Megan Thee Stallion made a splash with “Hiss,” not only debuting at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, but also topping the Billboard Global 200 (dated February 10).
According to Luminate, “Hiss” garnered 39.6 million official streams worldwide in its first week, Jan. 26-Feb. 1.
While this is a significant global number, “Hiss” owes most of its worldwide success to Megan Thee Stallion's American fan base, with 73% of its streams, as well as an overwhelming 95% of its sales, coming from USA. The track does not appear in any of the Advertising signThe 40+ international World Charts.
So while “Hiss” hits its mark at the top Advertising signThe flagship of the world rankings, it is harder to find on its sister chart. On Billboard Global Excl. The US ranking, which takes American consumption out of the equation, sees the track peak at No. 104. It's just the fourth time since the global charts began in September 2020 that the Global 200 No. 1 is outside the top 10 of Global Excl. US – let alone the top 100. Previous biggest difference? Just Top 15: Drake ranked No. 11 (“What's Next,” March 2021) and No. 12 (“IDGAF,” featuring Yeat, October 2023) on Global Excl. US while leading the Global 200 and Encanto“We Don't Talk About Bruno” charted at No. 13 while topping the Global 200 in February 2022.
It's rare for hip-hop tracks to top the Global 200, but “Hiss” isn't Megan Thee Stallion's first. It topped the inaugural chart, as featured on Cardi B's “WAP,” which was No. 1 for three of the first four editions of the chart. Doja Cat is the only other female rapper to reach the top spot (“Paint the Town Red” for four weeks in September-October 2023), with Drake and Jack Harlow responsible for the other top performers. That's 13 weeks out of 178, or just 7%, that rap has topped the World 200.
Rap, particularly by North American artists, has struggled on both global charts, but especially on the Global Excl. US, where “Paint the Town Red” remains the genre's only No. 1. Being inherently more focused on (rapid-fire) lyrics than melody makes the genre a harder sell in non-English speaking areas than hook-based pop music. To that end, Doja Cat and Harlow scored their chart-toppers with pop-leaning tracks, particularly through familiar samples. For his part, Drake remains an elite star who can summon a No. 1 debut on command.
“Hiss” relies heavily on Megan Thee Stallion's intense wordplay and rapid-fire delivery. This separates it even from her previous chart-topper, with “WAP” traveling on a repetitive hook and its own sample, not to mention an instantly viral and meme-able music video, in addition to a series of quotable verses.
By the nature of its musical and lyrical structure, “Hiss” was more of a domestic success story than an international one. But much of the hype that propelled the track to the top also seems isolated. Upon its release, listeners spotted a lyric as a reference – and not a kind one – to fellow American rap luminary Nicki Minaj. Minaj herself stepped in and released “Big Foot” three days later, a pragmatic response that spawned her own Global 200 debut at No. 36.
The context surrounding their beef spawned memes and social media back-and-forth, attracting fans of each act as well as those in the know about each artist's personal life and career history. But it didn't do much to sell the song itself to international audiences who weren't previously invested in the personal drama of two prominent US stars who didn't already have such a strong foothold in markets outside of North America.
That's not to say there wasn't international interest in “Hiss.” The track generated 10.8 million streams outside the U.S. The fact that it debuted at all on Global Excl. US, though halfway up the chart, is more than can be said for Minaj's own “Big Foot” or up-and-coming rapper Ice Spice's new “Think U The Shit (Fart)” (#78 Global 200).
“Hiss” marks Megan Thee Stallion's 23rd Global 200 appearance and 11th Global Excl. US In the latter, he peaked at No. 3 with “WAP” and reached Top 40 tracks with Dua Lipa, Maroon 5 and Ozuna. “Hiss” is her highest rated solo unaccompanied entry on Global Excl. USA, out of four in total.
