Billboard Hot 100 Highlights May 5th, 2018

We're not free of the album bombs yet. Then again no one thought we were. And of course we got Post Malone crashing in next week. For now, let's just deal with this guy as well as some other things. And Ariana Grande. Also fun fact, the date of this chart is my mom's birthday. Highlights.

Top 20

1. Nice For What by Drake (1)
2. God's Plan by Drake (2)
3. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande (New)
4. Meant To Be by Bebe Rexha ft. Florida Georgia Line (3)
5. Psycho by Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign (4)
6. ATM by J. Cole (New)
7. The Middle by Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey (5)
8. Kevin's Heart by J. Cole (New)
9. Look Alive by BlocBoy JB ft. Drake (6)
10. KOD by J. Cole (New)
11. Perfect by Ed Sheeran (7)
12. Freaky Friday by Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown (8)
13. Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello (13)
14. Photograph by J. Cole (New)
15. Motiv8 by J. Cole (New)
16. I Like It by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin (9)
17. Mine by Bazzi (14)
18. Walk It Talk It by Migos ft. Drake (11)
19. Call Out My Name by The Weeknd (17)
20. 1985 (Intro To The Fall Off) by J. Cole (New)

Fell Off Top 20

21. Plug Wank by Rich The Kid (16)
22. Havana by Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug (19)
23. Be Careful by Cardi B (15)
25. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B (12)
26. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (20)
27. Pray For Me by The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar (18)
48. Chun-Li by Nicki Minaj (10)

Big Gains (10+)

None

Moderate Gains (5 - 9)

55. Boo'd Up by Ella Mai (62)

Big Losses (10+)

25. Finesse (Remix) by Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B (12)
37. Esskeetit by Lil Pump (24)
48. Chun-Li by Nicki Minaj (10)
39. Stir Fry by Migos (23)
43. Ric Flair Drip by Offset & Metro Boomin (32)
44. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar & SZA (31)
45. Thunder by Imagine Dragons (34)
49. Let You Down by NF (37)
50. Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man (39)
51. Drip by Cardi B ft. Migos (33)
60. Bartier Cardi by Cardi B ft. 21 Savage (40)
62. Most People Are Good by Luke Bryan (43)
65. Say Something by Justin Timberlake ft. Chris Stapleton (41)
69. Outside Today by YoungBoy Never Broke Again (58)
70. I Do by Cardi B ft. SZA (42)
71. Ring by Cardi B ft. Kehlani (44)
73. IDGAF by Dua Lipa (60)
78. Barbie Tingz by Nicki Minaj (25)
80. I Lived It by Blake Shelton (66)
83. Changes by XXXTENTACION (69)
85. The Long Way by Brett Eldredge (65)
87. El Farsante (Remix) by Ozuna & Romeo Santos (71)
89. Diamond Teeth Samurai by YoungBoy Never Broke Again (61)
96. Cry Pretty by Carrie Unerwood (48)
99. Thru Your Phone by Cardi B (75)
100. Best Life by Cardi B ft. Chance The Rapper (67)

Moderate Losses (5 - 9)

16. I Like It by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin (9)
18. Walk It Talk It by Migos ft. Drake (11)
21. Plug Wank by Rich The Kid (16)
23. Be Careful by Cardi B (15)
26. Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons (20)
27. Pray For Me by The Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar (18)
31. Sad! by XXXTENTACION (22)
32. Rockstar by Post Malone ft. 21 Savage (27)
35. Japan by Famous Dex (28)
38. You Make It Easy by Jason Aldean (29)
40. Powerglide by Rae Sremmurd ft. Juicy J (35)
42. Wait by Maroon 5 (36)
54. King's Dead by Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake (49)
58. No Excuses by Meghan Meghans (53)
59. Love Lies by Khalid & Normani (54)
61. New Freezer by Rich The Kid (52)
63. Tequila by Dan + Shay (57)
67. Singles You Up by Jordan Davis (59)
88. Woman, Amen by Dierks Bentley (81)
91. This It Me by Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Ensemble (83)
94. Moonlight by XXXTENTACION (85)
97. When We by Tank (92)

Dropouts

• Lights Down Low by MAX ft. gnash (45, 20, 28 weeks)
• I Fall Apart by Post Malone (46, 16, 30 weeks)
• Him & I by G-Eazy & Halsey (47, 14, 20 weeks)
• Bad At Love by Halsey (50, 5, 33 weeks)
• Marry Me by Thomas Rhett (56, 30, 20 weeks)
• Bickenhead by Cardi B (68, 43, 2 weeks)
• Let Me by Zayn (73, 73, 1 week)
• Wasted Times by The Weeknd (76, 27, 3 weeks)
• Get Up 10 by Cardi B (75, 50, 1 week)
• Guatemala by Swae Lee ft. Slim Jxmmi (84, 84, 1 week)
• Money Bag by Cardi B (87, 58, 2 weeks)
• Anybody by Young Thug ft. Nicki Mianj (89, 89, 1 week)
• She Bad by Cardi B & YG (90, 57, 2 weeks)
• Billy by 6ix9ine (91, 50, 8 weeks)
• Top Off by DJ Khaled ft. Jay-Z, Future & Beyoncé (94, 22, 7 weeks)
• She's With Me by High Vallye (95, 79, 8 weeks)
• Get You by Daniel Caesar ft. Kali Uchis (96, 93, 6 weeks)
• Broken Clocks by SZA (97, 82, 4 weeks)
• Five More Minutes by Scotty McCreery (98, 44, 20 weeks)
• Gotti by 6ix9ine (99, 99, 1 week)
• Hardaway by Derez De'Shon (100, 61, 11 weeks)

Returning Entries

34. Wake Me Up! by Avicii ft. Aloe Blacc
92. Alone by Halsey ft. Big Sean & Stefflon Don

New Entries

3. No Tears Left To Cry by Ariana Grande
6. ATM by J. Cole
8. Kevin's Heart by J. Cole
10. KOD by J. Cole
14. Photograph by J. Cole
15. Motiv8 by J. Cole
20. 1985 (Intro To The Fall Off) by J. Cole
28. The Cut Off by J. Cole ft. kiLL edward
30. Brackets by J. Cole
41. Window Pain (Outro) by J. Cole
46. Friends by J. Cole ft. kiLL edward
47. Once An Addict (Interlude) by J. Cole
53. Intro by J. Cole
57. OTW by Khalid, Ty Dolla $ign & 6LACK
72. Babe by Sugarland ft. Taylor Swift
74. Te Bote (Remix) by Casper Magico, Nio Garcia, Darell, Nicky Jam, Ozuna & Bad Bunny
81. Dame Tu Cosita by El Chombo
95. Everything's Gonna Be Alright by David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney
98. Close by Rae Sremmurd ft. Travis Scott

New and Returning Entries Ranked

1. Wake Me Up!

Admittedly I wasn't a huge fan of Avicii, but I did like the few songs I had heard, and I was shocked to read about his death last week. No doubt everyone was, even the people who didn't like his music. As for me, I always liked this song. It's a well-executed blend of folk and electronica with a smooth as hell performance from Aloe Blacc. And you know I'll definitely be talking about it more if I ever do a Best of 2013 video.

2. OTW

Ooh, this beat is absolutely gorgeous. Very ethereal yet with a pulse and driving energy. Like a perfect song for nighttime driving. I should try that some time. Even though I have little reason to drive at night anymore. Khalid kills it as usual. Ty Dolla $ign is alright, but a little redundant because of Khalid. And 6LACK is pretty solid too. Sounding a lot more cheery than on PRBLMS. Maybe outside of his comfort zone and not really the type of thing he'd normally do, but he gets the job done. Overall, great work.

3. No Tears Left To Cry

I don't know where I really wanna start with this. Considering this is gonna be everywhere for a very long time. Maybe I could start with how I'm a little disappointed the song doesn't follow more in the footsteps of the very beginning, with the calm melodies and ethereal production. First time I heard this the heavy percussion and dance tempo were a little jarring. But I got used to it. It's a good toe-tapping beat. And Ariana's performance is a good mix of delicate and forceful. Little bit of cooing and a little bit of...not exactly belting, but a little more aggressive. Including bits of rapping. If you can call it that. It feels good. Though it doesn't feel quite as much of an exciting introduction to a new era of Ariana's music as say, Dangerous Woman. Still, I'm interested going forward.

4. ATM

J. Cole rapping about money should be insufferable. And in a way it is, with the underweight beat and repetitive chorus. But something about it does land. That "can't take it when you die, but you can't live without it" line is kinda clever. At least I think so. As well as the teacher bit in the first verse. Plus, it's bouncy and J. Cole sounds more focused here than he does on much of the rest of the album. So I'll take what I can get.

5. Everything's Gonna Be Alright

Not as good as the Bob Marley song, but what is? Never heard of David Lee Murphy, but clearly he's bringing the best out of Kenny Chesney that he possibly can. This is very organic and pleasant with a hint of organ and a soft motivational feel behind it. Nothing specific, but still comforting regardless. Basically a comfort food song. One that doesn't do much boundary breaking in either instrumentation or writing, but a feel-good song for sure. Ain't bad.

6. 1985 (Intro To The Fall Off)

With a beat this willowy, I choose to not really consider this much of a song. But it is a pretty good diss toward to Lil Pump. It's hard to argue with the fact that Pump's relevance has an expiration date, because he occupies a trend that's not meant to last forever. And he does give Pump credit for at least having fun, and frames this as a cautionary tale for that reason. Which does kinda take from how scathing this could be, but I think it's appropriate. It's at least trying to be the bigger man. Not that I think Cole is a great artist or the perfect antithesis to what Pump's doing. But since Pump sent shots first, this at least feels justified.

7. Once an Addict (Interlude)

"Sometimes I think pain is just a lack of understanding." Uhhhhh, what? Aside from that puzzling line, this ain't bad. Another minimalistic beat, but one that's effective, as it underlines the pain and confusion with Cole's mother drug addiction tearing her life apart. It's also one of the tracks that feels more focused and complete than others on the album. Despite being billed as an interlude. Weird considering Motiv8 is shorter than this. Eh.

8. Brackets

This is one of the few songs on the album where the minimal beat actually feels justified. Got those jazzy undertones reminiscent of some of the best songs on DAMN. Which this album is definitely influenced by, and you can't convince me otherwise. And the writing's got something to it. Criticizing the government's use of taxpayer money for their own selfish needs instead of funding roads and schools. I don't think having an app to pick where your tax money goes would really go over well, though. Eh. Decent track regardless.

9. Dame Tu Cosita

"Give Me Your Little Thing." Okay? Something must be getting lost in translation. But you know what isn't? The fact that this is a meme song. Maybe there's some kind of joke there if you speak Spanish but the translation seems to be just about dancing with someone. I assume it got popular off that video of the green CGI thing dancing, so yeah. But I'll give it this; it's pretty catchy. Plus, El Chombo is appropriately goofy sounding, making this enjoyable to listen to. Repetitive chorus is repetitive though.

10. Close

It's no Nick Jonas, but I'd still vouch for this. The beat's spacey and dark and all around just feels good to listen to. Swae Lee sounds good, Slim Jxmmi sounds alright too. Though Travis Scott seems like a bit of a waste to have at only the beginning. Though I guess the beat does kinda feel Travis Scott-esque. Even if Scott himself ends up being the weak link to the song. It is a little exasperating that this is about being too close to someone. Feels like a dickish sentiment, and it didn't really need to be spelled like that. Eh. Still alright.

11. Babe

This makes me feel like I've gone back to 2010. When Taylor Swift was still making country music. Because it definitely feels like a Taylor Swift country song. Though ironically, she might as well not be here at all. I thought she was gonna get her own verse, but instead she only contributes to the chorus. Which ultimately makes this feel like clickbait. No one would care about this without her name on the track in 2018. But even despite that, I don't mind this. It's typical heartbreak country, with Jennifer Nettles sounding pretty good. No major gripes with the instrumentation too. This feels like it could've been a big hit earlier in the decade. In this year, it's a little hard to say. But hey, it's not bad.

12. Intro

It's nice to hear some jazz production to open up the album. That's one aspect of 4 Your Eyez Only that I liked. If only the rest of the album was like this. Though even though, I think tying the communication of a newborn baby to pain and how to wisely deal with it is a little flimsy and pretentious.

13. Alone

I forgot to add this to my new/returning entries playlist on Spotify for my car ride. Eh. It wasn't gone long. I still don't mind it, but it's not something I'm exactly excited to revisit, you know? Plus I already got enough on my plate.

14. Window Pain (Outro)

I can see what Cole was going for with this song. Having an eerie beat to match his wishes for the community and his family. But he kinda half-assed it with the beat. That guitar(?) in the background is somewhat eerie, but it's too quiet. Plus, Cole only has one verse and fills out the outro with a girl talking about her perception of God and religion. Which is confusing.

15. Kevin's Heart

This appears to be the song everyone hates the most on this record. Maybe for the storytelling? Because in terms of structure and sound, there are much worse songs on this record. That isn't to say I like the blubbery bass or fuzzed out synths or Cole's sleepy chorus, because I don't. It just doesn't get to me as much as some of the songs below this one. I guess there's something in the lyrics about cheating? And that's the Kevin Hart joke? I don't know.

16. KOD

Seems to be a general favorite from the album and I can see it. J Cole's energy is there, especially on the earwormy chorus. But what holds this back for me is how garbage the production is. Different elements keep playing and none of them feel completely realized or sound good at all. And that's a running theme throughout the album, unfortunately. Even on the better songs.

17. Friends

This beat is just, nothing. It could be something with the message of reaching out to friends that are suffering from drug addiction, but it doesn't have the impact it could. Part of that is the lack of real stakes, and the other is the kiLL edward chorus, which feels off-beat and generally really cheap. Also what was the point of name dropping people Cole wants to reach out to if he's just gonna chop it up anyway? It would've made more sense to add censor beeps so that no one could figure it out.

18. Motiv8

Like with KOD, this is a case where I can appreciate Cole's energy, but wish that the beat was up to snuff. It's rooted in pretty much nothing but sub bass and trap percussion. And I guess some light twinkling in the background that gets drowned out by the bass. It's a pretty bad beat, and makes this much less enjoyable than it should be.

19. The Cut Off

Dull pianos, J. Cole sounding sleepy, and not a whole lot else really going on. Aside from an appearance from "kiLL edward" on the chorus. The pitch shifting sounds weak and the choppy delivery doesn't help much at all. Another slog of a song that I don't see myself revisiting. Or sticking around. At least he did more distinct with this alter ego than Logic did with Young Sinatra on Warm Up. Even if that's a much better song.

20. Te Bote (Remix)

"You Bounce." Not to this. This song is nearly 7 minutes long. Jesus Christ. I know there's 6 performers on this, but that brings up the question of why it needs that many performers to begin with. Apparently the original only had Casper Magico, Nio Garcia, and Darell. Which is already a lot of performers. But bringing on three more popular Latin artists, even for name recognition, is excess. And it's boring. The entire song is a sour piano line with little change. Ozuna continues to be a hack, Nicky Jam is annoying with his choppy delivery, and Bad Bunny is alright, sure. And I don't care enough to learn who has what part between the other three. Ugh. This isn't even the worst thing on the Hot 100 right now, or even the worst Latin song, but god, this doesn't feel like it has a reason to exist.

21. Photograph

This is a slog. The only interesting thing going on with the beat is that wiry guitar lick fragment shoved to the back of the mix. The rest is sludgy and unappealing, and the chorus feels like it's lagging. It's just gross. Could do without it.