2002 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper
The 2002 Billboard Number One Hits list captured a year dominated by rock crossover, R&B, hip-hop, soundtrack power, and the first major wave of reality-TV chart impact. Nickelback opened the year with How You Remind Me, Ashanti ruled spring with Foolish, Nelly owned the summer, Kelly Clarkson brought American Idol to No. 1, and Eminem closed the year with one of the most famous movie songs of the decade.
This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 2002, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with Nickelback’s late-2001 carryover and continues into early 2003 with Eminem’s Lose Yourself.
The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using radio airplay, sales, and later streaming activity. These are official Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs, not pop-only, rock-only, airplay-only, R&B-only, sales-only, or “this was absolutely on every burned CD in the car” rankings.
2002 Billboard Number One Hits by Week
- December 30, 2001 – January 12, 2002: How You Remind Me – Nickelback
- January 13 – February 16, 2002: U Got It Bad – Usher
- February 17 – March 2, 2002: Always on Time – Ja Rule featuring Ashanti
- March 3 – April 13, 2002: Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix) – Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule
- April 14 – June 22, 2002: Foolish – Ashanti
- June 23 – August 10, 2002: Hot in Herre – Nelly
- August 11 – September 28, 2002: Dilemma – Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland
- September 29 – October 12, 2002: A Moment Like This – Kelly Clarkson
- October 13 – November 2, 2002: Dilemma – Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland
- November 3, 2002 – January 25, 2003: Lose Yourself – Eminem
Song-by-Song Notes on the 2002 Billboard No. 1 Hits
How You Remind Me – Nickelback
Nickelback opened the 2002 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with How You Remind Me, a late-2001 carryover that remained at No. 1 into January. The song became the Canadian rock band’s only Hot 100 chart-topper and one of the biggest post-grunge crossover hits of the decade.
Billboard named How You Remind Me the top Hot 100 song of 2002, even though its No. 1 run started before the calendar year began. It was gritty, radio-friendly, and practically built to be sung dramatically by people pretending they were not in traffic.
U Got It Bad – Usher
Usher returned to No. 1 in early 2002 with U Got It Bad, a smooth R&B ballad from his album 8701. The song had already topped the Hot 100 in late 2001, then came back for another run after Nickelback’s opening weeks.
Its five-week 2002 run showed Usher’s growing dominance before his even bigger Confessions era arrived in 2004. The title was abbreviated, but the heartbreak was fully spelled out.
Always on Time – Ja Rule featuring Ashanti
Ja Rule reached No. 1 with Always on Time, featuring Ashanti. The song helped establish the early-2000s formula of melodic rap verses paired with a smooth R&B hook, a style that became central to radio during this period.
The track also introduced Ashanti to many mainstream listeners before her own solo No. 1, Foolish, took over later in the year. In 2002, if Ja Rule and Ashanti were on the same track, the Hot 100 usually had to make room.
Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix) – Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule
Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule reached No. 1 with Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix). The remix was very different from the original album version, turning the song into a hip-hop/R&B crossover built for radio.
Its six-week run continued Lopez’s early-2000s success with remixed singles and collaborations. It also added to Ja Rule’s huge presence on the 2002 chart, where his melodic rap style kept showing up near the top.
Foolish – Ashanti
Ashanti’s Foolish spent 10 weeks at No. 1, making it one of the longest-running Hot 100 chart-toppers of 2002. Built around a sample connected to DeBarge’s Stay with Me, the song became her signature solo breakthrough.
Its success made Ashanti one of the central new R&B artists of the year. Between Always on Time, Ain’t It Funny, and Foolish, her voice was one of the defining sounds of the 2002 Hot 100.
Hot in Herre – Nelly
Nelly reached No. 1 with Hot in Herre, a Neptunes-produced party anthem that became one of the biggest summer hits of 2002. The song’s chant-like hook, club-ready groove, and playful spelling helped make it instantly recognizable.
Its seven-week run made Nelly one of the dominant artists of the summer before Dilemma took over. The title’s spelling may have annoyed English teachers, but the chart did not seem concerned.
Dilemma – Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland
Nelly and Kelly Rowland spent 10 total weeks at No. 1 with Dilemma, split across two runs. The song paired Nelly’s relaxed delivery with Rowland’s soft R&B hook, creating one of the year’s biggest crossover ballads.
The song gave Kelly Rowland her first Hot 100 No. 1 outside Destiny’s Child and gave Nelly consecutive No. 1 singles as a lead artist. It also became one of the most memorable pop/R&B duets of the early 2000s.
A Moment Like This – Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson debuted at No. 1 with A Moment Like This after winning the first season of American Idol. The song jumped from No. 52 to No. 1, setting a major Hot 100 leap record at the time.
Its two-week run showed the immediate commercial power of American Idol, turning a televised competition win into a chart-topping single. The song was built for a finale confetti cannon, and the chart obliged.
Lose Yourself – Eminem
Eminem closed the 2002 Billboard Hot 100 year with Lose Yourself, from the film 8 Mile. The song’s urgent beat, intense vocal delivery, and cinematic stakes made it one of the most important rap singles of the decade.
Its No. 1 run continued into January 2003. Lose Yourself later became the first rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, giving it a rare place in both Hot 100 history and Oscar history.
Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 2002
How You Remind Me Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1
Nickelback’s How You Remind Me was Billboard’s best-performing Hot 100 single of 2002. Its chart run started in late 2001, but its overall performance made it the year’s official Hot 100 leader.
Ashanti Was Everywhere
Ashanti appeared on three major 2002 No. 1 songs: Always on Time, Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix), and Foolish. Her solo hit Foolish spent 10 weeks at No. 1, giving her one of the year’s strongest chart runs.
Nelly Owned the Summer
Nelly spent much of summer and fall 2002 at No. 1 with Hot in Herre and Dilemma. Across those two songs, he held the top spot for 17 total weeks during the chart year.
American Idol Became a Hot 100 Force
Kelly Clarkson’s A Moment Like This turned the first American Idol finale into an immediate Billboard chart event. It proved that TV-driven fan momentum could translate directly into record sales and Hot 100 success.
Lose Yourself Bridged Music and Film
Eminem’s Lose Yourself became both a chart-topping rap song and a major film-music milestone through 8 Mile. Its success helped show how powerful a soundtrack single could still be in the early 2000s.
2002 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia
- How You Remind Me by Nickelback was Billboard’s best-performing Hot 100 song of 2002.
- Foolish by Ashanti spent 10 weeks at No. 1.
- Dilemma by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland spent 10 total weeks at No. 1 across interrupted runs.
- Hot in Herre and Dilemma gave Nelly back-to-back lead-artist No. 1 singles.
- Ashanti appeared on three 2002 No. 1 songs: Always on Time, Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix), and Foolish.
- A Moment Like This jumped from No. 52 to No. 1 after Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol.
- Lose Yourself closed 2002 and carried into 2003.
- Lose Yourself later became the first rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Why the 2002 Billboard Number One Hits Matter
The 2002 Billboard Number One Hits list showed the Hot 100 balancing rock crossover, R&B, hip-hop, pop remixes, soundtrack power, and reality-TV impact. The year opened with Nickelback, moved through Usher, Ja Rule, Ashanti, Jennifer Lopez, and Nelly, then closed with Eminem.
It was also a year when collaborations mattered. Ja Rule and Ashanti, Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule, Nelly and Kelly Rowland, and Eminem’s film connection all showed how the right pairing or platform could push a song into the national conversation.
For chart fans, 2002 was a bridge year. The Hot 100 still leaned heavily on radio and sales, but reality TV, soundtrack singles, and crossover collaborations were clearly changing how No. 1 hits happened.
