As we careen towards the midpoint of the year, the picture of what songs have defined 2025 to date is crystallizing. Perhaps you could’ve pegged who’d be in the discussion far in advance, as the likes of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Chapelle Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter (looming to add another single in the very near future) have been some of the year’s biggest winners. As always though, there’s room for surprises, and names like Mariah the Scientist and YoungBoy NeverBrokeAgain loom as big winners on our Tracks report.
Mariah The Scientist Earns A Top Tier Hit With ‘Burning Blue’
Skyrocketing to the top of our rankings last week, Mariah the Scientist can easily be classed with that aforementioned crop of A-listers at this point, already displaying some serious staying power in just under a month in public hands. Fittingly sweltering given its title, the song comes in the lead up to a yet-unnamed, unannounced debut album, yet isn’t a debut effort in any sense of the word.
Truthfully, Mariah was a breakthrough artist below the surface this whole time, well known in hip-hop circles for splashy collaborations and of course, her relationship with Young Thug even amid his legal scandal. While “Burning Blue” does seem like a perfect confluence of events, finally packaging the singer’s talents in an accessible enough package to finally crack top 10 discussions, a breakout single of this type, to our ears, was always a matter of when not if.
YoungBoy NeverBrokeAgain Dot The Lower Ranks
On the other side of the spectrum, YoungBoy NeverBrokeAgain is returning to his hit making ways. Though his recent streak predates this development, a federal pardon certainly brought his name back into the ether. On the merits of music alone, “Shot Callin,” “Finest,” “Top Tingz,” and “Where I Been” each linger from the 50 spot through 150 for us. That doesn’t even take into consideration his link-up with Ye, “Alive,” itself embroiled in a mini beef with Playboi Carti. YoungBoy has never been a stranger to controversy, nor to heavy rotation with the general public, and it appears both those talents are very much back on the menu.
As always, you can catch all the music mentioned throughout this piece wherever you stream your music.
