During the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, music videos have been the lifeblood in keeping fans connected to their favorite artists visually.
Vevo has shared their Top 10 Hip Hop Artists, Top 10 Hip Hop Videos and Top 10 Hip Hop Premieres with HipHopDX and the list features a healthy mix of today’s biggest rappers and unwavering fan favorites.
Lil Baby’s commanding $100K-a-verse breakout year has resulted in viewership growing in a +262 percent (+116.1 million views) on his channel from June 2019 to June 2020. The end result adds yet another notch on the Atlanta-bred star’s designer being, making him the top artist across Vevo’s board.
1. Lil Baby (676.79M)
Some of his 2020 hit records include “We Paid,” “The Bigger Picture” and “Emotionally Scarred” and the success of him topping the Nielsen Music/MRC Data’s 2020 midyear charts in June has bled over into his music video prominence.
Future and Drake’s “Life is Good” is the No. 1 most viewed video of 2020 with still 3 months of action left. As of press time, Julian Christian Lutz-directed video is encroaching 1 billion views. It also sports 4X the views than the second-largest video; a feat that should surprise no one seeing it was certified 6X platinum last month.
2. Future (482.98M)
Out of the 24 top 50 video premieres, Hip Hop content makes up 24 of them, totaling 60 percent of collective views with 6.58B total views.
Jordan Glickson, Vevo’s Vice President of Music & Talent, tells DX the artists should take note of all the artistic muscle that went into the making of “Life Is Good” if they want to duplicate the success.
“This video combined all of the major ingredients of a blockbuster,” Glickson says. “Two superstars – not just in Hip Hop, but across all genres – making a unique and memorable video. However, we’ve seen that what is also helping Hip Hop dominate are the new breed of stars consistently releasing new content.”
Artists may have to focus on volume just as much as quality these days but the payoff is worth it for those directly connecting with their fanbases.
“Instead of releasing one video every 4-6 months, new stars like Lil Baby and Moneybagg Yo are dropping new videos about once a month, combined with Vevo Ctrl performances, audio videos, and additional content,” Glickson explains. “This is keeping them on top of the public consciousness and helping grow their audiences significantly,” he continued.
3. Post Malone (213.82M)
Vevo’s well-curated live performance endeavor Ctrl At Home has allowed fans to take in a concert feel while simultaneously giving artists a stage for their music that may grow outdated once the world opens back up again. It’s an initiative that has worked well for all global demographics for it bridges entire continents together through the power of live music.
“Ctrl At Home gave us a unique opportunity to collaborate with artists because regardless of where the artists are based, our production team was able to work with them to film a session,” Glickson continues. “Since March, we’ve shot with artists in L.A., Atlanta, Miami, even South Africa, but I must say we are excited about re-opening our Brooklyn studio this fall to resume filming Ctrl the way it was initially envisioned.”
4. Travis Scott (171.92M)
The internet’s established dominance has also changed the very fabric of Hip Hop viewing culture. While cable companies wrestle with reported declines and worldwide telecasts such as the MTV VMAs have begun to group social media numbers within their ratings, Vevo has seen an uptick in the way fans are consuming the content.
In other words, music video enjoyment has evolved well past the smartphone and home computer.
“Beyond working with artists on Ctrl, we’ve seen viewers watching these performances, and all of our videos, differently,” Glickson explains. “There’s been a huge increase in viewers on Connected TV – watching Vevo on Samsung TV, Pluto Tv, Roku, Amazon, Apple, and more – and watching for longer. Most mobile viewers watch a video or two at a time and TV viewers are watching approximately for 30 minutes.”
5. Drake (166.42M)
When asked about collaborations, Glickson also touched on the possibility of super collaborations — as in the “Ladies Night” dream song Flo Milli just put into the universe. During a recent interview with DX, the Ctrl At Home alum expressed her desire to create an updated mega-mix of the Lil Kim classic featuring Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Mulatto, Rico Nasty, Omeretta, Kash Doll and Trina.
Given all their resources, Glickson says that request is very doable.
“We love Flo Milli,” he says. “We’ve been following her for about a year now, and have worked with her on both Ctrl and Ctrl At Home this year. We’d love to collaborate on a very special episode of Ctrl for ‘Ladies Night.’ Flo, call us. Let’s make it happen.
With 26 billion monthly views globally 450,000 music videos (and growing) on its server, Vevo will continue to make life in a pandemic easier. Click here to see which one of your favorite artists has performed for Ctrl At Home.
Check below for the rest of this year’s Top 10 entries