On The YouTube Charts [6/16/17–6/23/17]
[A weekly check-in on YouTube Top 20 songs in the United States, along with additional observation of regional charts.]
- Luis Fonsi (feat. Daddy Yankee) — “Despacito” (16,842,542 Views) (+2)
- DJ Khaled (feat. Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper, Lil Wayne, & Quavo) — “I’m The One” (16,628,592 Views) ( — )
- Bruno Mars — “That’s What I Like” (16,476,702 Views) (-2)
- Luis Fonsi (feat. Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber) — “Despacito (Remix)” (14,790,906 Views)
- Tee Grizzley — “First Day Out” (14,779,193 Views) (+13)
- DJ Khaled (feat. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller) (13,728, 383) (Debut)
- Post Malone (feat. Quavo) — “Congratulations” (13,562, 044Views) ( — )
- Ayo & Teo — “Rolex” (13,364, 577 Views) (-2)
- Ed Sheeran — “Shape Of You” (11, 870, 445 Views) (+1)
- Future — “Mask Off” (11,232,114 Views) (-5)
- Lil Uzi Vert — “XO Tour Llif3” (11,070, 418 Views) (-3)
- Kendrick Lamar — “HUMBLE.” (10,875,485 Views) (-2)
- KYLE (feat. Lil Yachty) — “iSpy” (8,791,115 Views) (-2)
- Rae Sremmurd — “Swang” (8,791,050 Views) (-2)
- French Montana (feat. Swae Lee) — “Unforgettable” (8,263,991 Views) (-1)
- Playboi Carti — “Magnolia” (7,584,623 Views) ( — )
- Migos (feat. Lil Uzi Vert) — “Bad And Boujee” (6,955,706 Views) (-4)
- Donald Glover — “Redbone” (6,630,119 Views) (-3)
- Selena Gomez — “Bad Liar” ( 6,096,475 Views) (Debut)*
- Migos (feat. Gucci Mane) — “Slippery” (6,045,808 Views) (-3)
*I wanted to say that “Debut” is used here in context of since I’ve been following this particular chart on this blog and that the song may have already entered this chart, but I wasn’t tracking it.
[The #1 Spot] — There isn’t too much more to be said about the continued pop dominance of Luis Fonsi’s hit song “Despacito.” I’m gonna probably keep saying this, but I really do think this song is the beginning of a resurgence of Latin Pop in the United States. A major factor being that YouTube numbers are such a major force in the YouTube charts, and YouTube is the biggest music streaming platform, so it seems to reason that Latin Pop would be able to start making further dents into the United States. Currently the US Top 20 doesn’t feature any other Latin Pop, but when looking at the charts among the largest cities in the country they’re already full of Latin Pop and Reggaeton acts ready to fully break onto the pop charts.
[Tracking Pop’s Final Days] — This is an odd thing to say, as a person wild no stake in the major label pop economy, but I do worry about the future of pop music as a genre with the rise of streaming. It’s a style of music that thrived on radio, an omnipresent and actively passive form of music consumption, which while full of issues is one that if far different than what is being pushed by the likes of Apple Music and Spotify. Services that use playlists to push new music and narratives that are less concerned about genre lines and more interested in shaping music to fit your lifestyle or mood. The other fact in my head is with streaming’s lean towards rap and EDM, it’s even more striking how women tend to struggle on streaming charts. I guess that’s why I wanted to mention “Bad Liar,” which hit at #19 this, because again ignoring Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran, it’s the only pure pop song on here. A pop song that samples the Talking Heads and is actually good, it’s honestly worth a small round of applause. Shout to Julia Michaels!
[Viral or “Viral”] — A friend over the weekend expressed confusion over the popularity of Tee Grizzley and I don’t disagree with her questioning. The dude is fairly vanilla as a rapper, but his song “First Day Out” went up thirteen spots this week and double in the number of views week over week ( 6,113,505 vs. 14,779,193 views) and he can owe that thanks to 2017 NBA Finals loser LeBron James. Who in a post-playoffs workout not only showed off his newly shaved head, but was playing Tee Grizzley in the background. That co-sign sparked the viral #LeBronJamesChallenge, and a with a tweet from Jay Z certainly got Grizzley’s name in the mouths of people previously unfamiliar with the Detroit rapper. Now I very much doubt that 300 Records was able to convince LeBron James to give their artists such a big co-sign, but virality is a lie, so maybe I should give 300 a little more credit.
Regional Hits
If I find another song the rest of this summer as good “I Bet U Won’t” I’ll be shocked. This is some classic 2000s southern rap production form Mouse On Tha Track of “Wipe Me Down” and “Independent” fame. Where his style felt a bit repetitive by the early 2010s, a decade removed from those early hits “I Bet U Won’t” sounds like it’s having so much fun compared to the heavily repetitive style of trap and SoundCloud rap. Partnering with the Mississippi rapper Level, the two of them got a smaller hit to go along with a semi-viral challenge dance. I doubt this song will grow beyond the deep south considering the current place of rap music and how particular dances and trends pop off, but this song is certainly more fun than “Bad and Boujee” or “Black Beatles” could ever hope to be.
Earlier this month Kodak Black was released from jail from a 2016 charge, and while he’s still facing a sexual assault charge from late 2016, he’s currently out and celebrated with the song “First Day Out.” At this point “First Day Out” songs are almost a well defined rap trope at this point, since Gucci Mane recorded “First Day Out” in 2009, a song of the same title launched Tee Grizzley’s career, and Kodak’s version is right now lighting up southern markets. One day I’ll get better at this and figure out the best cities to really look at for these charts, but it’s striking just how much more popular Kodak Black is the further south one goes, which is why I pointed out Columbus, Georgia where the song was at #2.
One of the songs that keeps appearing the Top 20 charts of cities across the country is “Felices Los 4” by the Colombian singer Maluma. Essentially any city (Houston, Los Angeles, New York City) with a sizable Latin community sees this song is the lower reaches of the Top 20. Part of a new wave of Reggaeton that is far more pop than when it originally crossed over in the early 2000s, this new updated sound is so much smoother and clearer that it took a second to even connect the styles. Now if one wants a much primer on contemporary Latin Pop check the New York Times Popcast that features Isabelia Herrera and Julianne Escobedo Shepard. The show cover numerous acts and styles that are hugely popular in Latin America and many pockets of the United States, but is a bit outside of the purview of English speaking music press.
