Tag: juice wrld

Meet The Kid LAROI, Spotify’s Third U.S. RADAR Artist

October 21, 2020

In March, Spotify launched our global emerging-artist program, RADAR, to help artists across all stages of their career use the strength of our platform to deepen connections to their audiences. We recently doubled down on that commitment by launching the RADAR Global Hub, and today we’re continuing to expand RADAR in the U.S. through our newest partnership with teenage hip-hop artist The Kid LAROI.

The 17-year-old rapper, born Charlton Howard, is proving that for the rising generation filled with promising talent, yesterday’s borders are no longer barriers. LAROI was born in Sydney to a mother of Aboriginal descent and a French father, and grew up with his mother and uncle. He was always listening to America’s adored exports (e.g., hip-hop and R&B) and was especially passionate about icons like Tupac, Erykah Badu, The Fugees, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West.

After the tragic death of his uncle in 2015, LAROI and his mother moved into a housing project. To overcome his despair, LAROI honed his music, filling notebooks with rhymes and fine-tuning his lyricism and flow. It wasn’t until he started uploading freestyle videos did he begin to amass an audience to tell his stories to.

Now LA-based, The Kid LAROI has a staggering 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and his name adorns some of Spotify’s most popular playlists, including RapCaviar, Pop Rising, Most Necessary, Internet People, Tear Drop, Hot Rhythmic, and more. LAROI has also cultivated collaborations with leading artists across all genres, including Marshmello, Lil Tecca, Lil Tjay, Lil Mosey, Internet Money, and the late Juice WRLD. His steady stream of hallmark tracks this year are just the beginning, with highly anticipated projects set to release this fall.

“The Kid LAROI is an artist we’ve been watching closely for the last eighteen months,” says Ned Monahan, Spotify’s Head of Global Hits. “LAROI developed a rabid fan base in Australia and then translated it to an even bigger audience in the U.S., which is incredibly rare and speaks to his potential as a global hit maker. The vulnerability and boldness of his music places him at the heart of young music audiences across the world. We can’t wait to see LAROI break on a superstar level.”

As a RADAR artist, LAROI will be featured on our RADAR playlist, he’ll create a Spotify Singles recording, and he’ll receive promotional support for his upcoming releases. The Kid LAROI’s campaign will also include a forthcoming mini-documentary to premiere later this November.

We caught up with the newly anointed RADAR U.S. artist for an inside look at his plans for 2020 and beyond. 

At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to pursue a musical career? What was your first step in making it happen?

Right from the start, honestly. Some of my earliest memories involve music. The first step is actually doing it. You can only do so much planning before it’s time to execute. I was already writing and recording when I could, so getting that studio experience early on was pivotal.

You have been very open about Juice WRLD’s being your mentor. How did that relationship influence your creative process? What memories do you have from touring together?

My biggest memories from Juice is how he always went all out for his fans no matter what while on tour. Regardless of how he was feeling that day or if he wasn’t having the best day, you couldn’t tell once he got onstage, and that’s how I want to be. You have to put the fans first because we wouldn’t be here without them. Working with him definitely expanded my creativity and increased my love for making music.

What are you looking forward to as Spotify’s new U.S. RADAR artist?

Everything. Looking forward to seeing how the fans receive everything. The family’s growing stronger and stronger every day.

How has growing up in Australia influenced your perspective and work ethic as an artist? What has that journey been like transitioning into (and now gaining recognition in) the U.S. market? 

My upbringing really just made me a go-getter. It implanted the work ethic that got me to where I am now. The journey has been fun and challenging so far. Quarantine has kind of slowed things down a bit as far as going out and actually doing shows, but even so it’s been worth it. The transition was made much easier because of my team around me. They make sure I’m always comfortable and at home.

What’s one thing you’d want aspiring artists to know?

Things might not go according to plan to start off, but never give up chasing your dreams.

Stream “This is The Kid LAROI” below. Then get to know other RADAR artists Alaina Castillo, Agnes Nunes, Lous & The Yakuza, CHAII, and more.

It’s RapCaviar’s Fifth Anniversary—Celebrate by Testing Your Hip-Hop Knowledge

May 11, 2020

Welcome to your It’s RapCaviar’s Fifth Anniversary—Celebrate by Testing Your Hip-Hop Knowledge

Who’s the youngest artist to appear on RapCaviar?
Which YBN Cordae song references RapCaviar and Most Necessary?
2 Chainz interviewed inventor Lonnie Johnson for RapCaviar Originals in 2019. What invention did they discuss?
Which was the first Roddy Ricch song to appear on RapCaviar?
Dreamville and Bankrol Hayden released a song with the same title five months apart. They were both featured in RapCaviar. Name the song.
In what city did the first RapCaviar Live concert take place, in 2017?
Which artist was not part of the second RapCaviar Pantheon in 2019?

 

 

What Gamers Are Streaming on Spotify

April 23, 2020

In recent weeks, there’s been an increase in gamers streaming Spotify through their consoles while playing the latest and greatest or their all-time-favorite titles—whether that’s exploring new worlds, fighting crime, or spying on super villains. Plus, streaming of Spotify’s curated video game playlists increased 41% across the entire platform. So, we dug in further to see what gamers have been streaming from their consoles over the last month, from March 16 to April 12.

Clocking in at number one for the top-streamed female artist from video game consoles was Billie Eilish, whose hit song “ilomilo” was actually inspired by and named after a computer game of the same name. Her counterpart for top-streamed male artist was Lil Uzi Vert, followed by Juice WRLD, XXXTENTACION, Bad Bunny, and Roddy Ricch. Ricch’s latest album, perfectly entitled “Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial,” is a sentiment that we can all appreciate right now.

But, that’s not all. One of our most fascinating discoveries was an uptick in streaming during the “early morning” hours from 6 to 9. It may seem like an odd time to be on your gaming console, but the data is clear. If you are going to be stuck at home, why not start your day with the games and music that you love?

Find out what else gamers are streaming on Spotify:

If you have a gaming console, learn how to set up Spotify here. Then, stream our top video game playlist, Top Gaming Tracks.

Spotify’s RapCaviar Pantheon Unveils New Class of Honorees with Cardi B, Jaden Smith, Gunna, and Juice WRLD

April 2, 2019

In 2017, Spotify’s RapCaviar created a real-world Pantheon, complete with life-sized sculptures of the three biggest breakthrough artists of the year. Today, RapCaviar is announcing the return of Pantheon, as well as its 2019 inductees—Cardi B, Jaden Smith, Juice WRLD, and Gunna—four cultural disruptors who are making an undeniable impact on hip-hop.  

Through Pantheon, Spotify equates the art form of rap to the origins of art and civilization. Much like the ancient Greeks, rap has a pantheon of icons, names that are forever etched into culture, and songs that no one will ever forget. This year’s honorees will forever be part of hip-hop’s cultural fabric.

In ancient times, when a hero was celebrated, they were solidified in materials like stone, marble, or bronze in positions that embodied their achievements. The four 2019 RapCaviar inductees will be honored similarly, with masterfully crafted, ornate, life-size sculptures that capture their vibrant personalities. The unique structures in our Spotify activation will be on display to the public at the Brooklyn Museum in New York from April 3-7.

“Spotify is committed to supporting young, innovative artists who also have a positive impact on the music industry, culture, and society,” said Carl Chery, Spotify’s Hip-Hop curator and Head of RapCaviar. “These four bold and fearless artists are striving to make changes with their music, and we’re thrilled to induct them into the program.”

Read a little about each of the artists and their sculptures below.

Cardi B has cemented herself not only as one of the top acts in hip-hop, but also as one of the most important artists in all of pop culture. She was the first solo female rapper to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album with Invasion of Privacy, but her work doesn’t just appeal to rap fans. She’s been bridging the gap between two of the fastest-growing genres in the world (hip-hop and Latin), while setting records along the way. This past year, Cardi owned the cultural conversation, and the phone in her sculpture is a nod to her influence going beyond music.

Cardi B

Juice WRLD’s blurring of the lines between hip-hop, pop, rap, and emo makes him a breakout in every sense of the word—not to mention his debut single, “Lucid Dreams,” which has over 700 million streams on Spotify. His sculpture is inspired by the idea of mythological Greek Titan Atlas—who was condemned to carry the universe—at rest, a nod to the vulnerability in his music.

Juice WRLD

Gunna is your favorite rapper’s new favorite rapper. He has emerged as one of the most popular artists in hip-hop today. Gunna has worked with nearly every notable rapper in the genre over the past few years. He’s earned respect from fans and artists alike, and his music has shown tremendous success on RapCaviar. The snake is a nod to the recurring serpent iconography he uses throughout his visual language.

Gunna

Jaden Smith’s artistry defies convention, and the best is yet to come. His statue represents both his highly conceptual music and his unconventional journey from child actor to rapper and artist. The two heads in his sculpture also signify the dueling characters in Jaden’s music. Jaden’s ever stoic personification in SYRE sits atop his body like any normal head and represents teenage emotion and heartbreak. As SYRE, Jaden holds a screaming head, ERYS, a fiery representation of materialism and anger, to demonstrate how light conquers chaos.

Jaden Smith

The inaugural Pantheon included sculptures of 21 Savage, SZA, and Metro Boomin. This year’s inductees are a reflection of hip-hop today and will continue to shape the genre in the years to come.

The Pantheon was created by Spotify’s in-house team. Creative Director Ibra Ake consulted on the project and directed the films.

Here’s Where Your Favorite Artists Toured the Most in 2018

December 28, 2018

For an artist, there’s nothing like connecting with diehard fans who are sing-screaming your lyrics from the front row; for concert-goers, there’s nothing like seeing the music you’re obsessed with come alive on stage. That’s why we took our passion for music on the road and dug into the touring trends that reached far beyond our platform this year. Because while many of the year’s biggest artists hit the road in 2018, no two tours looked exactly the same.

Want to see for yourself? The proof is in our 2018 touring map. To create it, we looked at the top-streamed artists who played in 10 or more U.S. cities this year.

The map helped us discover some interesting trends—and some pretty weird shapes. While superstars like Nicki Minaj and Kendrick Lamar spent lots of time on the coasts, rising artists like Juice WRLD and Playboi Carti made sure to hit all corners of the country. Beyoncé, Chris Brown, and Twenty One Pilots toured mostly around the perimeter of the U.S., but Zedd, Gucci Mane, and Dan + Shay clustered lots of dates in the middle.

MVPs like SZA, Kane Brown, and Migos toured throughout the year, but some shorter tours, including Lana Del Rey’s, included stops in Hawaii (and hopefully some beach time).

We also checked out which artists played which cities the most. Texas hip-hop collective Brockhampton played New York seven times, while Rich the Kid, originally from Queens, played L.A. a record 12 times. Perhaps most impressive were the Chainsmokers, who hit Las Vegas a whopping 45 times (although their Vegas residency might have had something to do with that).

Click on each artist to dig deeper into where, when, and how they toured throughout the year. When you click on 5 Seconds of Summer, you’ll see that the Aussies covered lots of ground in the U.S. from April to December. (And to get back to the original map, just click the tab on the top left or the X button at the top right.)

Dive in below—no van required.

Stream hits from these artists and more of the year’s biggest stars here in our Top Artists of 2018 playlist.