thumb|Rapper [[50 Cent's "In da Club" was one of the longest-running singles of 2003, topping the chart for nine straight weeks. It was also the best-performing single of 2003.|alt=A young black man, seated, wearing a black shirt and a gray baseball cap. He is smiling and speaking into a microphone.]]
The Billboard Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the best-performing singles in the United States. Published by Billboard magazine, the data are compiled by Nielsen SoundScan based collectively on each single's weekly physical sales, and airplay. In 2003, there were 11 singles that topped the chart.
During the year, ten acts achieved a first U.S. number-one single, either as a lead artist or featured guest. Those acts were B2K, LL Cool J, 50 Cent, Sean Paul, Nate Dogg, Clay Aiken, Murphy Lee, Ludacris, and Shawnna. Beyoncé, despite having hit number one with Destiny's Child, also earns her first number one song as a solo act. P. Diddy, 50 Cent, Sean Paul, and Beyoncé were the only acts to hit number one more than once, each of them reaching number one twice throughout the year.
50 Cent and Knowles both had the longest-running singles of 2003: 50 Cent's first number-one single "In da Club" and Knowles' second number-one single "Baby Boy" both topped the Hot 100 for nine straight weeks, longer than any single to have topped this year. Hip hop duo OutKast's "Hey Ya!" charted at the top spot for nine consecutive weeks, three of which were in 2003. Although "Hey Ya!" continued its pole position until early 2004, Billboard magazine credited it as one of the longest-running number-one singles of 2003. Rapper Eminem's "Lose Yourself" continued its 12-week chart run at the top spot in this year, but is credited as the longest-running number-one single of 2002. She surpassed the record previously set by 50 Cent during this year, the latter of whom gained a total of 13 weeks at number one combining "In the Club", which is the best-performing single of 2003, and "21 Questions".
With the combined chart run of "Get Busy" and "Baby Boy", the latter in which he is featured, dancehall artist Sean Paul became the most successful Jamaican-born artist in terms of chart performance in the Billboard Hot 100. Seven collaboration singles topped the chart in 2003, setting a record for most number-one collaborations in a calendar year since the onset of the rock era in 1955; the first number-one collaboration to have topped the chart was in 1967 with Somethin' Stupid, a song by singer Frank Sinatra and daughter Nancy Sinatra. The record was later tied in 2004, and broken in 2006 with eight number-one collaborations. "Crazy in Love", which charted for eight straight weeks in July to August, has been credited as 2003's Song of the Summer.
Chart history
thumb|Singer [[Beyoncé topped the chart two times in 2003 with her singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy".|alt=A black female singer with long, dark hair, singing on stage into a microphone in her right hand, wearing a silver, full-length dress.]]
thumb|Hip hop duo [[OutKast's "Hey Ya!" topped the chart for nine consecutive weeks.|alt=Two members of a musical group, on-stage. The nearest is wearing blue trousers and a gray jacket, while the farthest is wearing shorts, a short-sleeved shirt and a hat.]]
thumb|With the combined chart run of "[[Get Busy" and "Baby Boy", the latter in which he is featured, dancehall artist Sean Paul became the most successful Jamaican-born artist in terms of chart performance in the Hot 100.|alt=A young black man in a black T-shirt, white jacket and black trousers, receiving an award standing in front of a microphone.]]
thumb|[[American Idol contestant Clay Aiken's debut single "This Is the Night" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first single to do so since 1998.|alt=A young white man in a gray pullover with a blue shirt and gray tie, holding a microphone and microphone stand in his left hand, facing upwards.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"
|+Key
|style="background-color:#FFFFBB"|
|Indicates best-performing single of 2003
|}
{| class="wikitable"
! width=31|
!align="center"|Issue date
!align="center"|Song
!align="center"|Artist(s)
!align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=4|888
|align="left"|January 4
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"Lose Yourself"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|Eminem
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|January 11
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|January 18
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|January 25
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|889
|align="left"|February 1
|align="center"|"Bump, Bump, Bump"
|align="center"|B2K featuring P. Diddy
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=4|890
|align="left"|February 8
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"All I Have"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|Jennifer Lopez featuring LL Cool J
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|February 15
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|February 22
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|March 1
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=9|891
|align="left"|March 8
|bgcolor=#FFFF99 align="center" rowspan="9"|"In da Club"
|align="center" rowspan="9"|50 Cent
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|March 15
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|March 22
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|March 29
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|April 5
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|April 12
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|April 19
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|April 26
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|May 3
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|892
|align="left"|May 10
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Get Busy"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|Sean Paul
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|May 17
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|May 24
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=4|893
|align="left"|May 31
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"21 Questions"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|50 Cent featuring Nate Dogg
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|June 7
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|June 14
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|June 21
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=2|894
|align="left"|June 28
|align="center" rowspan="2"|"This Is the Night"
|align="center" rowspan="2"|Clay Aiken
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=8|895
|align="left"|July 12
|align="center" rowspan="8"|"Crazy in Love"
|align="center" rowspan="8"|Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|July 19
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|July 26
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|August 2
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|August 9
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|August 16
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|August 23
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|August 30
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=4|896
|align="left"|September 6
|align="center" rowspan="4"|"Shake Ya Tailfeather"
|align="center" rowspan="4"|Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|September 13
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|September 20
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|September 27
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=9|897
|align="left"|October 4
|align="center" rowspan="9"|"Baby Boy"
|align="center" rowspan="9"|Beyoncé featuring Sean Paul
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|October 11
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|October 18
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|October 25
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|November 1
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|November 8
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|November 15
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|November 22
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|November 29
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center|898
|align="left"|December 6
|align="center"|"Stand Up"
|align="center"|Ludacris featuring Shawnna
|align="center"|
|-
| bgcolor=#EDEAE0 align=center rowspan=3|899
|align="left"|December 13
|align="center" rowspan="3"|"Hey Ya!"
|align="center" rowspan="3"|OutKast
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|December 20
|align="center"|
|-
|align="left"|December 27
|align="center"|
|}
Number-one artists
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of number-one artists by total weeks at number one
! Position
! Artist
! Weeks at No. 1
|-
| 1
| Beyoncé
| 17
|-
| 2
| 50 Cent
| 13
|-
| 3
| Sean Paul
| 12
|-
| 4
| Jay-Z
| 8
|-
| 5
| P. Diddy
| 5
|-
| rowspan=6| 6
| Eminem
| rowspan=6| 4
|-
| Jennifer Lopez
|-
| LL Cool J
|-
| Nate Dogg
|-
| Nelly
|-
| Murphy Lee
|-
| 12
| OutKast
| 3
|-
| 13
| Clay Aiken
| 2
|-
| rowspan=3| 14
| B2K
| rowspan=3| 1
|-
| Ludacris
|-
| Shawnna
|}
See also
- 2003 in music
- List of Billboard number-one singles
- Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2003
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of the 2000s
References
Additional sources
- Fred Bronson's Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, 5th Edition ()
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2008, 12 Edition ()
- Joel Whitburn Presents the Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The 2000s ()
- Additional information obtained can be verified within Billboard's online archive services and print editions of the magazine.