24kGoldn and iann dior’s “Mood” is one of this fall’s biggest hit songs. On November 21, it recorded its fourth week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Together with Roddy Rich’s “The Box,” The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” DaBaby’s “Rockstar” and Cardi B’s “WAP,” of the 20 songs that have sat atop the chart this year, these five songs have held the position for four or more weeks. Naturally, there are reasons that major hit songs monopolize the chart; staggering streaming numbers is the most typical reason. There is also a tendency recently for songs’ popularity to be ignited after trending on social media networks like TikTok, which then carry over to streaming figures. Songs like “Blinding Lights” that excel in every area consequently maintain a high position.

At first glance, “Mood” appears to follow in the same steps, but there’s also another side to the story. Its earworm worthy chorus makes the song a clear contender for a hit. It also had a TikTok challenge. But it would be wrong to say it’s this same strategy that everyone has been using that’s at the root of “Mood” becoming number one. This time, it’s different from when Arizona Zervas’ “Roxanne” could ride its popularity on TikTok all the way to fourth place on the Billboard Hot 100.

If you look closely at the chart performance for “Mood,” you’ll notice two peculiarities. First, it’s on its fifth consecutive week in first place on the Hot Rap Songs chart, and its 12th consecutive week at the top of the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. It’s the first song to dominate both charts since they began in 2009 and 1989, respectively. The two charts are separated only by genre, and otherwise share all the same criteria as the Hot 100. Second, “Mood” steadily worked its way up from the bottom of the radio rankings. By October 24, when it had reached first on the charts, “Mood” was fourth in streaming and sixth in both track sales and radio airplay. It had been 10 weeks since it first debuted on the charts, but for six weeks its performance represented the most substantial climb in radio history. In the United States, radio is strictly divided by genre. Every listener has their preferred genre, and broadcasts cater to those tastes. This means, in other words, that “Mood” appeals to fans of rap and rock alike.

It’s no longer unusual to encounter a rap song without any rap after Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” When Post Malone’s “Circles” wasn’t considered for the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, or when Machine Gun Kelly’s Tickets to My Downfall reached the very top of the Rock Albums chart, we thought the biases surrounding genre were being torn down. Next to “Mood,” even this looks outdated: For those born in the 2000s, genre has no particular meaning to begin with.

TRIVIA

Billboard Hot 100
A chart of popular songs, published weekly by American magazine Billboard. It is considered to be the most important chart along with the Billboard 200, which tracks album rankings. Positions are determined by combining album and song sales, radio airtime, and online streaming performance. The charts are officially published every Saturday, with the Billboard website normally receiving updates on Tuesdays.