Drake leads iHeartRadio’s 2026 hip-hop artist rankings, with Kendrick Lamar in second place and Gunna, Cardi B and GloRilla completing the top five, according to the company’s annual iHeartRewind report released Thursday, Nov. 12.
The rankings reflect activity across iHeartRadio stations and its digital platform, not an industrywide tally of all music consumption. That distinction matters: radio audiences and streaming subscribers do not necessarily listen to the same songs in the same proportions. Still, the year-end list provides a snapshot of the rappers who held listeners’ attention within one of the country’s major radio networks.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar lead the artist rankings
iHeartRadio credited Drake’s position to songs associated with his ICEMAN project, including “Janice STFU,” “2 Hard 4 The Radio” and “Shabang.” Lamar’s placement drew on continued interest in recordings such as “luther,” his collaboration with SZA, “tv off” and “Not Like Us.” The results put the two artists at the top of the same ranking, although they do not constitute a head-to-head measure of record sales or total global streams.
Drake and Lamar have remained central figures in mainstream rap discussions, but the latest results are about listening habits rather than their much-discussed rivalry. Raptology previously reported on producer Boi-1da’s comments about Drake’s career following the dispute. The iHeartRewind list offers a separate measure of how their music performed with this particular audience.
Gunna finished third among hip-hop artists, ahead of Cardi B at No. 4 and GloRilla at No. 5. The five-name lineup spans artists whose catalogs have accumulated years of airplay and performers whose more recent tracks remain fixtures on rap radio. Cardi B’s “ErrTime” and “Safe,” featuring Kehlani, were among the songs identified in iHeartRadio’s coverage, while GloRilla’s “I Luv Her,” featuring T-Pain, and “Whatchu Kno About Me,” featuring Sexyy Red, also figured in its account of the year’s listening.
Gunna’s “wgft” tops the hip-hop songs list
The artist ranking and the songs ranking had different winners. Gunna’s “wgft,” featuring Burna Boy, finished first among hip-hop tracks, based on iHeartRadio’s total audience spins and streams from its stations and app. The result illustrates why an artist can lead an overall popularity list without also owning its top individual recording.
G Herbo took second place on the songs list with “Went Legit,” followed by Dave and Tems’ “Raindance” at No. 3. “Friend Do,” by Belly Gang Kushington and YKNIECE, ranked fourth, and DaBaby’s “Pop Dat Thang” rounded out the top five. These are rankings within iHeartRadio’s system, not Billboard’s Hot 100 or a combined count from Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services.
For Gunna, the No. 1 song placement accompanies a third-place finish on the artist list. Readers following his career can also revisit Raptology’s reporting on Gunna’s festival appearances and the broader Atlanta rap scene. Neither previous coverage nor an artist’s history should be mistaken for an explanation of the company’s proprietary rankings, whose scope is narrower than the entire music market.
What iHeartRewind measures
iHeartRewind is the company’s annual review of listening activity, with personalized summaries available to registered listeners through the iHeartRadio app. The published hip-hop results identify the artists and songs that performed strongly within that network. They should be read alongside, rather than substituted for, other charts that use different methodologies.
The original iHeartRadio report by Tony M. Centeno provides the full published breakdown. For context on how rap rankings can differ depending on the measurement, Raptology’s earlier rap songs roundup covers a different editorial selection, not the iHeartRadio data.
Drake’s No. 1 placement and Gunna’s leading song are the two headline results of the 2026 hip-hop report. Kendrick Lamar’s second-place finish, meanwhile, shows that his catalog remained prominent with iHeartRadio listeners throughout the period covered by the company’s year-end review.
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Shawn Grant is a Chicago-based journalist, multimedia host, and dedicated storyteller with a deep passion for hip-hop culture. His work spans artist interviews, music reporting, entertainment, and cultural commentary. Through conversations with influential figures such as Ice-T, Shawn explores hip-hop’s history, evolving legacy, and the artists shaping its future.
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