2004 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper
The 2004 Billboard Number One Hits list belonged to Usher, but the full year had plenty of story around him. OutKast opened the year with two different No. 1 songs, Usher dominated the middle with three chart-toppers from Confessions, Fantasia brought American Idol back to No. 1, Ciara introduced crunk&B to the top of the Hot 100, and Snoop Dogg closed the year with one of the coolest minimalist rap hits of the decade.
This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 2004, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with OutKast’s late-2003 carryover and ends with Snoop Dogg and Pharrell’s late-2004 No. 1 run.
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, club-only, or “this was definitely blasting from every car with a subwoofer” rankings.
2004 Billboard Number One Hits by Week
- December 14, 2003 – February 7, 2004: Hey Ya! – OutKast
- February 8 – February 14, 2004: The Way You Move – OutKast featuring Sleepy Brown
- February 15 – February 21, 2004: Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West & Jamie Foxx
- February 22 – May 15, 2004: Yeah! – Usher featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris
- May 16 – July 3, 2004: Burn – Usher
- July 4 – July 10, 2004: I Believe – Fantasia
- July 11 – July 17, 2004: Burn – Usher
- July 18 – July 31, 2004: Confessions Part II – Usher
- August 1 – August 14, 2004: Slow Motion – Juvenile featuring Soulja Slim
- August 15 – September 4, 2004: Lean Back – Terror Squad featuring Fat Joe & Remy Ma
- September 5 – October 23, 2004: Goodies – Ciara featuring Petey Pablo
- October 24 – December 4, 2004: My Boo – Usher & Alicia Keys
- December 5 – December 25, 2004: Drop It Like It’s Hot – Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell
Song-by-Song Notes on the 2004 Billboard No. 1 Hits
Hey Ya! – OutKast
OutKast opened the 2004 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with Hey Ya!, a late-2003 carryover that continued ruling into February. The song came from André 3000’s side of the double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below and mixed funk, pop, rock, soul, and a chorus that turned “shake it” into a national instruction.
The song’s cheerful surface hid lyrics about romantic disconnection, which is one reason it kept aging better than many novelty-leaning hits. It sounded like a party, but the subtext had already checked the relationship’s expiration date.
The Way You Move – OutKast featuring Sleepy Brown
OutKast replaced itself at No. 1 when The Way You Move, featuring Sleepy Brown, took over from Hey Ya!. The song came from Big Boi’s side of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, giving both halves of the project their own No. 1 moment.
Its smooth groove and Sleepy Brown hook made it a strong contrast to the manic joy of Hey Ya!. OutKast did not just dominate early 2004; they handed the top spot from one personality to another.
Slow Jamz – Twista featuring Kanye West & Jamie Foxx
Twista reached No. 1 with Slow Jamz, featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx. The song celebrated classic soul and R&B slow-jam culture while pairing Twista’s rapid-fire delivery with Kanye’s production and Foxx’s smooth vocal presence.
It was also Kanye West’s first Hot 100 No. 1 as a credited artist. Before The College Dropout fully changed the conversation, Slow Jamz gave him a chart-topping welcome mat.
Yeah! – Usher featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris
Usher’s Yeah!, featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, became the defining Hot 100 song of 2004. It spent 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song.
The track brought crunk energy into the pop mainstream, with Lil Jon’s production, Usher’s smooth vocals, and Ludacris’ closing verse all working at full power. It was a club record, a radio monster, and one of the clearest examples of 2004 sounding exactly like 2004.
Burn – Usher
Usher followed Yeah! with Burn, a slower R&B breakup ballad that spent eight total weeks at No. 1 across two runs. The song showed the emotional side of his Confessions era after the explosive club success of Yeah!.
Its run was briefly interrupted by Fantasia’s I Believe, then returned for one more week. Usher’s 2004 chart presence was so strong that even interruptions felt temporary.
I Believe – Fantasia
Fantasia debuted at No. 1 with I Believe after winning the third season of American Idol. The song’s inspirational ballad style fit the show’s winner-single tradition and gave Fantasia an immediate Hot 100 chart-topper.
Its one-week run reflected the sales power American Idol had during the mid-2000s. The show could turn a finale moment into a No. 1 single almost overnight.
Confessions Part II – Usher
Usher returned to No. 1 with Confessions Part II, another major single from Confessions. The song leaned into narrative R&B drama, giving listeners a fictionalized relationship confession with the emotional intensity of a soap opera and the polish of a superstar album campaign.
Its two-week run made Usher the dominant artist of the year by any reasonable Hot 100 measure. In 2004, if the chart had a house key, Usher probably had a copy.
Slow Motion – Juvenile featuring Soulja Slim
Juvenile reached No. 1 with Slow Motion, featuring Soulja Slim. The song brought a smoother New Orleans hip-hop sound to the top of the Hot 100 and became a posthumous No. 1 for Soulja Slim, who had been killed before the song reached the top.
Its two-week run gave Juvenile his biggest Hot 100 moment and added a more laid-back Southern rap entry to a year dominated by R&B and club hits.
Lean Back – Terror Squad featuring Fat Joe & Remy Ma
Terror Squad reached No. 1 with Lean Back, featuring Fat Joe and Remy Ma. The song’s simple dance instruction, Scott Storch production, and relaxed but commanding hook made it one of 2004’s biggest hip-hop anthems.
Its three-week run showed how a song could dominate clubs and radio without needing complicated choreography. In fact, the whole point was that you did not have to dance too much. Efficiency!
Goodies – Ciara featuring Petey Pablo
Ciara debuted at No. 1 with Goodies, featuring Petey Pablo, and held the spot for seven weeks. The song introduced her crunk&B sound, blending Atlanta club energy, R&B attitude, and a tightly controlled vocal style.
It made Ciara one of 2004’s biggest breakout artists and helped bring the crunk&B sound deeper into mainstream pop. The beat was minimal, the confidence was not.
My Boo – Usher & Alicia Keys
Usher and Alicia Keys reached No. 1 with My Boo, a duet about first love, nostalgia, and unfinished emotional business. The song gave Usher another No. 1 in an already enormous year and added Alicia Keys to the year’s chart-topping story.
Its six-week run showed that 2004 listeners were still very ready for classic R&B duet chemistry. It was warm, sentimental, and probably responsible for several awkward “remember us?” text messages.
Drop It Like It’s Hot – Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell
Snoop Dogg closed the 2004 Billboard Hot 100 year with Drop It Like It’s Hot, featuring Pharrell. The song’s minimalist Neptunes production, tongue-click rhythm, and Snoop’s laid-back delivery made it one of the coolest rap hits of the decade.
Its three-week run gave Snoop Dogg his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist. After years as a major rap figure, he reached the very top with a song that sounded like it was barely breaking a sweat.
Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 2004
Usher Dominated the Year
Usher appeared on four No. 1 songs in 2004: Yeah!, Burn, Confessions Part II, and My Boo. His Confessions era became one of the most successful R&B/pop album campaigns of the decade.
Yeah! Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1
Yeah! spent 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2004. It also became one of the signature club and radio hits of the 2000s.
OutKast Replaced Itself at No. 1
OutKast opened the year with Hey Ya!, then replaced itself with The Way You Move. That gave both sides of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below a No. 1 single.
American Idol Still Had Huge Chart Power
Fantasia’s I Believe debuted at No. 1 after her American Idol win. In the mid-2000s, the show could still turn a finale performance and winner single into immediate chart impact.
Southern Hip-Hop and Crunk Reached the Pop Center
Yeah!, Slow Motion, Lean Back, and Goodies all showed the strength of Southern hip-hop, club rap, and crunk-influenced R&B at the top of the Hot 100. The center of pop was getting louder, lower, and much more club-driven.
2004 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia
- Yeah! by Usher featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2004.
- Yeah! spent 12 consecutive weeks at No. 1, the longest Hot 100 run of the year.
- Usher appeared on four 2004 No. 1 songs: Yeah!, Burn, Confessions Part II, and My Boo.
- OutKast replaced itself at No. 1 when The Way You Move took over from Hey Ya!.
- Slow Jamz gave Kanye West his first Hot 100 No. 1 credit.
- I Believe debuted at No. 1 after Fantasia won American Idol.
- Goodies gave Ciara her first Hot 100 No. 1.
- Drop It Like It’s Hot gave Snoop Dogg his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist.
- Let Me Love You by Mario took over on the first 2005 Billboard Hot 100 issue date.
Why the 2004 Billboard Number One Hits Matter
The 2004 Billboard Number One Hits list showed R&B and hip-hop at the center of mainstream pop. Usher ruled the year, but OutKast, Twista, Juvenile, Terror Squad, Ciara, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and Kanye West all helped define the sound of the Hot 100.
The year also showed how different kinds of hits could reach No. 1: genre-blending pop from OutKast, rapid-fire rap nostalgia from Slow Jamz, club dominance from Yeah!, reality-TV sales power from Fantasia, and minimalist cool from Drop It Like It’s Hot.
For chart fans, 2004 was not just Usher’s year, though it was very much Usher’s year. It was also a year when crunk, Southern rap, R&B confessionals, and club-ready production shaped the sound of mainstream music.
