Brooklyn-based rapper 6ixNine, whose ‘Gummo’ currently tops the SoundCloud rankings.
SoundCloud has been struggling to differentiate itself. Maybe rappers are doing it for them.
SoundCloud is notorious for birthing big-time rappers. But the platform may be going full-blown hip-hop, thanks to rappers who have doubled-down on the service. And, DJs that have defected.
A quick check of the charts reflects this brand-new reality. Amazing, 50 out of the top 50 ranked songs on SoundCloud belong to rappers. That’s right: not one EDM, r&b, pop, or other genre even makes an appearance.
And not just up-and-coming rappers. These are huge, established names like Post Malone, XXXTentacion, 6ixNine, Lil Uzi Vert, Migos, and Lil Pump, all of whom crowd rap playlists on Spotify and YouTube.
Perhaps most notoriously, Post Malone first uploaded ‘White Iverson’ onto SoundCloud. And the rest, as they say…
Even SoundCloud’s ‘New & Hot’ ranking is stuffed with rappers.
Some are new names, others more established. Rare non-rappers on the list included Chris Brown, Eden, Jackal, and Kasbo.
The last three are reminiscent of an earlier generation of SoundCloud artists. In fact, SoundCloud was once dominated by EDM, with serious music fans poring through the site for fresh sounds. Now, that crowd is getting supplanted by throngs of hip-hop heads.
That top 50 chart is for the US specifically. But similar top-50 rankings in Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom are similarly dominated by hip-hop — though not quite as dominated by it.
Are rappers driving the streaming revolution?
That’s becoming the prevailing thought, with platforms like Spotify increasingly dominated by hip-hop. Part of the reason for that is an aggressively experimental attitude by a newer generation of rappers, one that skips arguments over streaming royalties and focuses on the broader payout possibilities.
For rappers like Post Malone, that shift in thinking has produced rich dividends.
Here’s a look at the current top 50 tracks on SoundCloud (US):
1. 6ix9ine
Gummo [Prod. Pierre Bourne]
2. 6ix9ine
Kooda
3. Post Malone
Rockstar (Feat. 21 Savage)
4. XXXtentacion
A Ghetto Christmas Carol Prod. Ronny J
5. Lil Pump
Gucci Gang
6. XXXtentacion
Fuck Love (Feat. Trippie Redd)
7. Ybn Nahmir
Rubbin Off The Paint (Prod. Izak)
8. XXXtentacion
Up Like An Insomniac (Freestyle)
9. Lil Uzi Vert
The Way Life Goes (feat. Oh Wonder)
10. Migos
Motorsport
11. Lil Xan
Betrayed (Bobbyjohnson)
12. Kodak Black
Roll In Peace (feat. XXXtentacion)
13. XXXtentacion
Hate Will Never Win
14. Gucci Mane
I Get The Bag (feat. Migos)
15. Trippie Redd
Dark Knight Dummo (ft. Travis Scott)
16. XXXtentacion
Red Light! Prod. Ronny J!
17. Nav
Wanted You (feat. Lil Uzi Vert)
18. Ybn Nahmir
Ybn Nahmir X Ybn Almighty Jay – No Hook (Prod By Hoodzone)
19. G-Eazy
No Limit (feat. A$Ap Rocky & Cardi B)
20. Trippie Redd
Trippie Redd & Tekashi69 – Poles1469 [Produced By: Pierre Bourne]
21. Post Malone
I Fall Apart
22. Famous Dex
Pick It Up (feat. A$Ap Rocky) [Prod. By Fki1st And Sosa808]
23. Kodak Black
Codeine Dreaming (Feat. Lil Wayne)
24. Xxxtentacion
Indecision
25. Lil Uzi Vert
Dark Queen
26. Lil Uzi Vert
Sauce It Up
27. A$Ap Ferg
Plain Jane
28. Trippie Redd
Love Scars/You Hurt Me [Produced By: Elliott Trent]
29. Kodak Black
Transportin’
30. Rich The Kid
Rich The Kid Ft. Trippie Redd – Early Morning Trappin (Prod. Lab Cook)
31. Layton Greene
Roll N Peace Remix (Prod. By G. Styles)
32. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
Drowning (Feat. Kodak Black)
33. Worldstar Hiphop Radio
Tay-k – The Race (@Djphattt Exclusive)
34. Youngboy Never Broke Again
No Smoke
35. Lil Uzi Vert
1.5- Xo Tour Llif3 (Produced By Tm88)
36. Trippie Redd
Bust Down/Love Scars 3 [Produced By: Goosetheguru[]
37. Ski Mask The Slump God
Catch Me Outside
38. Landoncube
Lil Skies Ft. Landon Cube “Red Roses” (Prod. @Menohbeats)
39. Young Thug
Relationship Feat. Future
40. Logic
1-800-273-8255 (Feat. Alessia Cara & Khalid)
41. Lil Peep
Awful Things ft. Lil Tracy (prod. by smokeasac x IIVI)
42. Travis Scott
Butterfly Effect
43. Lil Pump
Boss
44. Lil Baby
MY DAWG
45. XXXTentacion
I don’t wanna do this anymore
46. Cardi B
Bodak Yellow
47. Gothboiclique
Lil Peep & Lil Tracy – WitchBlades (Prod. Bighead & YungCortex)
48. Lil Pump
Molly
49. Tee Grizzley
From The D To The A feat. Lil Yachty
50. Joyner Lucas
Joyner Lucas – Gucci Gang Remix
no surprise. I was accidentally let into a secret facebook group with many of the names on that list. They have quite a repost/share network going along with bots running comments and shares too. They talked about subscribing to click farms that could guarantee 30k plays a day.