What makes a hit song in the current music landscape and who ultimately determines what makes a hit? In the past, songs – especially as it pertains to hip-hop – had to follow a specific formula to gain widespread attention from the masses.
In the current music landscape, Kendrick Lamar can make songs such as “Humble” and ‘DNA’ with straight bars and have them both climb to the top five of the Billboard Hot 100.
“Humble” was popular enough to reach number one and was Kendrick’s first ever chart-topping single as a lead artist. DNA peaked at number four; prior to “Humble”, the last hip-hop song to reach number one was “Bad and Boujee” by Migos. The aforementioned songs likely wouldn’t be hit songs at an earlier time period.
The reason songs like “Bad and Boujee,” “Humble,” and “DNA” are hits now is due to a number of different factors. The advent of social media is likely the most prominent contribution to this phenomenon. Social media has been instrumental in converting songs that likely would have remained in obscurity in the past into mainstream hits.
Before Vine was shutdown in January of this year, it played an essential role in popularizing new songs. Songs such as “Watch Me” and “Hotline Bling,” both released in 2015, owe much of their rise to young creatives using Vine as an avenue for their
six-second stories told through video.
It was a symbiotic relationship in which both Vine users and the artists who created the music were both beneficiaries of the widespread success. Many of these songs would not have been as popular had they not gone viral first.
Social media’s potential to push obscure hip-hop songs into the mainstream hit its peak in 2014.
No other song exemplified the power of social media more than Bobby Shmurda’s 2014 hit, “Hot Nigga”. Though the song had two main factors in the video which helped it go viral: namely the shmoney dance – which received homage from celebrities – and the disappearing hat, it was yet another example of a song no one would typically expect to become a mainstream sensation.
The best part for Bobby Shmurda was that he never had to force his song to become a hit. It was an example of an artist who in raw, uncut form was able to achieve a hit without any need to go the typical pop route.
Bobby Shmurda being was himself and was able to create a song which peaked at number six in the Hot 100. He earned mainstream attention without attempting to go pop; thus, setting an example of how a hip-hop song can sound different from the norm and still become a hit.
The following year, another upcoming artist was able to achieve success without the need to create a generic pop sound. 2015 was basically the year of Fetty Wap. His unique sound led to his debut single, “Trap Queen” becoming a hit. It became the number two in the country without the support of a major label (300 Entertainment).
The success he attained with “Trap Queen,” along with other popular singles including “679” and “My Way” was additional proof that hip-hop does not need a glossy hook, a dance, or major label support. Artists have complete creative freedom to make music true to their art and still attain commercial success.
2016 had two singles which achieved unprecedented success given the style in which they were made. “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd and “Panda” by Desiigner both became number one hits. “Panda” was featured in “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 2” on Kanye’s album, The Life of Pablo. The success of the album helped catapult the song to number one.
“Black Beatles” owes much of its success to the “Mannequin Challenge,” which was another example of people ultimately deciding which songs became a commercial success. Also, it cannot be ignored that the success of “Black Beatles” led to Gucci Mane being featured on a number one single. What a time!
Artists no longer have to rely on creating songs with a pop sound in order to achieve commercial success. This creates more opportunities for hip-hop artists to achieve success without relying on major label support. Power is placed in the hands of the artists and the people. Thanks to social media, people decide what achieves commercial success now more than ever.
