Headie One, Dave, and AJ Tracey continue to lead the way as Rap and Hip-Hop soar to all-time streaming high. Frankie Rudland reports.
Rap music had its most successful year to date in 2020, according to new figures from the BPI. Data released yesterday by the UK’s association of independent and major labels showed that well over a fifth of singles streamed was rap and hip-hop.
Headie One, Dave, and AJ Tracey enjoyed a particularly successful year, with the trio amassing over 50 million streams each in the UK alone, with tracks like Headie One’s Ain’t it Different achieving platinum success.
But they certainly weren’t alone in their achievements, British artists contributed to 33.6% of all singles streamed, with tracks from emerging talents such as Aitch, Dig Dat, Tion Wayne, and Dutchavelli all earning a place in the top ten singles charts.
And it wasn’t just the men that made a statement in the rap and hip-hop game either, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion got their infectious track WAP stuck in everyone’s head, while the latter also reached the top three with Savage, a single that prompted a global trend on Tiktok.
In the album’s chart, rap and hip-hop also shone, with J-Hus, Stormzy, Nines, and Headie One all offering chart-topping releases from the UK.
YouTuber turned rapper KSI also claimed the crown of the biggest-selling debut album of the year for Dissimulation, as rap and hip-hop rose to a record 12.2% of all albums consumed.
This represents another huge year of growth for the rap and hip-hop scene, which has seen a six-fold increase in its’ popularity since 1999. And with Dave having just released Titanium and Mercury, I think 2021 is due to be another highly successful year for the genre.
