The world of hip hop welcomes newer talents every day. But only a few of them can acquire the top spots across the world with their talent and creativity.
Hip hop is the most popular musical genre in 2022. Over time the genre has gone through many changes and adopted various new rhythmic influences to enrich the musical form tremendously. Many new faces have acquired quite a bit of popularity leaving the previous generation of musicians behind.
Here is the list of top 10 hip hop and rap songs:
1. ‘Mood’ by 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior
‘Mood’ is the most popular hip-hop song in 2022. It is sung by American rapper 24kGoldn featuring another American hip hop artist Iann Dior. Released on July 24th, 2020, the music video of the track has gained more than 342 million views on YouTube. It is the lead single of the artist’s debut album, ‘El Dorado’ released in 2021. It became immensely popular in recent times after the song went viral on the video-sharing app Tik Tok.
2. ‘Astronaut In The Ocean’ by Masked Wolf
The second hottest hip-hop song of this year is ‘Masked Wolf’ by Australian artist Masked Wolf. The song was originally released in June 2019 and it was re-released on January 6th, 2021 through Electra Records. It became highly popular after it got attention on social media being heavily used in Tik Tok videos. It has more than 294 million views on YouTube and 32 million streams on Spotify. It peaked at number 6 on Billboard Hot 100 after its re-release.
3. ‘Up’ by Cardi B
‘Up’ is the second single of American hip hop artist Cardi B’s upcoming second album. It is released through Atlanta Records and has 217 million views on YouTube. It reached the number one spot on US Billboard Hot 100 list making the artist the only female rapper with multiple chart-topping solo singles. She also received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 2022 Grammys for the single.
4. ‘Industry Baby’ by Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow
Popular American rapper Lil Nas X’s hit single ‘Industry Baby’ is one of the most viewed and listened to hip-hop singles in 2022. The music video of the song has over 314 million views on YouTube. It is heavily used in videos on Tik Tok, making it viral all over the world. Released through Columbia Records on July 23rd, 2021, the song debuted at the number 2 spot and soon reached the number 1 spot on Billboard Hot 100 chart.
5. ‘Rapstar’ by Polo G
American rapper Polo G gained massive fame for his hit single, ‘Rapstar’ released on April 9th, 2021. It is a part of his third studio album ‘Hall of Fame’. The music video has more than 155 million views on YouTube. It is also the artist’s first number one song on Billboard Hot 100 in the US. It was also at the number one spot on both Apple Music and Spotify in the US on its first day of release.
6. ‘Calling My Phone’ by Lil Tjay and 6lack
At the number 6 spot on the top 10 rap songs 2022 list is ‘Calling My Phone’ by Lil Tjay and 6lack with more than 134 views on YouTube. Released on February 12th, 2021, the song debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 list. It was released through Columbia and Sony Records. The track is extremely popular among global hip-hop fans looking for a romantic and sublime lyrical ballad.
7. ‘What You know Bout Love’ by Pop Smoke
The song, ‘What You Know Bout Love’ is part of hip hop artist Pop Smoke’s first album, ‘Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon’ released in 2020. The track is co-written by the artist himself. Its music video has received more than 82 million views on YouTube. It reached the number 9th spot on Billboard Hot 100 and number four spot on UK Singles Chart.
8. ‘Best Friend’ by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat
Released on January 7th, 2021, the song, ‘Best Friend’ by Saweetie featuring Doja Cat has received 201 million views on YouTube so far. It is the third single from the artist’s upcoming first album, ‘Pretty Bitch Music’. Both Saweetie and Doja Cat have co-written the song along with Asia Smith, Kaine, Dr. Luke, and more. It received a nomination for the Best Rap Song at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
9. ‘Wants and Needs’ by Drake featuring Lil Baby
‘Wants and Needs’ is the hit single by Canadian hip hop artist Drake released on March 5th, 2021. Fellow rapper Lil Baby has been featured in the song. It is a part of Drake’s fourth extended play, ‘Scary Hours 2’. Released through Republic Records and OVO Sound, the song has received over 16 million views on YouTube. It debuted at the number 2 spot on Billboard Hot 100 after its release.
10. ‘Beat Box’ by SpotemGottem featuring Pooh Shiesty
This is the debut single of American hip hop artist SpotemGottem. He has collaborated with fellow rapper Pooh Shiesty for the song, ‘Beat Box’. Released on December 18th, 2020, the music video has gained more than 65 million views on YouTube.The soundtrack is a part of his debut mixtape, ‘Final Destination’. The song became insanely popular after it was widely used in the video-sharing app Tik Tok. Famous American rapper DaBaby released a freestyle version of the song creating a remix named ‘Beat Box 3’.
Newer hip hop songs are coming in every day and despite being not from popular artists, they are becoming vastly popular online because of their unique sound and characteristics.