Who was the top musical artist of 2021 on TikTok? Well, it depends how you look at it.
Today, the platform shared a bunch of year-end data, which reveals that Megan Thee Stallion was the top artist in the US by “catalogue creations,” meaning in terms of how many times users included her songs in their videos. This is Meg’s second year in a row securing that title. Following her in the top 10 are, in order, Doja Cat, PoppHunna, Olivia Rodrigo, Cardi B, YungManny, Soulja Boy, Drake, Kevin Gates, and Coi Leray.
When it comes to artists actually using TikTok themselves, though, Lil Nas X had the most-viewed music account in the US. After him on the list are Lizzo, iHeartMemphis, Jason Derulo, Oliver Tree, Leray, Selena Gomez, Charlie Puth, Billie Eilish, and Benny Blanco.
The post also includes a list of the year’s top emerging artists and it includes up-and-comer favorites like Baby Tate, Coi Leray, Magdalena Bay, PinkPantheress, and Shygirl. TikTok also compiled a list of the top “comeback tracks” in the US, meaning “trending songs released between 5 and 25 years ago.” Leading that list is Destiny’s Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills,” and also included are Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘n’ Nite,” Britney Spears’ “Gimme More,” and Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” featuring Timbaland.
TikTok shared a lot more year-end data than was covered here, so check out their post here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
However, there has been no skyrocketing trend for “Thot Sh*t,” which by most accounts is already every bit as popular as any of Megan’s other hits. According to Mashable, that’s because Black TikTokers are now refusing to create one, citing the tendency of non-Black users to co-opt and water down their efforts, which tends to lead to the aforementioned trends. With Black TikTokers — the originators of many of the most popular dances — “striking,” none the videos under the “Thot Sh*t” sound have taken off as in the past.
Observers have noted the discrepancy in attention since the app’s explosion in popularity a couple of years ago. While influencers like Addison Rae, Charlie D’Amelio, and others receive mainstream exposure and opportunities for essentially copying the already popular dances, the originators tend to go overlooked. See: The NBA’s 2020 All-Star Weekend, where the “Renegade” challenge to K Camp’s “Lottery” was in evidence throughout the broadcast, but Jalaiah Harmon, the 14-year-old who choreographed it in the first place, was nowhere to be found.
— Left Eye’s Legacy (@_LyshaMauricex3) June 21, 2021
Of course, Twitter users took note of the dearth of content, and the results… well… you can see them below. What’s the solution? Ultimately, that will have to be left to the content creators themselves, but for one thing, it would seem all the record deals, television appearances, and paid performances should ultimately be going to the folks who form the engine that drives TikTok and turns hits into ubiquitous pop cultural phenomenons.
So black tiktokers are refusing to create a dance for Megan Thee Stallion’s song Thot Shit. Dances they’ve created in the past have been copied by popular white tiktokers who ultimately profit from them.
Here’s thread of white ppl trying to figure out what to do with the song:
Some of the biggest names in YouTube and TikTok will be going pound-for-pound this Friday (June 12) at the Miami Hard Rock Stadium for the highly-anticipated event Social Gloves: Battle of the Platforms. Ahead of the massive showdown, a few of the fighters, including YouTube superstar Austin McBroom of the Ace Family as well as TikTok influencers Vinnie Hacker, Ryland Storms, shared with Uproxx the songs that get them amped up and ready to rumble.
For McBroom, who will go up against TikTok topliner Bryce Hall, it’s the vibey-yet-hard-hitting 24KGoldn cut “Company” by 24KGoldn featuring Future. “Makes me feel like I’m on top of the world,” he told us.
Hacker, who will see YouTuber Deji, chose “Young, Wild and Free” by Wiz Khalifa. “I first heard this song when I was filling up my car with E10 and it stuck with me,” he said about his choice.
Popular TikTok star Michael Le, who is expected to face off with YouTuber Faze Jarvis, uses J. Cole’s “95 South” to get pumped. “’95 south’ is a raw, dope ass song,” he told us. “The energy I get when I listen to it is the exact vibe I want people to feel when they see me Saturday night. I’m goin’ in with a beast mentality, ain’t nothin shakin’ that off me.”
Storms, who will fight YouTuber Tanner Fox, happens to get his adrenaline going with Giorono’s Theme from anime series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, whereas Deji prefers to get hype off his own song “The Truth.” YouTube star AnesonGib on the other hand, who will fight TikTok’s Tayler Holder, likes to get in the zone by listening to the rambunctious “Original Nuttah 25” by UK Apache with Shy FX, which he described as “A song fit for a mad man!”
Fans can livestream the PPV fight on the LiveXLive.com Platform. If you want to catch it in person tickets are available over at Ticketmaster. Lil Baby, Migos, Trippie Redd and DJ Khaled are all expected to grace the stage with fire performances.
“It’s going down at Social Gloves on June 12, and I’m excited to be a part of it,” Lil Baby said in a press release. “It’s great to see all these YouTubers and TikTokers putting in the hard work to prepare for these fights. We are bringing big energy to Social Gloves. I’m looking forward to this day, and I’m sure fans won’t be disappointed.”
Social Gloves: Battle of the Platforms is the first in a series of events planned in partnership with LiveXLive.
Check out the Social Gloves: Fight Night playlist below featuring picks from Austin McBroom, Vinnie Hacker, Ryland Storms, and more!
If you’ve been on TikTok at any point in the last two months, the odds are extremely high you’ve heard Bia’s “Whole Lotta Money” at least once — I’d ballpark it at around 96%. The ruthlessly catchy wealth anthem has been a staple of all kinds of content, but today, you get to see the face and the razor-sharp performance behind the jewelry jam on UPROXX Sessions.
Hailing from Medford, Massachusetts, Bia is one of a growing number of rising stars to get her start on a reality show. In her case, it was Oxygen network’s Sisterhood Of Hip Hop, where she spent two seasons after signing to RCA Records. However, when the deal stalled out, she secured her release in 2019 — and started her ascent to stardom in earnest. Her song “Best On Earth” with Russ was highlighted by a Rihanna co-sign and gave Bia her first platinum plaque. Over the course of the next year, a string of releases included “Same Hands” with Lil Durk, a new EP, For Certain, on Epic Records, and yes, the TikTok-favorite single with which she’s taken over viral launching pad TikTok. Keep an eye and an ear out; Bia is built for this and finally getting her due.
Watch Bia’s UPROXX Sessions performance of “Whole Lotta Money” above.
UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross,UPROXX Sessionsis a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.
Reversing one of TikTok’s favorite challenges, a newly surfaced video proves the kids just might be alright. While the app has become known as a launching pad for some artists’ careers — artists like Bella Poarch, Foushee, and Lil Nas X — it’s also a place where the generation gap couldn’t be more evident as teens challenged their older relatives to identify stars of today like DaBaby, Lil Baby, and others. However, one parent flipped the trend, showing photos of stars to her toddler, and the wholesome video rapidly accumulated a huge number of views, jumping to other platforms as well.
Seeing photos of Beyonce, Cardi B, Chance The Rapper, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, Pop Smoke, and Saweetie, the child correctly identifies most of them, getting extra excited for Cardi B and Doja, although we’ll give points for effort for exclamations of “Baby!” and “Pop Soaps!” However, one of the more inexplicable answers is for Megan Thee Stallion, who for some reason, the baby identifies as “Grandma.”
As these acts all hover in the upper echelons of the Hot 100 whenever they drop new music, it’s no wonder they’re kid-approved — or maybe it’s the other way around. In any case, judging by this toddler’s reactions, Cardi and Doja look to have long careers ahead of them — and Megan Thee Stallion might want to check her mail for that AARP card.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When most fans think of TikTok dance trends, the songs that spring to mind are usually poppy, upbeat tunes with simple, repetitive lyrics that lend themselves to the format of exuberant teens waving their arms in synchronized, somewhat goofy choreography. Griselda Records wouldn’t seem to fit the bill, with its members’ mostly gloomy beats and intricate, belligerent bars about harrowing street encounters. However, fans got the bright idea to combine the two seemingly opposed ideals, resulting in an atypical TikTok trend that prompted some hilarious reactions from the rappers themselves.
When HipHopDX posted the above clip of a fan working some complex choreo to Benny’s verse of Westside Gunn’s “Gods Don’t Bleed,”, it caught the eyes of both Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn, who both quote-tweeted it with their impressions in the form of emojis. While Gunn seemed delighted, writing, “I needed this” with a handful of laughing emojis, Benny was a bit more nonplussed, posting a blushing emoji that spoke volumes.
While Conway, Daringer, and Armani Caesar all have yet to react, seeing the Griselda top dog’s approving reaction could very well prompt a new, albeit unusual dance trend on TikTok, bringing a different type of hip-hop to prominence on the app. More versions began popping up in the comments, putting his movements to songs from Danny Brown, Sade, and more. So, if you’re looking for the new trend, that’s probably the one to really take off — editing incongruous songs over footage of ubiquitous dance routines.
Check out the full version of “Gods Don’t Bleed” below.
The idea of a laid-back rapper like Lil Baby participating in a TikTok challenge may seem unlikely, but since one of the latest challenges tests users on their knowledge of artists’ lyrics rather than memorizing complicated, air traffic control-esque choreography, it would seem like he’d have at least this one in the bag.
Spoiler alert: [In extremely “Morgan Freeman as narrator” voice] He did not have this one in the bag. Confronted with a line from his 2018 song “I’m Straight” from breakout tape Harder Than Ever, Lil Baby was unable to recall the follow-up to “I’m cool on the love and the high-fives / You n***as can’t keep up with my guys,” which should have been “You can’t get all this drip in a lifetime.”
Now, to be fair, rappers forget their lyrics all the time, especially ones with extensive catalogs like Baby’s (see: Eminem, Lil Wayne, Nas). Despite only being around for half a decade, he’s accumulated the sort of output rappers in the ’90s would envy, with six full-length solo projects and two joint albums to his name in that time (and another on the way). Those albums are also very long, and while the general trend in hip-hop has been to shorten verses and songs overall to accommodate shorter attention spans and the greater prominence of streaming, Baby’s rather endearingly stuck to full-length verses with as many as 24 bars at a time.
That said, it’s still pretty awkward and funny to watch a rapper known for his lyrical output experience a complete brain fart during a quiz of their own lyrics, and pretty bold of him to let the TikTokers put him on blast like this. Watch Lil Baby flunk his own test below.
It goes down in the DMs. Just weeks after Lil Nas X made a TikTok using a screenshot of his Instagram DMs to put Tekashi 69 on blast after Tekashi tried to troll Nas with homophobic jokes, another artist has adopted the format to take her own thirsty messengers to task.
Apparently, ever since she broke up with Playboi Carti, Iggy Azalea‘s inbox has been flooded with direct messages from famous followers shooting their shots. However, from the screenshots she uses in her TikTok video, in which she dances in the foreground while the screenshots appear behind her, plenty of these famous followers could use some game lessons.
Among them are men who go way too graphic way too quickly, while others offer money for Iggy’s company. One takes a day’s worth of silence from the Australian rapper as license to start insulting her, and another simply obsessively repeats “I love you” over and over again. Take notes, gentlemen: These are all what not to do — not just to famous women, but to anyone online. There’s shooting your shot, then there’s lobbing the ball toward the gym from the parking lot and expecting it to fall in the hoop through the skylight. Just don’t do it.
Meanwhile, Iggy herself has been promoting a new single, “Sip It,” her second collaboration with Tyga after “Kream,” and has been on an anti-music industry campaign, claming she’s been blackballed. You can check out the new single here.
Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm and blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B jams that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.
Brent Faiyaz — “Show U Off”
Brent Faiyaz has taken a step back from his usual toxic R&B slow jams this week to celebrate women with his newly released cut “Show U Off.” Its the latest in a string of singles the singer has unleashed this year, so hopefully that means a follow-up to 2019’s F*ck The World is coming soon.
Giveon — “All To Me”
Giveon delivered Take Time in 2020 and When It’s All Said And Done in 2021. This week, he combined the two into one and offered an extra song to go with it titled “All To Me.” The song is so good its a wonder why it wasn’t included on either projects originally, or perhaps Giveon just never misses.
Jacquees — “Freaky As Me” Feat. Mulatto
Jacquees and Mulatto connect for the R&B singer’s sensual slow jam “Freaky As Me.” The song is set to appear on his upcoming project P.T.O.F: Vol. 1 and is the follow-up to his previously released cut “Put In Work,” from last year.
Fousheé — “Sing About Love”
Following the release of “Single Af,” rising R&B star Fousheé offers another lively cut in the form of “Sing About Love.” Fousheé is on a streak, proving she’s more than her popular TikTok song “Deep End” and absolutely here to stay.
SZA — “Good Days”
The video for SZA‘s “Good Days” is here. She teased the number at the end of her song “Hit Different” with Ty Dolla Sign and now she offers a music video for the magical song which takes place in a psychedelic rain forest filled with mushrooms as well as a library that sees SZA showing off her pole dancing skills. At the end of “Good Days” is a special treat for all the fans who are waiting for the TDE princess to release her yet-to-be-officially-named song “Shirt,” which has essentially blown up on TikTok. Now we can hear what she’s saying in 4K.
Jhene Aiko — Sailing Soul(s)
When Jhene Aiko released her debut mixtape Sailing Soul(s), fans had to download a zip file to hear it or head to DatPiff. 10 years later, the singer has it officially placed on streaming services. Listen to good vibes such as the famed “stranger,” “hoe” featuring Miguel and Future (which was repurposed for her 2020 album Chilomobo), as well as a few SoundCloud loosies like “2 Seconds.”
Feather — “Juke”
Shortly after sharing her new single “Juke,” Feather has dropped off its accompanying video directed by Noyze. A clear ode to Chicago style of music, the visual features the ultimate footwork battle in an underground basement as Feather croons “let’s juke” in between a smooth sample of DJ Rashad’s “Juke.”
Trevor Jackson — “Get To You”
As Trevor Jackson gets ready for the release of his debut album, The Love Language, he shares “Get To You.” The rising singer’s raw voice sings of missing his ex and things he’d do to get to her. “Love is the universal language of all things and I hope this album gives people more confidence to understand their own love languages and how to communicate them,” he said in a statement. “The power of this music will not only bring people together but it’ll also bring people closer to themselves.”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Eminem tends to drop controversial and/or inflammatory lyrics on a regular basis, and now young TikTok users are trying to get the veteran rapper canceled. Those efforts haven’t been fruitful so far, though, as it has just led people to poke fun at Gen-Z. Now Lil Nas X (a TikTok star in his own right with nearly 10 million followers) has joined in on the fun.
In response to a widely derided freestyle from a millennial TikTok user, Nas shared his own freestyle, in which he raps. “Generation Z wants to cancel Eminem? [laughs] / Generation Z wants to cancel Eminem? [laughs] / Yeah [laughs], listen up, Generation / Z, you’re a generation of Z / Z, generation of Z.” He ends by trailing off with laughter that increasingly lacks in confidence.
This comes a couple months after Eminem dismissed cancel culture, saying, “With me, it’s literally like every f*cking every other day. I’m canceled for whatever the f*ck it was. It’s funny because I see some of the same people or sites who b*tched about things back then that I said and then going back now and saying, ‘Why can’t he be that again?’ What the f*ck? When I was that you had a problem with that, too. I understand some of the sh*t, but for the most part, like for people who just sit online and they feel like they need to b*tch about whatever it is to feel like they’re a part of something. With cancel culture, it’s like no one ever really gets canceled, though.”
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