U2’s Frontman Scores His First Rap Hit Alongside A Hip-Hop Legend

Lil Wayne invades Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart this week with tunes from his new album, Tha Carter VI. The hip-hop superstar is no stranger to appearing on the tally, which ranks the most consumed rap tracks throughout the United States — especially whenever fans flock to one project or another all at once.

Wayne is joined on several tracks by a handful of collaborators, including one who has never scored a rap hit in America before: Bono. The U2 frontman appears on Wayne’s tune “The Days,” featured on Tha Carter VI, which earns him something of a surprise win.

Bono’s First Rap Smash in America

“The Days” opens at No. 21 on the Hot Rap Songs chart this frame. Unsurprisingly, Bono collects his first win on the genre-specific list, as he’s not exactly known for his output in the rap space.

Lil Wayne’s Hundreds of Rap Hits
While his featured guest spot on “The Days” may bring Bono to the Hot Rap Songs ranking for the first time, Wayne has already collected triple-digit placements on the roster. With a slew of new arrivals this week, the powerhouse rapper ups his career total to 125 appearances on the Hot Rap Songs chart. That roundup includes 59 top 10s and a dozen No. 1s.

He adds to his array of top 10 smashes this week, though he doesn’t quite manage to lead the charge. “The Days” earns the tenth loftiest debut on the Hot Rap Songs chart, with many of the tunes that open above it coming from Wayne’s Tha Carter VI, while GloRilla’s “Typa” also breaks in at No. 6.

Nearly half of all 25 spaces on the tally this time around are filled by debuts — and all but one are by Wayne.

Bono Debuts on Multiple Billboard Charts
Bono earns his first career hit as a soloist on the Hot Rap Songs chart and his second honor on a related list, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs tally. “The Days” opens at No. 29 on that roster, marking his return to the ranking for the first time in a quarter-century.

The U2 singer-songwriter first reached the chart of the most popular R&B, hip-hop, and rap tracks with “Lean on Me,” a collaboration by Kirk Franklin that also credited Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, Crystal Lewis and the Family. That tune peaked at No. 26 in early 1999.

Forbes