Last May, we published a comprehensive list of every hip-hop artist with at least one million active monthly listeners on Spotify. It’s possible we missed a few here and there, but in total, 212 artists made the cut.
Just shy of eight months later, we have once again jumped into the Spotify saddle to take note of the hip-hop acts presently boasting more than one million active monthly listeners on the world’s most popular streaming service (we are now at 270), but this time around we have a second data point in our set. Each ranking is as follows:
- Artist Name (Change in Number of Monthly Listeners Since May 2017) (“Most Popular Song” – Play Count of Most Popular Song)***
***Note: Since we are at the whim of Spotify’s public data, our options for Most Popular Song are limited to the ten choices in the Popular section of an artist’s page, from which we’ve selected the one with the highest play count. For some artists, like Tyler, The Creator and Lil Durk, this means that selections from our last ranking have been replaced by the most-played song in the current selection of highlighted tracks.
If you want to know who (or what) is running the music industry right now, look no further than the data that is being collected by on-demand streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. With this in mind, before you review the complete list below—which, like last time, includes a number of R&B artists whose sound and image are synonymous with hip-hop—let’s take a look at the most interesting analytical nuggets that we found.
- Post Malone (+25M), Eminem (+20M), Lil Pump (+20M), Beyoncé (+18M) and NF (+17M) saw the biggest increases in active monthly listeners from May 19, 2017, to January 2, 2018.
- Drake (-10M), Kehlani (-8M), Kendrick Lamar (-7M), KYLE (-6M) and Ty Dolla $ign (-5M) saw the biggest decreases in active monthly listeners from May 19, 2017, to January 2, 2018.
- While recency is primarily responsible for the astronomical monthly listenership of several of the most popular acts—Post Malone (39M) currently has a massive hit single (“rockstar”), Eminem (37M) and G-Eazy (28M) just released new albums—the correlation between an act’s number of active monthly listeners and when they last released new music isn’t as straight a line as you’d imagine. Six of the 18 most popular acts have not released new music (that has been added to Spotify) in at least the past three months.
- The number of acts who currently have more than 30 million active monthly listeners doubled from two (Drake, Kendrick Lamar) to four (Post Malone, Eminem, Beyoncé and Khalid). The number of acts who currently have more than 20 million active monthly listeners jumped from eight to 14.
- Many “old school” acts saw an increase in their monthly listener totals, including DMX (+2.9M), 2Pac (+2.5M), Snoop Dogg (+2.5M), OutKast (+2.1M), Notorious B.I.G (+1.5M).
- 14-year-old Atlantic Records rapper Bhad Bhabie currently has more monthly listeners (1.6M) than Action Bronson (1.5M), CyHi The Prynce (1.3M), Big K.R.I.T. (1.3M), J.I.D (1.2M) and Ab-Soul (1.1M).
- Sage The Gemini has almost double the number of monthly listeners (3.8M) as Anderson .Paak (2.3M).
- Tyga has more monthly listeners (7.2M) than 6LACK (6.8M), Pharrell (6.1M), Kid Cudi (6M), Mac Miller (5.4M) and ScHoolboy Q (5.3M).
- Big Shaq of “Man’s Not Hot” fame has more monthly listeners (11.6M) than Young Thug (11.1M), J. Cole (10.3M) and 2 Chainz (10.2M).
While running through the list, it’s important to keep five things in mind:
- If your favorite artist doesn’t appear, it’s because they do not currently (as of January 2, 2018) have over one million monthly listeners. Mad? Get to streaming.
- Four artists who appeared on our last list (Danny Brown, Freddie Gibbs, Rich Gang, Bankroll Fresh) do not appear on this newest list because their active monthly listener total dropped below one million.
- Artists like JAY-Z (7.9M) and Dr. Dre (7.7M) have not made their entire catalogs available on Spotify, which is likely due to their relationship with or stake in a competing streaming service. If they did, their monthly listener totals would likely be higher.
- We’re confident we found every single artist that meets our minimum criteria standard—at least one million monthly listeners—but there’s a strong likelihood we did miss a few artists. We will update accordingly moving forward, we promise.
- These numbers are constantly updating, which means some of our published totals might be slightly different than the real-time listing.
To make your browsing experience more friendly, we have separated artists into four tiers based on their total monthly listeners: “We Gonna Make It” (1 to 4.9M), “FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt” (5 to 9.9M), “Kinda Like a Big Deal” (10 to 19.9M) and, finally, “I Got The Keys” (20M+).
And here we go…
“I Got The Keys” (20M+)
39M Post Malone (+25M) (“rockstar” – 621M)
37M Eminem (+20) (“Lose Yourself” – 464M)
35M Beyoncé (+18M) (“Halo” – 363M)
30M Khalid (+17M) (“Location – 418M)
29M Rihanna (+4M) (“Work” – 748M)
28M G-Eazy (+8M) (“Me, Myself & I” – 666M)
28M Drake (-10M) (“One Dance” – 1.3B)
27M Nicki Minaj (-2M) (“Swalla” – 522M)
25M French Montana (+11M) (“Unforgettable” – 662M)
25M Future (-2M) (“Mask Off” – 532M)
24M Kendrick Lamar (-7M) (“HUMBLE.” – 672M)
24M The Weeknd (-4M) (“Starboy” – 889M)
22M Kanye West (+2M) (“FourFiveSeconds – 418M)
21M 21 Savage (+15.5M) (“rockstar” – 621M)
21M Chris Brown (+7M) (“Five More Hours” – 364M)
21M Lil Wayne (+6M) (“I’m The One” – 655M)
21M Lil Pump (+20M) (“Gucci Gang” – 250M)
21M Ty Dolla $ign (-5M) (“Swalla” – 522M)
“Kinda Like a Big Deal” (10 to 19.9M)
19M Migos (+5M) (“Bad and Boujee” – 415M)
19M Lil Uzi Vert (+6M) (“XO Tour Llif3” – 605M)
19M DJ Khaled (-5M) (“I’m The One” – 655M)
19M NF (+17M) (“Let You Down” – 224M)
17M Metro Boomin (+13M) (“X” – 242M)
17M Logic (+5M) (“1-800-273-8255” – 483M)
17M Travis Scott (+5M) (“goosebumps” – 341M)
17M Wiz Khalifa (Even) (“See You Again” – 719M)
16M Kodak Black (+6M) (“Tunnel Vision” – 229M)
16M Big Sean (+1M) (“Bounce Back” – 331M)
16M Cardi B (NEW) (“Bodak Yellow” – 228M)
15M Pitbull (-4M) (“Timber” – 472M)
14.3M Gucci Mane (+4M) (“I Get The Bag” – 135M)
13.8M Offset (NEW) (“Ric Flair Drip” – 89M)
13.1M A$AP Rocky (+6M) (“Fuckin’ Problems” – 296M)
12.7M Machine Gun Kelly (+2M) (“Bad Things” – 317M)
12.6M Flo Rida (NEW) (“My House” – 484M)
12.5M Macklemore (+4.8M) (“Glorious” – 295M)
12.5M XXXTENTACION (+7M) (“Jocelyn Flores” – 216M)
11.8M 50 Cent (+3M) (“In Da Club” – 221M)
11.7M Miguel (+7.6M) (“Sure Thing” – 112M)
11.6M Big Shaq (NEW) (“Man’s Not Hot” – 101M)
11.2M Snoop Dogg (+2.5M) (“Young, Wild & Free” – 361M)
11.1M Young Thug (+1M) (“pick up the phone” – 240M)
10.8M Fetty Wap (+3.3M) (“Trap Queen” – 575M)
10.8M Rae Sremmurd (-1.5M) (“Black Beatles” – 470M)
10.7M A$AP Ferg (+5.7M) (“Work (Remix)” – 99M)
10.5M Quavo (NEW) (“Ice Tray” – 9M)
10.3M J. Cole (Even) (“No Role Modelz” – 395M)
10.2M 2 Chainz (+400K) (“No Problem” – 244M)
“FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt” (5 to 9.9M)
9.8M Childish Gambino (+1.1M) (“Redbone” – 361M)
9.6M NAV (+4.2M) (“Up” – 83M)
9.5M Notorious B.I.G. (+1.5M) (“Hypnotize” – 175M)
9.3M Ne-Yo (+800K) (“Time of Our Lives” – 418M)
9.1M OutKast (+2.1M) (“Hey Ya!” – 281M)
8.9M SZA (+5.9M) (“Love Galore” – 145M)
8.9M A Boogie wit da Hoodie (+2.2M) (“Drowning” – 188M)
8.4M Russ (+2.2M) (“Losin Control” – 143M)
8.3M Desiigner (-1.7M) (“Panda” – 677M)
8.3M Lil Yachty (+2.3M) (“One Night” – 153M)
8.0M Yo Gotti (+2.3M) (“Champions” – 130M)
7.9M Bryson Tiller (+1M) (“Don’t” – 348M)
7.9M JAY-Z (Even) (“Ni**as In Paris” – 387M)
7.7M Dr. Dre (+1.5M) (“Still D.R.E” – 231M)
7.7M Jeremih (-800K) (“Don’t Tell ‘Em” – 215M)
7.6M Trey Songz (+600K) (“Slow Motion” – 193M)
7.6M N.E.R.D (NEW) (“Lemon” – 33M)
7.5M Chance The Rapper (-1.2M) (“No Problem” – 244M)
7.4M Frank Ocean (-600K) (“Slide” – 435M)
7.4M Meek Mill (+1.2M) (“All Eyes on You” – 177M)
7.4M Famous Dex (NEW) (“Pick It Up” – 52M)
7.3M 2Pac (+2.5M) (“Ambitionz Az A Ridah” – 118M)
7.2M Tyga (-300K) (“Ayo” – 270M)
7.1M DMX (+2.9M) (“X Gon Give It To Ya” -169M)
7.0M Tory Lanez (+2.2M) (“LUV” – 193M)
6.9M PnB Rock (+2.9M) (“Selfish” – 114M)
6.9M Lil Xan (NEW) (“Betrayed” – 69M)
6.9M Kehlani (-8M) (“Good Life” – 177M)
6.9M KYLE (-6M) (“iSpy” – 390M)
6.8M 6LACK (+2.7M) (“PRBLMS” – 122M)
6.8M Nelly (NEW) (“Dilemma” – 139M)
6.6M B.o.B (+400K) (“Airplanes” – 172M)
6.6M DRAM (-2.5M) (“Broccoli” – 437M)
6.5M T-Pain (+1.9M) (“Buy U A Drank” – 112M)
6.5M Wale (-2.6M) (“My PYT” – 73M)
6.2M YG (+400K) (“Don’t Tell ‘Em” – 215M)
6.1M Amine (+1.4M) (“Caroline” – 301M)
6.1M Pharrell Williams (NEW) (“Happy” – 549M)
6.0M Playboi Carti (+1.9M) (“Magnolia” – 181M)
6.0M Kid Cudi (-300K) (“Pursuit of Happiness” – 188M)
6.0M Mike WiLL Made-It (-1.1M) (“Perfect Pink” – 64M)
5.8M T.I. (-100K) (“Whatever You Like” – 116M)
5.8M PARTYNEXTDOOR (-2.5M) (“Come and See Me” – 205M)
5.8M Timbaland (NEW) (“Apologize” – 101M)
5.5M The Game (+500K) (“Hate It or Love It” – 77M)
5.4M Mac Miller (-100K) (“Donald Trump” – 140M)
5.3M ScHoolboy Q (-400K) (“Man of the Year” – 143M)
5.3M Rick Ross (-1.5M) (“Purple Lamborghini” – 155M)
5.2M Roy Woods (+1.7M) (“Drama” – 101M)
5.2M Fat Joe (Even) (“All The Way Up” – 134M)
5.0M Busta Rhymes (+300K) (“Don’t Cha” – 102M)
5.0M Kid Ink (-1.9M) (“Promise” – 126M)
“We Gonna Make It” (1 to 4.9M)
4.9M Madeintyo (+300k) (“Uber Everywhere” – 139M)
4.6M Stormzy (+500K) (“Shut Up” – 69M)
4.6M Trippie Redd (NEW) (“Love Scars” – 39M)
4.5M Juicy J (+400K) (“Bandz a Make Her Dance” – 65M)
4.3M GoldLink (+1.7M) (“Crew” – 73M)
4.3M Jhené Aiko (+1.7M) (“The Worst” – 84M)
4.3M Jeezy (+1.6M) (“Put On” – 70M)
4.3M Lil Peep (NEW) (“Save That Shit” – 30M)
4.3M Run-D.M.C. (NEW) (“Walk This Way” – 94M)
4.1M Tyler, The Creator (+2.3M) (“Who Dat Boy” – 46M)
4.1M 6ix9ine (NEW) (“GUMMO” – 27M)
4.0M Diddy (+600K) (“I’ll Be Missing You” – 102M)
4.0M Rich The Kid (NEW) (“New Freezer” – 45M)
4.0M Kevin Gates (-800K) (“2 Phones” – 182M)
4.0M Tee Grizzley (+800K) (“First Day Out” – 98M)
4.0M A$AP Mob (+900K) (“Yamborgini High” – 56M)
4.0M Jaden Smith (NEW) (“Icon” – 17M)
3.9M Tinie Tempah (-1.1M) (“Girls Like” – 199M)
3.8M Ice Cube (+800K) (“It Was a Good Day” – 122M)
3.8M Ayo & Teo (Even) (“Rolex” – 161M)
3.8M Joey Badass (-1.8M) (“Devastated” – 122M)
3.8M Sage The Gemini (-2M) (“Now and Later” – 187M)
3.7M Daniel Caesar (NEW) (“Get You” – 63M)
3.7M Vince Staples (+2.1M) (“Norf Norf” – 50M)
3.7M Tay-K (NEW) (“The Race” – 73M)
3.7M Waka Flocka Flame (Even) (“No Hands” – 135M)
3.6M Smokepurrp (NEW) (“Audi” – 54M)
3.6M YFN Lucci (+500K) (“Everyday We Lit” – 84M)
3.6M Nas (+600K) (“If I Ruled The World” – 59M)
3.5M YBN Nahmir (NEW) (“Rubbin Off The Paint” – 34M)
3.5M YoungBoy NBA (NEW) (“Beast Mode” – 24M)
3.5M Pusha T (-500K) (“Don’t Like” – 58M)
3.5M Ludacris (-600K) (“My Chick Bad” – 40M)
3.4M Rich Homie Quan (-700k) (“Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)” – 181M)
3.4M will.i.am (Even) (“Scream & Shout” – 216M)
3.4M Rob $tone (-300K) (“Chill Bill” – 266M)
3.4M Lil Jon (-1.2M) (“Turn Down For What” – 281M)
3.4M Lupe Fiasco (-800K) (“Battle Scars” – 126M)
3.4M Fabolous (Even) (“Into You” – 31M)
3.4M Missy Elliot (+100K) (“Work It” – 69M)
3.3M Remy Ma (-200K) (“All The Way Up” – 134M)
3.2M Ski Mask the Slump God (NEW) (“Catch Me Outside” – 26M)
3.2M Omarion (-600K) (“Post to Be” – 206M)
3.2M Jidenna (+500k) (“Classic Man” – 123M)
3.2M Soulja Boy (+300k) (“Crank That” – 100M)
3.2M Wyclef Jean (NEW) (“Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)” – 35M)
3.1M DJ Mustard (-1M) (“In My Room” – 122M)
3.1M N.W.A (+400k) (“Straight Outta Compton” – 101M)
3.0M Brian (f/k/a Rich Chigga) (+1.8M) (“Dat $tick” – 58M)
3.0M Vic Mensa (+1.1M) (“U Mad” – 45M)
3.0M Young Money (+100k) (“Trophies” – 115M)
2.9M Beastie Boys (NEW) (“Sabotage” – 71M)
2.9M dvsn (+1.4M) (“Hallucinations” – 37M)
2.8M DeJ Loaf (+1.4M) (“Back Up” – 87M)
2.8M Lil Dicky (+400k) (“$ave Dat Money” – 118M)
2.8M August Alsina (+100k) (“I Luv This Shit” – 59M)
2.7M Wu-Tang Clan (+700k) (“C.R.E.A.M.” – 70M)
2.7M Ja Rule (+300k) (“Always on Time” – 62M)
2.7M Lil Baby (NEW) (“My Dawg” – 5M)
2.6M Chief Keef (+400k) (“Love Sosa” – 67M)
2.6M J Hus (NEW) (“Did You See” – 60M)
2.6M H.E.R (NEW) (“Best Part” – 29M)
2.6M Sampha (NEW) (“(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano” – 25M)
2.5M Mobb Deep (+1M)(“Shook Ones, Pt. II” – 70M)
2.5M O.T. Genasis (-500K) (“Cut It” – 129M)
2.5M Young Dolph (+100k) (“Both Eyes Closed” – 24M)
2.5M Kap G (NEW) (“Girlfriend” – 24M)
2.4M Ugly God (+300k) (“Water” – 92M)
2.4M A Tribe Called Quest (+300k) (“Can I Kick It?” – 56M)
2.4M Fort Minor (+300k) (“Remember The Name” – 186M)
2.3M Anderson .Paak (+500k) (“Am I Wrong” – 30M)
2.3M Nebu Kiniza (+300k) (“Gassed Up” – 102M)
2.3M Ying Yang Twins (+200k) (“Get Low” – 109M)
2.3M Jorja Smith (NEW) (“On My Mind” – 15M)
2.2M Cypress Hill (NEW) (“Insane In The Brain – 70M)
2.2M Warren G (+500k) (“Regulate” -109M)
2.2M Jacquees (NEW) (“B.E.D.” – 38M)
2.1M KAYTRANADA (NEW) (“GOT IT GOOD” – 34M)
2.1M Majid Jordan (+800k) (“My Love” – 29M)
2.1M Skizzy Mars (+600k) (“Steady 1234” – 95M)
2.1M Eazy-E (+600k) (“Boyz-N-The-Hood” – 60M)
2.1M Lil’ Kim (+200k) (“Lady Marmalade” – 79M)
2.0M Joyner Lucas (NEW) (“I’m Sorry” – 13M)
2.0M Tech N9ne (Even) (“Hood Go Crazy” – 47M)
2.0M Denzel Curry (+300k) (“Ultimate” – 83M)
2.0M Eric Bellinger (+600k) (“Valet” – 68M)
2.0M Lil Durk (+500k) (“My Beyonce” – 22M)
2.0M Hoodie Allen (+500k) (“No Interruption” – 62M)
2.0M K Camp (-100k) (“Comfortable” – 69M)
2.0M BROCKHAMPTON (NEW) (“GOLD” – 8M)
2.0M Belly (NEW) (“Might Not” – 75M)
2.0M Sevyn Streeter (NEW) (“It Won’t Stop” – 61M)
1.9M Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (+400k) (“Tha Crossroads” – 41M)
1.9M Lloyd Banks (+100k) (“You Don’t Know” – 62M)
1.9M Sabrina Claudio (NEW) (“Confidently Lost” – 11M)
1.9M Baby Bash (NEW) (“Suga Suga” – 87M)
1.8M Cam’ron (+500k) (“Hey Ma” – 44M)
1.8M Isaiah Rashad (+300k) (“4r Da Squaw” – 26M)
1.8M Hopsin (+700k) (“Ill Mind of Hopsin 5” – 38M)
1.8M Mike Stud (+500k) (“These Days” – 47M)
1.8M Eve (+200k) (“Let Me Blow Ya Mind” – 59M)
1.8M $uicideBoy$ (NEW) (“South Side Suicide” – 32M)
1.8M DJ Drama (-200k) (“Wishing” – 58M)
1.8M House of Pain (NEW) (“Jump Around” – 115M)
1.7M E-40 (Even) (“Choices (Yup)” – 39M)
1.7M Jay Critch (NEW) (“Fashion” – 6M)
1.7M Run The Jewels (+500k) (“Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)” – 27M)
1.7M The Roots (+100k) (“The Seed 2.0” – 46M)
1.7M ILoveMakonnen (-700k) (“Tuesday” – 131M)
1.7M Young M.A (-800k) (“OOOUUU” – 143M)
1.6M Dave East (+600k) (“Phone Jumpin” – 9M)
1.6M Skepta (+200k) (“Shutdown” – 45M)
1.6M Lloyd (-100k) (“Tru” – 32M)
1.6M Nipsey Hussle (NEW) (“Killer” – 7M)
1.6M Dreezy (NEW) (“Body” – 54M)
1.6M Bhad Bhabie (NEW) (“Hi Bich” – 16M)
1.5M Jadakiss (NEW) (“Don’t Like” – 58M)
1.5M Bobby Shmurda (-100k) (“Hot N*gga” – 161M)
1.5M Action Bronson (-100k) (“Baby Blue” – 61M)
1.5M LL Cool J (+300k) (“Doin It” – 26M)
1.5M Ace Hood (+200k) (“Bugatti” – 67M)
1.5M Method Man (+200k) (“Da Rockwilder” – 34M)
1.5M D12 (+200k) (“My Band” – 37M)
1.5M 24hrs (NEW) (“Don’t Sleep On Me” – 8M)
1.4M Syd (NEW) (“YOU’RE THE ONE” – 21M)
1.4M Yelawolf (-200k) (“Till Its Gone” – 54M)
1.4M Twista (Even) (“Slow Jamz” – 27M)
1.4M Bow Wow (+300k) (“Shortie Like Mine” – 23M)
1.4M Mos Def (+200k) (“Ms. Fat Booty” – 47M)
1.4M Big Boi (-900k) (“Kill Jill” – 23M)
1.4M Baka Not Nice (NEW) (“Live Up To My Name” – 31M)
1.4M N.O.R.E. (NEW) (“Pobre Diabla” – 13M)
1.3M Plies (+300k) (“Ran Off On The Plug Twice” – 25M)
1.3M Lecrae (+200k) (“I’ll Find You” – 27M)
1.3M Ray J (+100k) (“Sexy Can I” – 40M)
1.3M CyHi The Prynce (NEW) (“The Morning” – 28M)
1.3M Big K.R.I.T. (NEW) (“1999” – 2M)
1.3M Chamillionaire (NEW) (“Ridin’” – 43M)
1.2M Bad Meets Evil (+200k) (“Lighters” – 67M)
1.2M Chingy (+100k) (“Right Thurr” – 33M)
1.2M J.I.D (NEW) (“NEVER” – 14M)
1.2M Moneybagg Yo (NEW) (“Doin 2 Much” – 8M)
1.2M Lil Skies (NEW) (“Red Roses” – 9M)
1.2M Young Pinch (NEW) (“When I Was Yung” – 6M)
1.2M RJMrLA (NEW) (“Hard Way” – 1M)
1.2M Nate Dogg (NEW) (“Regulate” – 109M)
1.2M Krept & Konan (NEW) (“Freak Of The Week” – 52M)
1.2M Common (-300k) (“Glory” – 30M)
1.2M BJ The Chicago Kid (-300k) (“Turnin’ Me Up” – 26M)
1.1M Ab-Soul (-300k) (“Illuminate” – 16M)
1.1M Three 6 Mafia (Even) (“Stay Fly” – 21M)
1.1M Smino (+100k) (“blkswn” – 7M)
1.1M Andy Mineo (+100k) (“You Can’t Stop Me” – 40M)
1.1M Shy Glizzy (NEW) (“White Girl” – 12M)
1.1M Naughty By Nature (NEW) (“Hip-Hop Hooray” – 26M)
1.1M Gang Starr (NEW) (“Full Clip” – 29M)
1.1M Wiley (NEW) (“Can You Hear Me? (Ayayaya)” – 17M)
1.1M Pell (NEW) (“Got It Like That – Eleven:11 Remix” – 13M)
1.0M Dae Dae (-800k) (“Wat U Mean” – 42M)
1.0M Earl Sweatshirt (-100k) (“Chum” – 36M)
1.0M Q-Tip (Even) (“A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” – 112M)
1.0M Mick Jenkins (Even) (“Jazz” – 25M)
1.0M Juvenile (Even) (“Back That Azz Up” – 31M)
1.0M Mase (NEW) (“Feel So Good” – 21M)
1.0M Flatbush Zombies (NEW) (“Bounce” – 21M)
1.0M Young Nudy (NEW) (“The Race (Remix)” – 3.8M)
1.0M Ol Dirty Bastard (NEW) (“Shimmy Shimmy Ya” – 27M)
1.0M Dizzy Wright (NEW) (“Killem With Kindness” – 11M)
1.0M Trouble (NEW) (“Brick” – 3.4M)