Spotify's Most Uniquely Popular Rap Songs Across America
Every place has its own unique taste, and we wanted to figure out how that manifested from city to city. So with some help from Spotify, we found the most uniquely popular rap songs in cities across the nation—and this time, we included a few international destinations, too. Here's how the data was pulled, per Spotify:
First we determine the most distinctly popular songs in each city as compared to the listening habits of the rest of the world (in this case, global superstars would be weeded out of the mix as they're popular everywhere). Then, within the 100 most distinctly popular songs we look for the top hip-hop/rap track within each city.
The results were totally unpredictable and surprising. We were expecting to uncover a bunch of regional hits, but what we got was something else. In some cities, it's a rising local artist getting spins. In others, it's a random classic from decades ago. Read on to see what your city is listening to, and follow P&P on Spotify to see the updated playlist.
AnchorageYear released: 2015
Total Spotify streams: 515,411
Artist hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Alaska is feeling nostalgic. King Xtra's "New 90'z Shit" is tearing up Anchorage—the Brooklyn rapper brings back some familiar samples from hip-hop's eary days, mixing sentimentality with pure heat on a posse cut that's made it to the farthest reaches of the U.S.
AtlantaYear released: 2008
Total Spotify streams: 645,808
Artist hometown: Atlanta, GAWith Shawty Lo's passing this month, Atlanta lost one of its original rap heroes. He was taken from us too soon, and his city is paying homage by running his music back—"Dunn, Dunn" is eight years old, but for now, it's timeless.
AustinYear released: 2005
Total Spotify streams: 1,793,704
Artist hometown: Houston, TXTexas stays true to its own. Z-Ro's "Mo City Don" first dropped in 2005, but it stays in rotation year round in Texas. This is what we call an anthem.
BaltimoreYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 44,411
Artist hometown: Baltimore, MDThere's always a lot of pressure on a project's opening track, but Ybs Skola delivered with "Whole Lotta Money," the first song on 2016's No Pen Just Paper. This is braggadocio at its finest—Skola talks about taking over his hometown, but is also realistic about the problems that come with power: once you get to the top, you need a whole lotta money to stay there.
BostonYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 289,918
Artist hometown: Dallas, TX
Although Boston is on the East Coast, they're bumping the South's music like the rest of us. Dallas rapper Yella Beezy’s track “Trap in Designer” is pretty self-explanatory, lyrically speaking. He describes some of his designer gear—Burberry, Gucci, Vesace—over deliciously sinister production.
ChicagoYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 490,831
Artist hometown: Chicago, ILLud Foe’s upbeat “I'm Da Man” was the first single from the rapper that really took Chicago by storm. Since then, he's linked up for features with artists like Lil Durk and Lil Herb. “I’m Da Man” has the rapper going in over the late Shawty Lo’s original beat of the same name.
DallasYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 227,181
Artist hometown: Dallas, TXEarlier in June, Dallas' own Lil Ronny Motha F released his project From The Ground Up. “Up In The Air” is the ground-shaking single from the project—when the beat drops, you can almost see the money falling in a Dallas strip club.
DenverYear released: 2015
Total Spotify streams: 30,224,
Artist hometown: Kansas City, MOThis massive Tech N9ne posse cut is off 2015's Special Effects, a 24-track album blanketed with A-list features. This might be the best, though, thanks in no small part to some classically weird 2 Chainz imagery that involves nipples, pimples, and pit bulls.
DetroitYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 57,705
Artist hometown: Detroit, MIDetroit's own Rocaine is running Motown these days with "Lil Friend," a collaboration with Molly Brazy that keeps Scarface's immortal words ringing out in the Midwest.
HoustonYear released: 1998
Total Spotify streams: 1,052,262
Artist hometown: Houston, TX
Fat Pat has become one of the most consistent names to appear on these lists—every time we've pulled these numbers from Spotify, "Tops Drop" is in the mix somewhere in Texas. It's crazy, but wholly deserved. The one album Fat Pat put out has become the stuff of legend, and he's secured his place in history with this one.
Los AngelesYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 581,169
Artist hometown: Chicago, ILCalez delivers a soulful, feel-good track with help of fellow Chicago artists Alex Wiley, Mick Jenkins, and Donnie Trumpet. Although Calez has yet to drop a project, “Still Good” and “312” are singles that have him marked for success.
MemphisYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 35,793
Artist hometown: Memphis, TNWhen's the last time an intro was one of the album's hits? Money Bagg Yo bucked trends with this one, using the first track off his ELO (Everybody Lives On) release to fire off some of his finest verses. His guttural grows and meditations on street life set the tone from the outset, and Memphis is showing some hometown love.
MiamiYear released: 2015
Total Spotify streams: 632,333
Artist hometown: Pompano Beach, FLThe ongoing incarceration of Kodak Black sadly stretches in both directions, past and future. In 2015, Kodak released Institution, a project that chronicled life on the inside in painstaking detail. "I.M.Y (I Miss You)" is a tale of longing—Kodak and his girl are separated, but he's keeping his head up: "Hold me down when I’m gone, I got in a lil trouble / But one day I be home and together we gon' bubble."
Kodak Black is one of 20 Artists Under 20 You Should Know. Read more here.
MilwaukeeYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 7,686
Artist hometown: Milwaukee, WIMunch Lauren has been Milwaukee's representative on this list a few times now, and he keeps developing his sound in new and exciting ways. "The Blue" is an understated dance track that needs little more than Munch's voice and a steady clap to take off.
New OrleansYear released: 2015
Total Spotify streams: 438,141
Artist hometown: Stockholm, Sweden
New York CityYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 379,461
Artist hometown: Cleveland, OHFollowing his project We Are Not Alone, Donny Arcade continues to build on his buzz with “False Flaggin.” Arcade is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but he's breaking into NYC thanks to this politically charged anthem, and a feature from Josh Reeves.
PhiladelphiaYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 1,445, 713
Artist hometown: Bronx, NYAlong with Desiigner and Young M.A., A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is part of a new wave of young New York rappers bubbling up in the city. Songs like like “My Shit” and “Not A Regular Person” have given A Boogie his own lane, and he's moving fast. The young artist comes with a melodic style and he's telling his own Bronx tale. The bittersweet “Jungle" is his latest success.
Read our A Boogie With Da Hoodie profile here.
PortlandYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 871,671
Artist hometown: Chattanooga, TNThere really isn't a bad song on Isaiah Rashad's The Sun's Tirade. From singles like "Free Lunch" and "Park" to deeper cuts like "Brenda," there's something to be gleaned and gained from every song—that's just Rashad. Portland knows that much, having latched on to "Rope // rosegold." The funk-filled lamentation on sobriety is an irresistible slice of modern love, and Rashad's emotions are laid bare on the track to great effect.
Read our interview with Isaiah Rashad here.
RichmondYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 443,770
Artist hometown: Washington D.C.Twinkling synths signal the arrival of Shy Glizzy's "Bankroll," a booming cut off his Young Jefe 2 tape. Glizzy's from nearby Washington D.C., so it's no surprise Richmond is connecting with the track. The song is dedicated to the late Bankroll Fresh, and Glizzy shouts him out in the chorus: “I got street money on me like I’m Bankroll.”
San FranciscoYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 1,065,192
Artist hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, FLSince the launch of Jay Burna’s Black Congress Entertainment label in 2010, the Florida rapper has dropped singles like “Ready,” “Mood,” and a big project in 2015 called Fear Is A Lie. Burna shows no signs of slowing down with his latest release, “Change The Game.” San Francisco. is feeling it.
SeattleYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 56,207
Artist hometown: Chico, CADJBadminton produced this bassy cut off Sick Bird's latest album, Take Flight. Record scratches and squelching phasers are the perfect minimal accompaniment for Sick Bird's droning deliveries. The rapper's a local favorite, and he shows why on "Take Aim Take Flight." That switch-up in the final third is worth waiting for, too.
St. LouisYear released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 16,839,365
Artist hometown: Atlanta, GAYFN Lucci has been on a tear recently, and "Key to the Streets" is a big part of his success. The Migos features are on point, the beat treads that thin line between sensual and hype, and a bona fide hit is the result.
Washington D.C.Year released: 2016
Total Spotify streams: 14,502
Artist hometown: Washington D.C.LightShow has been rapping out of the D.C. area for years now, but his latest release, Life Sentence 3, has really caught on in his hometown. "A Ghetto Children's Story" is a piano-laced track that quickly gives way to trap drums and LightShow's high-energy delivery.
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