6.7.2023
TikTok Treats, Week of June 5th
Doechii, Kali, and Sexyy Red Capitalize on TikTok Boosts, Plus Trends from beabadoobee & Clairo, The Little Mermaid, and More
The News:
Each week, the TikTok Treats newsletter gives a snapshot of the state of music on TikTok, touching on trending hits, emerging artists, superstar moves, ascendant memes, and much more.
TikTok has been an equalizing force in hip-hop music, acting as a launching pad for the new generation of female rap stars. Artists like Ice Spice, GloRilla, Big Boss Vette, and many others used TikTok to market their music and score massive hits. A scan through the Billboard Hot 100 reveals recent songs by three female rappers–Doechii, Kali, and Sexyy Red–that popped on TikTok before climbing the charts.
Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Doechii used TikTok to show off her impressive artistry, blowing up in 2021 with her song “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.” The song racked up over 435k video creations, inspired TikTok to name her one of the year’s breakout stars in 2021, and helped her earn a deal with acclaimed rap label Top Dawg Entertainment. Doechii is back trending on TikTok this year with “What It Is (Block Boy),” a collaboration with Kodak Black, which has over 2.4 million creations on TIkTok to date (a solo version of the song has over 914k creations). Interpolating Trillville’s “Some Cut” and showing off Doechii’s stellar vocals, “What It Is” inspired a viral dance, choreographed by @itsairacasim, and struck a chord with creators who wanted a fly song to lip sync with a grainy filter, or soundtrack their wetsuit mishaps. The song currently sits at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100, but Doechii isn’t resting on her laurels–the 24-year-old artist recently kicked off a “What It Is” #openversechallenge, welcoming her fellow creators to add their melodies, rhymes, or melodic rhymes.
On the less wholesome end of the spectrum lies Sexyy Red, a St. Louis native whose song “Pound Town” has become the X-rated song of the summer. Since its release in early January, “Pound Town” has become an anthem for single ladies across the USA, racking up over 144k video creations and peaking at #7 on TikTok’s weekly trending charts. The Tay Keith-produced “Pound Town” has earned co-signs from the likes of Cardi B, GloRilla, and more, notching its biggest co-sign yet when Nicki Minaj hopped on the “Pound Town 2” remix. “Pound Town 2” sits at #66 on the Hot 100, after reaching #1 on iTunes over the weekend. On TikTok, Sexyy Red is doing her part to make Summer 2023 a Sexyy Summer, popping champagne as she previews new music, teaching toddlers inappropriate words, and duetting videos from her fans.
Kali has the highest-charting hit of these three breakout rap stars, with her song “Area Codes.” The Atlanta rapper first turned heads on TikTok in 2020 with her song “Do A B*tch” (190k videos), breaking out even further in 2021 with “MMM MMM” (540k), which eventually inspired a remix featuring Latto and Moneybagg Yo. First revealed in a casual video on TikTok in February, just in time for Valentine’s Day, “Area Codes” has grown into a major TIkTok hit, soundtracking hairstyle glow-ups, makeup transitions, and much more. The song is a particular favorite of LSU basketball star, Angel Reese, who has used the song in multiple videos. With over 540k videos to date, Kali’s “Area Codes” reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100, as Kali takes to TikTok to explain the song’s lyrics, hang with Sexyy Red, and take the “Area Codes” quiz (she made the song and didn’t get a 100?).
These three examples barely scratch the surface of rising female rappers who found a home on TikTok–pay attention to Maiya The Don, iCandy, Lay Bankz, and many more, who easily could reach the Hot 100 in the near future.
Check out more recent trends and tidbits from the world of music on TikTok:
- The 2023 adaptation of The Little Mermaid has been winning over the hearts of viewers around the world, especially those on TikTok. Creators have embraced Halle Bailey’s dazzling version of the iconic 1989 film’s song “Part of Your World” (198K+ creations) having their adorable pets and babies do their best mermaid under the sea impression with TikTok’s “Water Surface” filter. Jodi Benson, the original 1989 Little Mermaid actress and songstress, has been using the song to embrace Halle Bailey on the movie premiere blue carpet and take charming photos with emotional moms and their daughters who are dressed up in princesses dresses with their Little Mermaid doll. Halle Bailey celebrated the film’s #1 worldwide box office debut by going to the theater incognito to enjoy the film.
- Alt pop singer-songwriter beabadoobee’s “Glue Song” ft. Clairo soundtracks a TikTok trend that helps creators find out the relationship “green flags,” or positive traits, of their future partners. With help from the low-key indie pop collaboration, the green flags filters, created by @e122a and @ellewintermusic, reveal that creators’ future lovers will buy them flowers out of the blue and be incredibly motivated and ambitious. Some creators even compare their own green flags to their red flags and end up with hilarious contradictions. With over 67K+ creations, the green flags trend has propelled the song to the #26 spot on TikTok’s U.S. Viral Chart.
- Michigan rap has long been a treasure trove for sourcing sounds on TikTok, with recent popular tracks like “Perc & Sex” by YN Jay (551k total creations) and “2 Million Up” by Peezy (202k total creations) keeping the subgenre in rotation. As the weather heats up, creators have found a new Detroit rap smash to soundtrack their summer with “Whoop That” by RealRichIzzo. With its explosive sound and brash, unapologetic lyrics, creators are flocking to the sound to distract themselves from work, distract themselves from sad thoughts, or even absolve their kids from all distractions until 2060.
TikTok will have a presence at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity from June 19-June 23. Artists, TikTok creators, and TikTok executives will be on the ground and available for interviews all week long. Please contact Leah Linder if you will be at Cannes Lions and are interested in seeing what TikTok has in store.
Visit TikTok’s Newsroom for more noteworthy stories: newsroom.tiktok.com
For more info, please contact:
Michelle McDevitt, Annjie Houston, Destiny Riley, T’Keyah Hayes, 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/
Check out previous editions of TikTok Treats, a weekly newsletter about the most interesting music happenings on TikTok:
TikTok Trends Assemble: Fresh x Reckless, Taylor Swift & Much More
Madonna, Brent Faiyaz, Destroy Lonely & More from Music on TikTok
On TikTok: De La, Bieber, Tank & The Bangas, and More
On TikTok: The “Buddy Holly” Lick, Dogg Transformations, and More
RiRi Returns, Superstar Pride Shines, and TikTok Trends That Prove
On TikTok: Skrillex & Fred Again.., Philly Club, and New Trends From Rising Artists
Grammy Winners, Mariah’s “Wrap,” “Mrs. Right,” and more
Celine Brings It All Back, Tech N9ne Celebrates the Chiefs, Plus More TikTok Music Stories
Pink Floyd’s New Great Gig, PARTYNEXTDOOR’s Sped Up Makeover, & More on TikTok
Miley and Shakira Get Petty, Miguel’s “Sure Thing” Revival, and More TikTok Music Stories
TikTok Welcomes 2023 with Timbaland Jams, K-Pop Bangers, and Multilingual Raps
Music on TikTok: 21 Savage, Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse, and Ice Spice Headline a Star-Studded Week of Trends
SZA’s ‘SOS’ Signal, Coi and Busta Mash Up, Plus More TikTok Trends to Close Out 2022
Metro & The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Baile Funk and More TikTok Trends to Warm Up The Winter
2022 For You: TikTok’s Top Songs, Artists, and Music Stories of 2022
Blink 182, Lil Yachty, Cardi & GloRilla, and More from Music On TikTok
Taylor Track Reveals, Sam Smith + Kim Petras, and More From Music on TikTok
BLACKPINK, Steve Lacy, and The Smashing Pumpkins Lead a Busy Week of Music on TikTok
On TikTok: ‘Yonce, Yeat, Lizzo, SZA and More
TikTok’s 2021 Music Report: Key Takeaways
TikTok Reveals Top Songs of 2021, Incl. Doja Cat, Coi Leray and More