Biggest gain in airplay. Ayo, Keyz Cardi B, M. Pete, A.
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Then the song started moving units in the millions and climbed its way up the US Billboard charts, peaking at number 36 in , and at number three on the UK Singles Chart. Hip-hop is pop culture now. Hip-hop has become a dominant cultural force, driving conversations about music, literature, and entertainment forward. Cardi B and Common are movie stars. Young Thug has created a wake of imitators that span genres and sounds. And it has become a truly global phenomenon, crossing ethnic, linguistic, and geographical boundaries. We asked critics, artists, tastemakers, producers, and photographers from 15 different countries to name their personal top five hip-hop tracks of all time. You can read more on the dearth of female MCs in our list here.
In the later half of the s, hip-hop music officially became the most dominate genre in America. And meanwhile, the line between hip-hop and pop has become almost non-existent, as pop music adopted the production, writing, and vocals of rap. But, this year marked a time when the wide influence of hip-hop went even wider. The likes of Rosalia and J Balvin push the sounds of flamenco and Reggaeton further into the forefront of American mainstream music, Lil Nas X is challenging dominant genre labeling and blurring the lines between hip-hop and country music. This is what makes rap the most exciting style of music today. At times it can be punk rock, it can be political, it can be global. It's been an exciting year already, and these are the best hip-hop songs of so far.
