9.30.2020
TikTok Treats, Week Of September 28th
How Pop Smoke, 24kGoldn, Flo Milli, and Other Artists Have Inspired Multiple Trending Sounds on TikTok
The News:
TikTok has a reputation for plucking songs from obscurity and turning them into hits, but scoring TikTok hits is more than just a matter of chance. A growing number of artists have developed a knack for scoring viral hits, inspiring multiple trends with their music. Below, take a look at some artists who the TikTok community just can’t leave alone:
- Houston legend BeatKing scored a TikTok hit earlier this year when he connected with Queendome Come for “Then Leave” (1.8 million video creations), a bass-heavy Texas club stomper. The Columbia Records signee is trending once again with “Thick,” another twerk-happy anthem produced by DJ Chose, which has over 1.3 million combined video creations in less than one month. The song inspired a viral dance challenge, created by user @janeciajanel, as TikTok users get down with the thickness.
- With her infectious attitude and ready-made catchphrases, Flo Milli is one of the most popular rappers to emerge from TikTok in recent months. Flo Milli got her start when TikTok influencer @nicemichael picked up her “Beef (FloMix),” a freestyle over a Playboi Carti beat, and created a dance to it. The combination of Flo Milli’s bad girl rhymes and the video game-esque beat proved to be a hit (609k creations). After another Flo Milli single (“In The Party,” 440K creations) went viral in Summer 2019, helping the Alabama-born rapper to sign a deal with RCA. Now, over a year after “Beef” and “In The Party” took the app by storm, the song “May I” is following in their viral footsteps. With over 320k video creations, “May I” gets its power from a viral dance created by @nexttojer, which incorporates the song’s prominent handclaps, and reached the ears of several prominent TikTok influencers.
- Alt-R&B riser Fousheé took a roundabout route to TikTok fame. Her haunting, smoky alto first surfaced on “Deep End Freestyle,” a TikTok hit and Billboard Hot 100-placing track by Brooklyn rapper Sleepy Hallow (over 800k combined creations). Initially uncredited on the song, Fousheé turned to TikTok to prove that the ghostly voice in the song’s repeating hook couldn’t possibly belong to anyone else. Now, months after “Deep End Freestyle” made its mark, Fousheé is trending on TikTok with her own version of “Deep End.” With over 71k video creations, the new trending “Deep End” sound emphasizes a different part of the song, as TikTok users dance, apply gel manicures, and even drum along to Fousheé’s rhythmic patter.
- Pop Smoke‘s posthumous album Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon is one of the most successful albums of the year, and at least three of its songs have inspired TikTok trends, including the romantic “Mood Swings” (2.4 million video creations). Since the peak of “Mood Swings” mania in August, TikTok users seized upon the guitar-driven rap ballad “For The Night” (1.1 million creations), and, most recently, they’ve come around to album track “What You Know Bout Love,” which started trending at the beginning of the month, fueled by a dance created by user @willdevane. Sweeping bedrooms, football fields, and dentist offices nationwide, “What You Know Bout Love” has 2.9 million video creations and recently re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time since Pop’s album dropped in July (currently sitting at #53). Meanwhile, Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon is on track to return to the top spot on the Billboard 200 for the first time in months.
- No talk about repeat TikTok hitmakers would be complete without 24kGoldn. Released during his freshman year at USC, 24kGoldn’s “Valentino” was one of the first rap hits to catch fire on TikTok, generating over 827k video creations and propelling the then-18-year-old to his first Hot 100 hit. He proved his knack for crafting TikTok hits when his song “City of Angels” (450k video creations) trended in late 2019. He’s had his biggest success yet with “Mood,” a guitar-heavy collaboration with iann dior and one of the year’s biggest TIkTok hits (1.4 million video creations). “Mood” has conquered more than just TikTok, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, topping Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart for weeks on end, and reaching #1 on Spotify’s Global Top 50. An active user of the platform, don’t be surprised if 24kGoldn keeps making TikTok hits for years to come.
- Dallas rapper 10k.Caash is a prolific TikTok hitmaker, creating several viral sounds with his beat-shifting bite-sized bangers. His tracks are purpose-built for short-form success, as most are only slightly more than one minute long, but still pack the beat-shifts, drops, and evocative lyrics that spark trends. The “Woah” originator scored millions of video creates in 2019 and 2020 on energetic anthems like “Kerwin Frost Scratch That” and “West Coast Cure,” and now he’s back with “Left Knee,” his latest trending smash. Kickstarted in August with a dance that Caash created himself, the song had a slow and steady build to trending status, surpassing 200k creations by late September. “Left Knee” is ideal for early Halloween pranks, taking a baseball bat to surprisingly resilient fruit, or putting a scare into fantasy football managers across the nation.
As TikTok grows as a destination for music appreciation and discovery, the musical tastes of its community grow more influential in shaping the pop landscape. While many TikTok hitmakers are natural stars who would succeed on any platform, the above artists make music that appeal to the particular affinities of TikTok’s user base. Sometimes, TikTok users often respond to a unique quality of an artist’s voice: the late Pop Smoke cuts through every track with his otherworldly rasp, Flo Milli’s buoyant chirp turns playful flexes into cheerleader chants. Other times, users respond to a song’s unique sonic element, like Fousheé’s ghostly repeating hook in “Deep End Freestyle” or the chiming guitar riff in 24kGoldn’s “Mood.” Last but not least, the hits by BeatKing and 10k.Caash, not to mention hits by other party-positive Texas rappers like TisaKorean’s “The Mop,” appeal to users’ basest impulses to go dumb.
Check TikTok’s newsroom for more noteworthy stories: newsroom.tiktok.com
This week, TikTok kicks off Alt-Rocktober, highlighting alternative and indie rock artists on the platform. Tune in at 6pm ET/3pm PT on October 1st to view a LIVE stream with Rivers Cuomo of Weezer.
Check out details about TikTok’s recent partnership with J-Lo & Maluma for their new singles “Pa Ti” and “Lonely”: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/it-starts-on-tiktok-jennifer-lopez-and-maluma
For more info, please contact:
Michelle McDevitt, Andrea Higgins, Erin Treat, Audible Treats
Leah Linder, TikTok
The Background:
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Their mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.
TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Links:
TikTok’s Newsroom: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us
Check out previous editions of TikTok Treats, a weekly newsletter about the most interesting music happenings on TikTok:
TikTok Salutes Its #FamiliaLatina: Music Stories from Latinx Heritage Month
Big Sean, Charlie Puth, Classical Harp, and More From TikTok
David Guetta, Sada Baby, and Rick James Are Having a Moment on TikTok
BTS Hits #1, Kendrick Plants Money Trees, and More From TikTok
Dua Lipa Levitates, J. Cole Soundtracks Glow-Ups and More TikTok Stories
TikTok: The “WAP” Dance Challenge, Folklore, La Roux, and More Provide Joy and Catharsis
Charlie Puth, Pop Smoke, and More Trending TikTok Stories
Artists Unite to Say #SaveTikTok
How TikTok Users Use the App to Boost Their Musical Careers
TikTok Doesn’t Just Mint New Hits…It Revives Old Ones
These International TikTok Artists and Hits Eliminate Language Barriers
Who’s Hot on TikTok? Jason DeRulo, Rod Wave, and More
TikTok Success = Chart Success and the Hot 100 Proves It
TikTok Users and Artists Celebrate #MyPride Through Music
TikTok Promotes a Vibrant Artistic Community with #BlackMusicMonth
