Tag: hits

Classic Hip-Hop, Rap, and R&B Hits Spiked After Yesterday’s Halftime Show

February 14, 2022

The halftime show of the Big Game garners as much excitement and anticipation as the gridiron rivalry itself, and last night was no exception. In Los Angeles, while the players hit the locker rooms, icons Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar, along with surprise guests 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak on drums, pumped up viewers in the stadium and at home with an electrifying set of hip-hop, rap, and R&B hits.

Halftime Hits

Following the 12-minute performance, fans were ready for more. Listeners turned to Spotify to continue streaming their favorites from the show. Last night, Mary J. Blige saw a lot of love with a more than 520% increase in streams of her song“No More Drama.” Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “The Next Episode” saw more than a 270% increase in streams. The 1999 track “Still D.R.E.” saw an increase of more than 245%, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” saw more than a 250% increase. In the U.S., overall streams of Dr. Dre saw a nearly 185% increase on Spotify in the hour following the game.

’90s and ’00s Nostalgia

Last night’s performances brought back some of the most iconic hits of the 1990s and early 2000s, but the halftime show isn’t the only place listeners are getting a dose of nostalgia—listening to popular tracks from the past has become a big trend on Spotify.

Eminem is one of Spotify’s top-streamed hip-hop artists of all time, with “Lose Yourself” topping the list as the most-streamed track across classic hip-hop, rap and R&B.* Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are two of Spotify’s top-streamed classic hip-hop artists, with “Still D.R.E.” being one of the most popular tracks.

Hometown Pride

Spotify also dug into the data for what listeners in Los Angeles and Cincinnati were playing on Sunday to prepare for the game. 

In Cincinnati, listeners showed spirit for their home team by streaming Bengals-themed tracks like “Welcome To The Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses, “The Bengals Growl (Fight Song)” by Cincinnati Pep Band and ML Music, “Joe Burrow” by Lil Gav, and “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor.

Farther west in LA, Spotify listeners prepped for the eventual Rams victory by cranking up tracks by the halftime performers, including “Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang” by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, “California Love – Original Version” by 2Pac, Dr. Dre, and Roger, “Forgot About Dre” by Dr. Dre and Eminem, and “Money Trees” by Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar.

Check out the “I Love My Classics” playlists if you’re craving more of the hits you heard last night. From LA to ATL, Spotify’s regional playlists (West Coast, Down South, Midwest, and East Coast) give fans the best of the genre.

*“Classic hip-hop, rap, and R&B” refers to anything released pre-2005

Spotify’s 2021 Summer Song Predictions Are Here

June 29, 2021

We’ve been counting the days, and summer has finally arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. As parts of the world begin opening up for outdoor concerts and backyard barbecues, this is sure to be a season dominated by feel-good jams and odes to a fresh start. 

Spotify’s global curation team has been hard at work reviewing streaming numbers, analyzing current track trajectory, and peering into crystal balls—all in service of forecasting what songs may feature heavily on your playlists this summer.

Grab your sunscreen and headphones. Here, in no particular order, are Spotify’s official Songs of Summer predictions:

Ready to bask in the sunshine to a new soundtrack? Stream Spotify’s Songs of Summer playlist.

Swedish Pop Star Tove Lo Kicks Off New Nordic Spotify Studio Program With Veronica Maggio Cover

April 1, 2020

From ABBA to Robyn, pop music remains one of Sweden’s greatest exports. And among the artists who have risen to international acclaim is Tove Lo, who helped us kick off the new Nordic Spotify studio program Studio It’s Hits by covering Swedish pop star Veronica Maggio’s “I’m Coming.”

Studio It’s Hits is an extension of Sweden’s most popular playlist, It’s Hits Sweden. The program invites some of the region’s top artists and songwriters to showcase their talent and creativity—whether by recording a cover, remaking one of their own songs, or releasing something totally new. 

“Our ambition is always to support artist creativity and make a positive impact in their career,” says Johan Seidefors, Head of Content Nordics, Spotify. “Through combining this new studio program with the extension of our biggest and most popular playlists, we can give more artists the chance to come to our studio, record something new, and present themselves to existing and new fans.” 

Tove’s cover was recorded earlier this year in Spotify’s headquarters studio in Stockholm. You might be familiar with the original version, “Jag kommer,” which has remained popular since its release a decade ago.

“This song has been one of my absolute favorites since it came out,” Tove told For the Record. “I have so many memories of it, and I’ve always been so impressed with Veronica Maggio’s way with words. I could never write in Swedish the way she can. It’s the perfect mix of poetic, ‘everyday romance’ and making the Swedish summertime feel epic and melancholic all at once.”

While the original song—which has amassed over 65 million streams on Spotify—was written and recorded in Swedish, Tove recorded her version in English. The song was produced by up-and-coming producer Elvira Anderfjärd.

“It was such a cool challenge to translate something so close to my heart and to work with my band and Elvira in the Spotify Studio. Experimenting and playing around with the sound was the perfect studio experience I know and love.”