A still of this week’s biggest stars, Drake & 21 Savage.
Welcome to Music Daily‘s Trending Tracks, a weekly roundup of the biggest movers on our chart that tells you what songs are really making waves. As always, a mix of oldies and new risers make up this batch, but they’re all very much worthy of your attention. Starting off with…
Three Years Later, Drake & 21 Savage Keep “Knife Talk” Rolling
Importantly, though “Knife Talk” was from the first Drake & 21 Savage collaboration, it did precede their emergence as a duo. Her Loss and subsequent releases that stamped their inseparable on-mic status partially came on due to the success of “Knife Talk.” Perhaps those behind-the-scenes politics play a role in what makes this song endure nearly 40 months after its original release. Or maybe the cause is a lot simpler. Either artist holds on to top 10 billing in the industry, and as Project Pat’s influence spreads further and further (see Hanumankind- Big Dawgs), the frigid single looks more & more ahead of its time.
“I Am Not Okay” Continues Jelly Roll’s Star Turn
Arguably the most surprising breakout star of the last few years, Jelly Roll keeps notching bigger & bigger accomplishments following his “Son Of A Sinner” moment in 2022. Nearly two decades into his career, the Tennessee native has carved out a sizeable lane in country with incredibly vulnerable music, a paradoxical premise for those who chalk the genre up to guns, beer & trucks. His presence on the latest Eminem album proved crossover potential, but tracks like “I Am Not Okay” speak to the resonant nature of his solo material. Its rocketing success may be a bad sign for the state of the average music listener, but Jelly Roll continues to provide an auditory shoulder to cry on and a stable presence on our chart.
Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” Goes Country To Big Results
Post Malone has always wanted to do country in some regard. Simply reading his profile on paper, the Southern crooner could credibly be called miscast in hip-hop despite multiple platinum singles & albums, and even within the bounds of his bonafide rap projects, the seeds of a folksier turn were always there. As his material ventured further and further from “White Iverson” fare and into collaborations with Ozzy Osbourne, the moment was ripe to branch out in the biggest way yet.
F1 Trillion rocketed to a quarter of a million sales in its first week and a #1 overall placement, boasting a slew of country legends past & present. None buzzier than Morgan Wallen, himself a current face of the genre. It’s thus no shock that the song marches on as the defining country track of 2024, and we’re not expecting it to fall out of public graces even into the new year.
Lil Yachty Helps Ian & “Hate Me” Reach The Mainstream
Buzzy singles and rising stars, for better or for worse, are commonplace in hip-hop, even more so as the genre challenges pop music for the dominant global sound. What is rare is serious ripple effects in the wake of them, something Ian served up following his debut album. After a maligned interview appearance, Tyler, The Creator questioned the presence of actors who seemingly parody and disregard the history of the artists they reference, stating the trend stings doubly so: “I hold rap music so close to my heart ’cause this s*** changed my life.”
Despite the controversy, the industry doesn’t move as a monolith, and the trendy online rapper nabbed a genuine with “Hate Me.” Lil Yachty hopped on the 808-laden track alongside him, and as a cherry on top, noted star-making platform Lyrical Lemonade hosted the music video and launched the single via its various platforms. Either you take the song as a simple banger or a worrying marker of where hip-hop currently stands, but as the saying goes, “all press is good press”—exactly why it’s positioned as one of our biggest risers.
Drake & 21 Savage Earn Another Riser With “It’s Up”
Typically operating on a yearly album cycle, we’d be about due for a new Drake project in a vacuum. Obviously, 2024 has brought complications for Champagne Papi, likely shelving a new LP for the foreseeable future (to his credit, he also promised a prolonged break post-For All The Dogs). However, Toronto’s own returned for a short EP in the interim, 100 gigs, a collection of loose singles very much in the tradition of his own Dark Lane Demo Tapes, albeit a bit briefer in runtime.
Tracks like “Housekeeping Knows” and “No Face” still earn major radio play, but “It’s Up” alongside 21 Savage and Young Thug has emerged as the true standout. Uniting a trio that collectively ruled the 2010s airwaves and is still poised to continue their run into another decade is likely the biggest driver here, but despite higher & hotter competition than ever, Drizzy’s Midas Touch remains unchanged.
