Verses That Conquered The World: The Best Selling Rap Songs Of All Time

Highlights

• Rap music has become a popular genre in the music industry, with many rap songs achieving worldwide success and becoming best-selling hits.
• Songs like "Psycho" by Post Malone, "Stronger" by Kanye West, and "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have sold millions of copies and received certification for their sales.
• Eminem and Rihanna's "Love The Way You Lie" and Drake's "One Dance" are among the highest-selling rap songs, with millions of copies sold worldwide.

Rap music is the subgenre of hip hop music, which first gained popularity in the 1980s. In just four decades, the rap world has evolved as a supreme genre in the music industry.

Many rap songs received worldwide attention, and some are so globally popular they rank among the best-selling rap songs of all time. The Sugarhill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight is widely considered to be the first rap hit song, released in 1979.

However, there is an ongoing debate about the existence of rap music in certain songs of the 1970s. Officially, The Sugarhill Gang’s first rap hit climbed to top of the UK charts, and served as a stepping stone for the rapping world.

Rap music’s appeal stems from its meaningful lyrics and rhythmic beats, an appeal which endeared the genre to young people across decades. Today, rap music is the most popular genre, and many rap singers are dominating the musical charts.

Famous rappers like Drake, Post Malone, Pitbull, Wiz Khalifa and Lil Nas X have achieved remarkable success by creating the best-selling rap songs of all time. Now, let’s explore the rap hits that conquered the world.

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10 'Psycho,' Post Malone And TY Dolla Sign - 13.3 Million Units Sold

Time declared Psycho as the worst song of 2018 and the track received harsh reviews from music critics. Despite the media and critics' backlash, Psycho by Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla Sign managed to capture the hearts of millions.

The song, performed by Austin Richard Post (better known as Post Malone), achieved Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA). The RIAA's Diamond certification signifies that a song has been sold more than ten million times in the United States alone.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) awarded the song a platinum certificate for 1.2 million sales. The third single from Malone's second studio album, Beerbongs & Bentleys, sold 490,000 copies in Australia, 800,000 copies in Canada.

All in all, more than 13.3 million copies of the single have been sold worldwide.

9 'Stronger,' Kanye West - 13.5 Million Units Sold

The creation of Kanye West's Stronger is nothing short of a motivational journey. This Grammys "Best Solo Performance Award" winning song got approval by Ye after 75 attempts at mixing – not exactly a surprise from the notoriously picky West.

Eight audio engineers and eleven mixing engineers from around the world gathered to edit this song, and after ten weeks of editing the song was finally finalized. Kanye West (a 24 time Grammy Award winner), demonstrated unwavering dedication towards this rap classic, and his hard work reaped huge rewards.

Stronger became a massive hit, and Kanye has sold more than ten million copies in the United States, 1.8 million copies in the United Kingdom, 560,000 copies in Australia, and 750,00 in Germany.

8 'Timber,' Pitbull and Kesha - 13.54 Million Units Sold

Mr. Worldwide (Pitbull) joined forces with the extremely talented Kesha (styled as Ke$ha) for Timber in 2013, and this dynamic duo quickly achieved the pinnacle of musical success. The song remained on the top for three weeks in the US Billboard Hot 100, and became the sixth-highest selling song of the year – Pitbull is Mr. Worldwide for a reason, the song was at the top of the charts for several weeks in 15 different countries.

Timber has been sold more than ten million times in the United States, and as such, received a diamond certification. The song also collected a diamond certification in Germany for one million views.

In the United Kingdom, Pitbull’s Meltdown EP was awarded three platinum certificates, for 830,000 sales. The song also did well in Japan, Canada, and Norway.

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7 'Thrift Shop,' Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, And Wanz - 13.64 Million Units Sold

At the 56th Grammys in 2014, hip hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (along with American singer Wanz) achieved a huge feat, due to their iconic song Thrift Shop. The song won awards for "Best Rap Performance" and "Best Rap Song."

The success of Thrift Shop is massive, and it became the number one song of 2013. In 2019, Billboard lauded the song once again, naming it “Song of the Decade” in multiple categories.

Thrift Shop is a huge hit worldwide. The Macklemore and Ryan Lewis rap anthem received a diamond certification in the US (ten million copies sold). In the UK, the song received two platinum certifications (841,728 copies sold).

Thrift Shop also thrived in Australia, getting eleven platinum awards (770,000 copies sold), and Canada Music awarded the song a diamond certificate (800,000 copies sold).

6 'Low,' Flo Rida And T Pain - 13.7 Million Units Sold

In the rap world, not everyone can kick off their career like Flo Rida did with his first rap single. Low by Flo Rida and T-Pain peaked the on US Billboard 100 for consecutive ten weeks; Flo Rida’s first track became the most downloaded song of the 2000s.

Flo Rida and T-Pain's masterpiece achieved success globally, and more than ten million copies sold in the US – earning it a diamond accolade from the RIAA. Low further secured three platinum awards in the UK.

Across the globe, Low's success was huge, including 400,000 copies sold in Canada, 250,000 copies sold in Japan, and 210,000 copies sold in Australia.

5 'Love The Way You Lie,' Eminem And Rihanna - 17.5 Million Units Sold

Eminem is considered among the greatest rappers of all time, and one of his best tracks (among many) is Love The Way You Lie. Slim Shady teamed up with "Caribbean Queen" Rihanna and created this masterpiece.

Love the Way You Lie became an international sensation, peaking on numerous music charts around the world. Despite some music critics' disapproval, it remains the Eminem's biggest selling single of all time.

Eminem's album Recovery has notched 13 platinum certifications from the RIAA, which means the song has been sold 13 million times in the United States. Additionally, the song received four platinum awards for selling 2.4 million times in the UK.

In Australia, the song was sold 980,000 times, and in Germany, 600,000 times. Total units sold for the song stand at 17.5 million.

4 'One Dance,' Drake, Wizkid, And Kyla - 17.8 Million Units Sold

Canadian rapper and singer Drake teamed up with Nigerian afro beats maestro Wizkid and the talented British singer Kyla to create One Dance. The song (from Drake's fourth album) was number one on charts in 15 various countries, and was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the US for ten consecutive weeks.

In the United States, One Dance sold ten million copies, and in the UK, 3.6 million copies. Surprisingly, in Greece the song sold two million units; in Canada and Germany, Drake's One Dance sold 800,000 units.

One Dance was in demand in many countries, like Sweden, Mexico, Australia, and Spain.

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3 'Old Town Road,' Lil Nas X And Billy Ray Cyrus - 18.4 Million Units Sold

Old Town Road is the first “country rap” hit on the bestselling rap song list. Before this song, country rap songs seldom rated mainstream attention.

Famous rapper Lil Nas X and country artist Billy Ray Cyrus collaborated and released the song independently. However, after the song went massively viral, Old Town Road was re-released by Columbia Records.

Both versions of the song held the number one spot on the Billboard 100 for a record nineteen consecutive weeks. They have also earned 17 Platinum certificates in the United States, and garnered billions of views on social media.

2 'God’s Plan,' Drake - 18.8 Million Units Sold

According to music critics, God's Plan is a typical Drake song, but Drake's vibe often translates into international successes. God's Plan is Drake's fourth US Billboard Hot 100 topper, and this awesome motivational rap song topped the charts in fourteen countries.

God's Plan broke the first-day streaming record on both Apple Music and Spotify. The Drake hit received 15 platinum certificates for 15 million sales in the United States, and four platinum certifications in the UK (for 2.4 million sales).

The song also received Diamond certification in Drake's native Canada, for 800,000 units sold. God’s Plan was huge worldwide, and able to achieve 18.8 million sales, becoming the second-best-selling rap song worldwide.

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1 'See You Again,' Wiz Khalifa And Charlie Puth - 19.5 Million Units Sold

The emotional elements of See You Again (and the commissioning of the song for the most popular franchise Fast & Furious' seventh edition) is the main reason for the hit's incredible success. Paul Walker, an actor prominently associated with the Fast & Furious franchise, died in a car accident before the film's release – and the song was included in the movie as a tribute to Walker.

Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s emotional send-off to Walker was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 US charts for twelve non-consecutive weeks. With eleven million sales in the US, 2.5 million sales in South Korea, and 2.4 million Sales in UK, the song is the best-selling rap song worldwide, with 19.5 million units sold.

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