2018 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 2018 Billboard Number One Hits list was dominated by Drake, but the year had plenty of variety around him. Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé carried over from 2017, Camila Cabello reached the top with a Latin-pop crossover, Childish Gambino turned a music video into a national conversation, Cardi B made history, and Ariana Grande closed the year with one of her defining singles.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 2018, shown here as easy-to-read weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with a late-2017 carryover and continues into the final Billboard issue week of 2018.

The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using streaming activity, radio airplay, and sales. These are official Billboard No. 1 songs, not playlist picks, personal rankings, or “the song your friend swears was definitely bigger” arguments.

2018 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

December 31, 2017 – January 13, 2018: Perfect – Ed Sheeran & Beyoncé
January 14 – January 20, 2018: Perfect – Ed Sheeran
January 21 – January 27, 2018: Havana – Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug
January 28 – April 14, 2018: God’s Plan – Drake
April 15 – May 12, 2018: Nice for What – Drake
May 13 – May 26, 2018: This Is America – Childish Gambino
May 27 – June 9, 2018: Nice for What – Drake
June 10 – June 16, 2018: Psycho – Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla Sign
June 17 – June 23, 2018: Nice for What – Drake
June 24 – June 30, 2018: Sad! – XXXTentacion
July 1 – July 7, 2018: I Like It – Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
July 8 – July 14, 2018: Nice for What – Drake
July 15 – September 22, 2018: In My Feelings – Drake
September 23 – November 10, 2018: Girls Like You – Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B
November 11 – December 1, 2018: Thank U, Next – Ariana Grande
December 2 – December 8, 2018: Sicko Mode – Travis Scott
December 9 – December 29, 2018: Thank U, Next – Ariana Grande

Song-by-Song Notes on the 2018 Billboard No. 1 Hits

Perfect – Ed Sheeran & Beyoncé

Perfect carried over from late 2017 into the first weeks of 2018. The duet version with Beyoncé helped turn Ed Sheeran’s romantic ballad into an even bigger wedding-season and pop-radio favorite.

Its January run made the opening of 2018 feel softer than the streaming-heavy rap year that followed. The chart started with first-dance energy before Drake walked in and rearranged the furniture.

Perfect – Ed Sheeran

On the January 20, 2018 Billboard issue date, the Hot 100 credit for Perfect returned to Ed Sheeran alone. That credit shift is why this page separates the early Beyoncé duet weeks from the final solo-credit week.

The song’s continued success showed Sheeran’s strength as a ballad writer in a chart era increasingly driven by streaming, hip-hop, and short-form viral moments.

Havana – Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug

Camila Cabello earned her first Hot 100 No. 1 with Havana, featuring Young Thug. The song’s Latin-pop piano groove, memorable hook, and Cabello’s Cuban-American identity helped make it one of the biggest crossover hits of the late 2010s.

Its one week at No. 1 undersells its broader popularity. Havana was one of 2018’s defining radio and streaming songs, and yes, it probably made more people say “ooh-na-na” than they expected.

God’s Plan – Drake

Drake’s God’s Plan debuted at No. 1 and spent 11 weeks on top, making it the longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 of 2018. It also became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song for the year.

The song combined streaming dominance, radio strength, and a widely discussed music video built around giving away nearly $1 million. It was a chart smash with a public-relations engine, but the hook did plenty of work too.

Nice for What – Drake

Drake replaced himself at No. 1 when Nice for What debuted on top after God’s Plan. Built around a sample of Lauryn Hill’s Ex-Factor, the song brought New Orleans bounce influence and a celebration of women into Drake’s 2018 chart run.

Nice for What kept returning to No. 1 through spring and early summer, proving that Drake’s year was not a one-song story. He was basically playing musical chairs and refusing to leave the chair.

This Is America – Childish Gambino

Childish Gambino’s This Is America debuted at No. 1 and spent two weeks at the top. The song became inseparable from its video, which used shocking imagery and sharp choreography to comment on gun violence, race, entertainment, and American distraction.

Its No. 1 debut was not just a chart moment; it was a cultural event. Some songs invite casual listening. This one grabbed the room by the collar.

Psycho – Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla Sign

Post Malone’s Psycho, featuring Ty Dolla Sign, reached No. 1 in June 2018. The song’s moody production and understated hook fit Post Malone’s growing lane between rap, pop, and melodic trap.

It gave Post Malone another major Hot 100 milestone after Rockstar, confirming that he had become one of the era’s most reliable streaming-era hitmakers.

Sad! – XXXTentacion

Sad! by XXXTentacion reached No. 1 after his death in June 2018. The song’s posthumous rise made it one of the year’s most somber chart stories.

Its one-week run also carried historical significance, as XXXTentacion became the first lead artist to top the Hot 100 posthumously since The Notorious B.I.G. with Hypnotize in 1997.

I Like It – Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin

I Like It brought together Cardi B, Bad Bunny, and J Balvin for one of 2018’s brightest crossover hits. Built around a sample of Pete Rodriguez’s 1967 boogaloo classic I Like It Like That, the song mixed Latin trap, hip-hop, and a big party hook.

The song made Cardi B the first female rapper with two Hot 100 No. 1 singles, following Bodak Yellow. It also helped push Bad Bunny and J Balvin even further into the U.S. pop mainstream.

In My Feelings – Drake

Drake’s In My Feelings became the late-summer centerpiece of his huge 2018. The song spent 10 weeks at No. 1 and exploded through the viral #InMyFeelingsChallenge, sparked by comedian Shiggy.

The song’s success showed how social-media participation could extend and amplify a Hot 100 run. It was catchy on its own, but the challenge turned it into a moving sidewalk of memes, clips, and car-door-adjacent bad decisions.

Girls Like You – Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B

Maroon 5 reached No. 1 with Girls Like You, featuring Cardi B. The song’s mellow pop sound, celebrity-filled video, and Cardi’s feature helped it become a major radio and streaming hit.

Its seven-week run made it one of the longest-lasting No. 1 songs of 2018. It also gave Cardi B another No. 1 credit, extending her record-setting year among female rappers.

Thank U, Next – Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande earned her first Hot 100 No. 1 with Thank U, Next. The song turned public breakup discussion into a graceful, catchy pop statement about growth, gratitude, and moving forward.

The music video arrived as a pop-culture event of its own, referencing movies like Mean Girls, Bring It On, 13 Going on 30, and Legally Blonde. The song was personal, but the rollout was pure blockbuster pop.

Sicko Mode – Travis Scott

Travis Scott’s Sicko Mode reached No. 1 in December 2018 after a long climb. The multi-part track, featuring uncredited vocals from Drake, became one of the signature songs from Scott’s album Astroworld.

Its No. 1 week was unusual because the song did not follow a simple verse-chorus pop structure. It felt more like three songs stitched together in a roller coaster tunnel, which somehow made it even more memorable.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 2018

Drake Dominated the Year

Drake spent 29 weeks at No. 1 in 2018 across God’s Plan, Nice for What, and In My Feelings. That gave him the most weeks at No. 1 by any artist in a single year at the time.

God’s Plan Was Billboard’s Year-End No. 1 Song

God’s Plan spent 11 weeks at No. 1 and topped Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 for 2018. Its combination of streaming strength, radio play, and a widely shared video helped make it the year’s biggest overall Hot 100 song.

Cardi B Made Hot 100 History

Cardi B reached No. 1 twice in 2018, first as a lead artist on I Like It and later as a featured artist on Maroon 5’s Girls Like You. I Like It made her the first female rapper to score two Hot 100 No. 1 singles.

Videos Still Mattered

This Is America, God’s Plan, Girls Like You, and Thank U, Next all benefited from videos that became part of the larger cultural conversation. In 2018, a music video could still turn a song into an event.

Latin and Global Pop Kept Pushing Into the Mainstream

Havana and I Like It helped show the strength of Latin-influenced pop and Spanish-language crossover energy on the Hot 100. Both songs had strong hooks, danceable production, and identities that reached well beyond one narrow radio format.

2018 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

Drake spent 29 weeks at No. 1 in 2018, the most by any artist in a single year at that time.
God’s Plan was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2018.
God’s Plan spent 11 weeks at No. 1, the longest run of any 2018 Hot 100 chart-topper.
In My Feelings spent 10 weeks at No. 1 and was strongly boosted by the viral #InMyFeelingsChallenge.
I Like It made Cardi B the first female rapper with two Hot 100 No. 1 singles.
Sad! made XXXTentacion the first lead artist to posthumously top the Hot 100 since The Notorious B.I.G. in 1997.
Thank U, Next gave Ariana Grande her first Hot 100 No. 1.
This Is America gave Childish Gambino his first Hot 100 No. 1.
Havana gave Camila Cabello her first Hot 100 No. 1.
Sicko Mode gave Travis Scott his first Hot 100 No. 1.

Why the 2018 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 2018 Billboard Number One Hits list showed how much the Hot 100 had changed by the late 2010s. Streaming power, viral challenges, music videos, global sounds, and superstar release weeks all shaped the top of the chart.

Drake was the obvious headline, but the full list tells a wider story. Childish Gambino turned visual art into a No. 1 debut, Cardi B expanded her chart history, Camila Cabello brought Latin-pop flavor to the top, and Travis Scott reached No. 1 with one of the least traditional pop structures of the year.

For chart fans, 2018 was a year of domination, disruption, and a few very strange roads to No. 1. It was Drake’s year statistically, but the supporting cast made the chart much more interesting than a one-artist takeover.