Ordinarily I would put this off until having to talk about it here, but I heard it was really good from Speccy, so I listened to it early. And damn, this is one of Drake's best songs in years. Kinda similar to Weston Road Flows with the beat relying heavily on a bright sample, except cranked to 11 here. That and Drake actually sounds enthused for once in his life. Plus he's showing appreciation for girls working hard to gain a following. Works for me. And it so deserves to be number 1 over God's Plan, as much as that song's grown on me. Great stuff. Hope this is a sign of things to come.

3. Bickenhead

Damn that's a good beat. Apparently it's a sample of a song called Chickenhead, and this continues in the tradition of Bodak Yellow where Cardi just puts a B on things and calls them hers. But yeah, great beat. The bass bumps and makes Cardi sound commanding. The "alright" sample is a good focal point that keeps me moving along every beat. The "Guap/chicken" chorus is really catchy, and I feel awesome listening to this. But the bit in the second chorus where she says "pussy" about everything was kinda uncomfortable and took me out of this. Bleh. Otherwise, great effort.

4. Get Up 10

The opening track to the album, and what a first impression. This starts out slow, but gets bombastic about a minute in. All the while Cardi just demands that you pay attention to her, talking about her come-up from stripper to game-changing rapper. The phrase "knock me down 9 times but I get up 10" is especially hardcore, and I believe it coming from her. Especially when this is a song where there's no hook until pretty much the very end. Probably the most intense song she's released, and I love it.

5. I Like It

Top 10 debut, yes! Please make this the next single. For a Latin song, and especially a Latin trap song, this is really colorful and fun. Probably due to the sample of Peter Rodriguez's I Like It Like That. That does a lot for me. As does Cardi saying "Oh he so handsome". Now that's a charming line. Bad Bunny and J Balvin also sound fine against this too. Even if I still can't understand them, outside of maybe Balvin referencing Mi Gente? Makes you wonder why they stick with the typical trap percussion when they can do much better. Yeah, this is great. Would love to see it stick around and become a hit.

6. Best Life

Make no mistake about it, this is a Chance song first and a Cardi song second. His hook, despite his awkward delivery, is infectious, and the beat leans more into his style and strengths. He just sounds so happy to be where he is today. Cardi on the other hand takes shots at people calling her "problematic" on Twitter. I mean...you did ignorantly say the t-word about a transgender person and defend your fiancé's homophobic lyrics. That is what I'd call problematic. But otherwise, it does sound like she's having fun. Pretty great stuff. This is the mold I'd like to see Cardi go in more often.

7. One Kiss

When Calvin Harris announced that he would be giving up the Funk Wav Bounce style, I got worried. But this put my fears to rest. Dua Lipa was a good choice for collab, and I actually wish she was on Funk Wav now. But here she does well, as Harris seems to go for a disco/Eurodance approach. Is this Eurodance? It kinda reminds me of that style. It's bouncy and fun, and plays off Dua Lipa pretty well. Plus I really love that "doh-lay" vocal bit. It's catchy, alright? I'm a little relieved now. Though I'm still not sure Harris will make anything half as good as Slide again.

8. Barbie Tingz

Thankfully it seems Nicki didn't blow all her effort on one song this time around. Though I do consider this the weaker of her singles this week because of the beat. The synth choices feel cheeper than Chun-Li, and it's overall more minimalist. But Nicki's able to make up for this with her fire bars, especially the one about "taking an L off your bucket list". Ha! Though in her second verse she slips by, yet again, rhyming the same word with itself several times. This time it's "bitch". Even when you're at the top of your game, you frustrate me, Nicki. Please stop doing that.

9. Alone

I never look forward to a Halsey song charting, but this isn't half bad. It feels like a dancehall performance, similar to the best songs from Ariana Grande such as Greedy. Though maybe a bit more restrained than I would like it to be, thanks to the trap elements. It doesn't really cut loose and Halsey's not as raw as this style demands. But it sounds fine enough regardless. Big Sean snaps with his verse, though Stefflon Don is on so little of this you wonder why she's on it to begin with.

10. Thru Your Phone

This is the song I hinted at that I consider better than Be Careful. And that mostly comes down to the production. Though still kinda low-key and sad, it has more meat to it than Be Careful's, and matches both the verses and the chorus well. Cardi sounds appropriately angry and scathing on the verses, and then slips into a delicate, crackly tone for the chorus. At first I thought it was a feature doing that. It is that part that kinda pulls this song down for me, though. It is still a good song about responding to a cheating partner, but I think she has an even better one in her.

11. I Do

These don't sound like wedding vows to me. This works considerably better than I think it should. In theory I should find this beat annoying and soul-sucking, but something about its bombast really works here. Mostly because it fits with Cardi's bad girl image as she brags that her "pussy so good I say my own name during sex." Now that's hilarious. SZA's alright on the hook, but I can't help but feel her vocal effects are a little blown out. Always getting close, but usually so far... But, fine song. Not the worst on the album, but also not the best.

12. Diamond Teeth Samurai

With a title like that things can only go so well, right? Actually, yeah, this isn't bad. Mostly due to the production, as you would expect. The beat is fast-paced and menacing with the balance of sub bass and light pianos. And YoungBoy's cadence itself isn't bad either. He rides it well. Though to this song's detriment, I don't think his voice matches it that well. It's still pretty nasally, which doesn't help his cred, as per usual. But it's not as insufferable as it is on Outside Today, at least. And hey, sometimes all you need is a banging beat and the ability to flow well with it. So I'll give this a pass. Despite the memey, kinda stupid title.

13. A$AP Forever

This song is...confusing. I don't know what the beat for the first half is really going for. It feels oddly muted and isn't really given time to shine against Rocky's triplet flows. I guess his bars themselves aren't that bad, but there's not a lot that sticks with me about them either. Though the song does start to pick up in the second half when it gets more piano heavy and ethereal. Though since it's half the song and is sung quietly, it feels a bit like an interlude than anything. Not bad, but pretty confusing.

14. Ring

Make no mistake, this is more of a Kehlani song than it is a Cardi song. The beat's more for Kehlani with the rattling trap hi hats and general edgy vibes it attempts. Plus I don't really buy Cardi being this dramatic over not being called that much anymore. I buy it from Kehlani, but not really Cardi. Still, Cardi does the best with what she's got, and manages to make this less insufferable than I would otherwise expect. She makes Kehlani sound like crap on this. Which she kinda does anyway. Was disappointed when she got the last verse.

15. Get Along

Well, at the very least, a country song /kinda/ stands out amongst a sea of rap this week. But not by much. This isn't bad, but it feels a little uninspired. Chesney doesn't really do anything that special here, either good or bad, and it just feels like a half-hearted feel good jam. And it's not particularly memorable either. I wouldn't expect this to last too long. Or to remember it exists. Still, by Kenny Chesney's standards, this is an improvement over his other recent material.

16. Money Bag

This was the lowest charting Cardi B debut, and that doesn't surprise me. This beat is baaaaaaad. Harsh, unpleasant treble all throughout with no reprieve, which ultimately makes this feel like a copy of Bodak Yellow with worse production. Which is apparently the reason Cardi chose not to release this as a single and instead went with Bartier Cardi. Plus, the hook feels longer than it should be because of the interjections of the title phrase "money bag" making the chorus lose its impact. Though that "bridesmaids" line is pretty catchy. Otherwise, waste of a song.

17. Drip

This is basically Slippery but with Cardi B instead of Gucci Mane. And she has the hook too. The flutes here are very thin, and the beat doesn't do a good job of backing them up. Plus I could really do without the "drip" ad libs. Cardi's verse is okay I guess. Offset talks about diapers (ew). Quavo...disses Travis Scott? Weird. Surprisingly, I think Takeoff comes out looking the best here. He almost made me enjoy this beat during his verse. Otherwise, kind of a garbage song that I hope will fall off after its high debut.

18. She Bad

DJ Mustard and YG collaborate once more. This feels like a betrayal after how good Still Brazy was. And yeah, YG kinda blows here. He pretty much dominates the song with his quiet, breathy chorus that just makes me scratch my head in comparison. And his verse isn't much better. At points you can barely hear it over the beat, and the beat isn't that loud to begin with. Cardi's okay I guess. She's got a bit about wearing off-white to church and I'm like, "who cares?" I wear dress shirts to church. And they're not always white. Maybe in the near future it'll be church dresses instead...