The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated April 20), things get tight at the top for Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar, with lingering threats from Benson Boone and Hozier and a new direct response from J. Cole.  

Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar, “Like That” (Boominati/Freebandz/Republic/Epic) After spending its first two weeks at No. 1, the excitement has finally started to settle down a bit over Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar’s fiery hip-hop missive. The song is still a top performer, however, remaining in the top two on both Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA chart and the Apple Music real-time listings. And the song experienced revived interest over the weekend in the headlines, at least, as rap superstar J. Cole memorably responded to the song’s apparent callout as part of his own Might Delete Later mixtape, before expressing his regrets over doing so during the headlining set at his Dreamville Festival that Sunday.  

“Like That” is also starting to be embraced by radio, as the song leaps 34-21 as the Greatest Gainer on this week’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (up 77% in audience), according to Luminate, and is trending toward a debut on the all-format Radio Songs chart. The big question for “Like That” may be about how it is able to maintain its performance beyond next week, however, as the sequel to its We Don’t Trust You parent set — aptly titled We Still Don’t Trust You — is scheduled to drop this Friday from Future and Metro Boomin, with who knows what kind of additional surprises in store. Will “Like That” remain top of mind for streamers and radio programmers through that release, or an even newer, more exciting single swipe its heat?  

Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things” (Night Street/Warner) Will it ever be Benson Boone’s turn at the peak? “Beautiful Things” has been hanging around the Hot 100’s top tier for nearly a couple of months now but has still yet to get past the runner-up spot, lingering at No. 3 this week behind “Like That” and Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter-revived “Texas Hold ’Em.” Next week could provide another real chance for the singer-songwriter, though, as “Things” should see a boost from Boone’s full-length debut, Fireworks & Rollerblades, which of course features the breakout hit within its 15-song tracklist.  

In the meantime, “Beautiful Things” continues to grow at radio as the song jumps 9-4 on Radio Songs, rising another 15% in all-format airplay audience this week. It’s currently the only song to rank in the top five of Radio Songs, Digital Song Sales and Streaming Songs, so with the expected consumption lift from Fireworks (and the start of his accompanying headlining tour), it may be now or never for Boone’s breakout smash to finally grab the Hot 100’s top spot.  

Hozier, “Too Sweet” (Rubyworks/Columbia) Few would’ve gone into 2024 expecting to involve Hozier in any discussions about the top of the Hot 100 — before last year’s comeback, he hadn’t even appeared on the chart since his No. 2-peaking “Take Me to Church” in 2015. But with 2023’s well-received Unreal Unearth and subsequent tour and an ever-growing TikTok presence, the Irish singer-songwriter is once again proving to be a real factor on the chart: Three songs from his new Unheard EP debuted last week, led by the No. 5-entering “Too Sweet.”

“Sweet” climbs one spot to No. 4 this week, even outpacing any of the new debuts from Beyoncé’s blockbuster set Cowboy Carter. And there’s every indication that the song isn’t going to stop there: It has climbed past “Like That” to the top of the Spotify Daily Top Songs USA chart, while also starting to find its footing on radio, trending toward debuts on the Adult Alternative Airplay, Pop Airplay and Adult Pop Airplay charts. If its trajectory continues, it might not be more than a week or two away from matching Hozier’s previous “Church” peak of No. 2 — if not even one-upping that enduring smash.  

J. Cole, “7 Minute Drill” (Interscope/ICLG) While “Like That” has multiple challengers for Hot 100 supremacy next week, only one of them can claim to be a direct answer to it: J. Cole’s “7 Minute Drill” was written in response to Lamar’s tough-talking verse on the No. 1 hit, with Cole taking aim at Lamar’s catalog spottiness and general lack of recent productivity. It didn’t quite detonate on impact the way “Like That” did, with many pundits taking issue with its more measured, perhaps less-committed tone, but it still shot up to nearly the top of digital service providers’ daily charts and remained the most debated song on social media all weekend.  

Complicating the chances for “7 Minute Drill” to achieve maximum chart impact is Cole himself walking the song back a couple days later, apologizing at his Dreamville headlining set for letting himself be dragged into the muck of the beef and announcing his intention to remove the song from streaming services. As of Wednesday morning (April 10), “Drill” was still available for listening on DSPs, but Cole’s repudiation of a song that many fans were already somewhat conflicted about may have cost it any chance of being a real threat to “Like That” on the chart next week anyway.