'Panda' Express: Desiigner & the History of No. 1 Debut Rap Hits on the Hot 100

Brooklyn rapper Desiigner has spent two weeks at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 (beginning on the May 7 chart) with his breakout hit, "Panda." To many, his achievement is notable, even controversial, because he sounds so much like Future, an Atlanta rapper who, for all his success, has yet to score a top 10 hit as a lead on the Hot 100.

In fact, Desiigner topping the Hot 100 with his first entry on the chart is so unusual that fewer than 20 rap acts have reigned in their rookie appearances in the chart's history. A few, like Diddy or Lauryn Hill, arrived with No. 1s after making their names as producers or in groups. But, for rappers and group rap acts that went from no chart history right to a No. 1, that kind of overnight success can be a blessing … or a curse, and no guarantee of future hits. Take a look at all the rap acts whose first Hot 100 entries (as lead artists) reached No. 1, from the first in 1990, by Vanilla Ice, all the way through Desiigner's domination.