How Did Toosii’s ‘Favorite Song’ Become One of the Biggest Rap Breakout Hits of the Year?
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It’s been an absurdly slow start to the year for breakout hits from the hip-hop world — only a handful of titles have hit the Billboard Hot 100‘s top 10, most featuring established superstars like Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Durk. But this month, a first-timer to the chart joins their ranks: singer-rapper Toosii, with his crossover smash “Favorite Song.”
The buttery love song went viral on TikTok a few months back, and has been slowly climbing the Hot 100 ever since. This week, it moves from 8-5 on the listing — aided by a variety of remixes, including a new “Toxic Version” boosted by A-list guest Future — while surging in streams, sales and radio play.
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Why has “Favorite Song” succeeded in such a slow period for hip-hop on the charts? And will we be hearing more from him on the Hot 100 from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Toosii has managed something precious few rappers have yet this year — scoring an actual breakout crossover hit. What about “Favorite Song” has allowed it to resonate with audiences like it has?
Kyle Denis: “Favorite Song” is a really tender love song, and we have not gotten many of those from hip-hop lately. Toosii makes effective use of the song’s sample — the chorus of Tatiana Manaois’ “You Might As Well” — and constructs a sweet lyrical narrative in which he describes the perfect man for his significant other (*plot twist* he’s singing about himself). Sonically, slightly gloomy piano and guitar infuse Toosii’s latest hit with the intimate warmth of the Manaois sample while still finding space to highlight more traditional hip-hop production elements.
The variation in the song’s arrangement allows it to traverse different segments of listeners — the melody fits nicely alongside most popular Top 40 hits, Toosii’s delivery is unmistakably hip-hop, and there’s even a touch of country in the guitar. Most importantly, audiences have been on a journey with “Favorite Song.” From a snippet uploaded to TikTok just seven days into 2023 to new remixes with Khalid and Future, audiences have seen this song grow and built a connection with its narrative and its artist along the way.
Carl Lamarre: The kids. The only crossover records having this much steam with the youth in the previous few years were “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” and “Old Town Road.” The lyrics are simple yet meaningful and have resonated with the TikTok audience. Toosii’s penchant for R&B spiked records (“Love Cycle” and “Heartaches”) isn’t far-fetched. Still, the sample built around “You Might As Well” was a clever flip for his non-traditional audience.
Jason Lipshutz: The hooks upon hooks upon hooks. “Favorite Song” makes sense as a TikTok smash turned mainstream hit, because the verse, pre-chorus, chorus and sampled intro/outro contain singularly memorable flourishes that help the song stand out in 10-second snippets, as well as in the middle of a radio block. Toosii has scored a crossover hit by catering to both an old-school hit-making sensibility and a next-gen sense of virality — the perfect combo for a top 5 hit in 2023.
Heran Mamo: It’s not a cookie-cutter “rap song.” Living in the South helped Toosii develop a country twang in his singing that can be heard on “Favorite Song,” which has a supple, slowed R&B beat thanks to the sample of Tatiana Manaois’ “You Might as Well.” So sonically, he offers a little bit of everything for different audiences. On the other hand, the lack of vulgarity and toxicity in the lyrics (regardless of the Future remix, but more on that later) offers a genuinely compassionate outlook on love and relationships that more listeners can appreciate.
Andrew Unterberger: Have we had a great young-love song this high on the charts since Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up” a half-decade ago? Maybe, but it certainly doesn’t feel like there have been many. Straightforward love songs aren’t ever likely to dominate the pop charts like they did in the 20th century again — which is fine, pop’s more interesting with a variety of subjects and perspectives — but you gotta give the kids a good one every once in a while, as Toosii is showing us this year.
2. While “Favorite Song” first went viral months ago, it only reaches the Hot 100’s top five this week, in its 14th frame. Why do you think it’s been able to grow so consistently over that period?
Kyle Denis: To put it simply: Toosii never gave up on the song. A quick scroll through his TikTok profile reveals a plethora of videos soundtracked by “Favorite Song.” He’s reposting clips of elementary students belting the song at the top of their lungs, surprising fans with shopping sprees, teasing remixes, collaborating with big-name TikTokers, and putting his own spin on the majorette dance trend that took over the app this year. Without a consistent push from Toosii, “Favorite Song” would have had a much harder time gaining the traction that it has. Nonetheless, it all starts with a quality song.
Carl Lamarre: Sometimes, people are late to the party. Toosii has done a great job maintaining the song’s momentum by releasing remixes with Khalid and Future, respectively, and taking advantage of different platforms, like performing the track on The Voice. To elevate things further, he even released a sped-up version — a popular move used by other big-name artists as of late, notably past collaborator Summer Walker.
Jason Lipshutz: Those aforementioned hooks are subtle: even the chorus of “Favorite Song” soothes more than stands out upon first listen, then wears down the listener with supportive persistence. The refrain of “Favorite Song” takes a minute to worm its way into your brain, but the track is so likable, especially as Toosii continues to explain why he is the one to whisk the listener away from their sorrows, that it had that extra minute in order to bloom into a blockbuster hit. I didn’t foresee “Favorite Song” climbing into the top five, but now that it’s there, its presence makes perfect sense to me.
Heran Mamo: Toosii took a good-hearted love song and made it toxic with none other than Future on one of its many versions ), which will have listeners yearning to hear the song’s new narrative featuring Pluto’s deceptively tender yet incredibly incendiary, vice-riddled bars. Plus, he’s a Hot 100 mainstay with 161 entries, making him the fifth artist with the most entries on the all-genre tally. Another clever strategy Toosii and his team employed was releasing multiple versions of “Favorite Song,” including a Khalid-assisted remix, a “Midnight Session” version, the sped-up version and the instrumental version. Considering the sped-up track also seems to be a fan-“Favorite” on TikTok, where the song became popular in the first place, it only makes sense to give the fans what they want – and they’re clearly pleased with it.
Andrew Unterberger: Toosii’s done well to keep pushing this song along — with new videos, new guests, new remixes — at a rate that maintains interest in it without feeling overwhelming or exhausting. It also helps that the song is the slowly ingratiating sort, not immediately addictive but never really abrasive either. It’s never really felt like a runaway smash, but by this point it’s undeniably grown into one.
3. Though this is his first major chart hit, public excitement for Toosii as an artist dates back to at least the turn of the decade. Do you think further Hot 100 success will follow for him from here?
Kyle Denis: If he continues making quality songs and keeps consistently promoting his work, Toosii will definitely see future success on the Hot 100. “Favorite Song,” in particular, is filling a void of legitimate hip-hop love songs, and that’s just one lane he’s well-equipped to handle.
Carl Lamarre: I think so. I always thought Toosi was one of the stronger artists when weaving between hip-hop and R&B. He’s always had a rabid fanbase, especially from the female demographic because of his heartfelt songs. My only fear is him trying too hard to make another “Favorite Song.”
Jason Lipshutz: If he sticks to the formula that “Favorite Song” has showcased, Toosii could be in for an extended run of romantic hits that nod to modern hip-hop and R&B production signatures. Maybe he doesn’t want to stick to that blueprint — that’d be understandable, considering how he’s been able to sustain an admirable run in popular rap before this mainstream flash point — but I’d bet there’s an appetite for this type of crooning, heartfelt rhythmic pop beyond this one hit.
Heran Mamo: I can see it because even though Toosii has been around for a few years now, this somehow feels like the beginning for him. He has his first major hit, he’s releasing his major label debut album Naujour (under Capitol) this Friday and he’s already plotting his Naujour Tour for this summer. He’s smartly capitalizing on the success of “Favorite Song” by offering fans more music to tap into as well as a shot at seeing him perform live so they can’t forget him once the next TikTok-fueled hit rolls around.
Andrew Unterberger: Hard to know for sure — TikTok-accelerated success doesn’t tend to repeat early and often — but I’d be optimistic. Toosii has proven himself the kind of versatile and driven talent that eventually finds his ways to additional hits one way or the other, and “Favorite Song” is the kind of hit that buys a lot of residual affection from audiences, even if it proves tough to follow up in the short-term.
4. “Favorite Song” is one of just a handful of new rap Hot 100 top 10 hits this year. What do you think is the biggest reason such hits have been so scarce this year — and does Toosii’s success tell you anything about the kind of rap songs that have the best chance of crossing over right now?
Kyle Denis: It’s been relatively quiet for hip-hop in the Hot 100’s upper reaches this year, and there are several reasons for that. Country music has finally adapted to the current streaming landscape and launched several new stars for the next generation of music listeners, Latin music’s already otherworldly popularity gets stronger week by week, and a lot of hip-hop’s heavyweights either dropped at the end of 2022 or are holding off until later in 2023. This year feels like a transitionary period for a lot of popular music genres.
With all this in mind, it’s a bit more understandable why we are still lacking the undeniable hip-hop smashes we have grown accustomed to seeing over the past few years. Nonetheless, the success of “Favorite Song” could signal that rap songs that angle themselves towards the sweeter side of romance and prioritize versatile production are the genre’s best bets for crossover hits.
Carl Lamarre: It’s telling that we’re six months into the new year and don’t necessarily have a go-to summer record. It’s slim pickings on the hip-hop front, which is unfortunate knowing that last year we had Future’s “Wait For U,” Gunna’s “Pushin P” and Lil Durk’s “What Happened to Virgil” as contenders going into June. While I like Durk’s “All My Life” and Drake’s “Search & Rescue” has finally grown on me, I think we might surprisingly have some diamonds in the rough to consider as real contenders for this summer, such as Doechii’s “What It Is” and Kali’s “Area Codes.”
Jason Lipshutz: Last year was packed with A-list rap releases, from Drake to Kendrick Lamar to Lil Baby to Future, while this year has been pretty quiet on that front — although we’ll see what kind of legs the just-released Lil Durk album has — as well as lacking in new stars outside of Ice Spice. In that vacuum we’ve gotten plenty of viral crossover rap singles that fizzle after a few weeks, stray tracks from superstars that weren’t career bests, albums from Jack Harlow and YoungBoy Never Broke Again that shrugged off sonic expectations… and “Favorite Song”! Certainly an offbeat year, but with some high-profile projects potentially due out in the second half of 2023, I wouldn’t chalk this up as a disappointing season yet.
Heran Mamo: A lot of rappers aren’t making “crossover” hits where they can tap into multiple audiences outside of rap’s core fanbase. Coi Leray’s “Players” and Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock” are prime examples of Hot 100 top 10 hits that don’t perfectly fit into the “rap” box and can therefore appeal to pop radio programmers, dance playlist curators and the like, which allows those artists to expand their reach significantly. Toosii’s unique flow reminds me of the early 2020s boom of melodic rap with the ascension of Roddy Ricch, Rod Wave and Lil Tjay, to name a few. Maybe that will have a strong resurgence this year.
Andrew Unterberger: It kind of feels like no one really knows what a truly new 2020s rap superstar looks or sounds like right now — which leaves the genre’s chart impact unsustainably reliant on the release schedules of its more established A-listers. I’m not sure if breakout hits like “Favorite Song” necessarily point to much of a long-term solution there; it might just be a matter of a truly undeniable new voice emerging on the landscape to point the way towards hip-hop’s future.
5. What is your own favorite “Favorite” song?
Kyle Denis: “My Favorite Part” by Mac Miller & Ariana Grande.
Carl Lamarre: Salute to the Queen. Gotta go with Nicki Minaj and Jeremih’s “Favorite.”
Jason Lipshutz: Gotta go with “My Favorite Mistake,” which is my (ahem) favorite Sheryl Crow song with one of my (ahem again) favorite guitar intros of all time.
Heran Mamo: “Favorite Mistake” by Giveon. It’s twisted in the sense that Giveon is calling a fling with a girl he shouldn’t be having in the first place his “favorite mistake.”
Andrew Unterberger: The Replacements’ “Favorite Thing,” bar nothing.
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