Trending Tracks Report: Lil Durk, Lil Mabu, Hailey Whitters, BreezyLYN, and Kool & The Gang
By Kemet High, Michelle Hyun Kim, and Vrinda Jagota of Third Bridge Creative
The Trending Tracks Report is a regular column that highlights tracks trending across various platforms, using a combination of Chartmetric data and the subject expertise of our contributing writers and curators. This week, we examine a new single from two rap superstars, a viral cut from a rising New York rapper, a surprise hit from a country songwriting veteran, a hot remix from a Brooklyn MC, and a disco classic that found new life on TikTok.
Lil Durk feat. J. Cole: “All My Life”
Chartmetric Score: 51
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: U.S.
“All My Life,” the triumphant lead single to Lil Durk’s eighth studio LP Almost Healed, is soundtracking graduation season on TikTok (125K videos), largely due to the song’s hook, sung by a choir of children. Currently rising as a top 50 track on TikTok’s Trend Discovery Chart, “All My Life” has given Durk a radio-friendly track that deviates from the grittiness of his usual catalog. The mainstream appeal of the single has allowed it to crack the top ten of Billboard’s Hot 100. Together, Cole and Durk are a team whose charisma can’t be disputed: with more than 56M streams on Spotify, “All My Life” has earned 10 times as many streams as “To Summer, From Cole” by Cole and Summer Walker, which was released one week later.
Lil Mabu: “MATHEMATICAL DISRESPECT”
Chartmetric Score: 392
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: U.S.
A prep school graduate from the Upper East Side, Lil Mabu has built a rising career from his exploitative relationship with New York’s drill rap scene, using satire while desperately wanting to be a part of it. The 18-year-old’s 2022 single “NO SNITCHING,” a collaboration (and co-sign) with Brooklyn’s Dusty Locane, gained 96.5K videos on TikTok. Following the song’s success, Mabu cemented his strategy—which hinges on parodying the genre’s aesthetics—with singles like “TRIP TO THE HOOD” (13.2M YouTube views) and his May hit “MATHEMATICAL DISRESPECT.” The latter racked up 35M Spotify streams and 200K+ TikTok videos in less than a month. As the song climbs to No. 21 on the US TikTok charts, Lil Mabu has captured a fervent fanbase who are amused by his simplistic one-liners and the spectacle of his rap voyeurism.
Hailey Whitters: “Everything She Ain’t”
Chartmetric Score: 5,688
Genre: Country
Country: U.S.
Making her first Billboard 100 entry with her sleeper hit “Everything She Ain’t,” Iowa country-pop singer Hailey Whitters has found her breakthrough. Originally released in January 2022, the song became a trending TikTok hit in the fall among listeners—primarily among those who make rural content—resulting in more than 70K videos. Its short-form success gradually carried over to the airwaves and it has been played almost 50K times on the radio. Though Whitters has been rising in the country scene for almost a decade, penning songs for the likes of Little Big Town and opening for Maren Morris, “Everything She Ain’t” marks the arrival of a down-to-earth star who can deliver emotionally resonant lyricism through sunny, infectious melodies.
BreezyLYN feat. Lola Brooke and Kali: “Bad Bitches (Remix)”
Chartmetric Score: 4,281
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Country: U.S.
BreezyLYN has over 500K Spotify monthly listeners despite only having two tracks on Spotify. Although “Bad Bitches” was initially released last August, the Brooklyn rapper re-released the track in mid-May, adding verses from rap rookies Kali and Lola Brooke—who has emerged as a go-to feature artist with recent appearances on Ciara’s “Da Girls (Girls Mix)” and Flo Milli’s “Conceited.” Both the remix and original versions have over 5M combined Spotify streams and a handful of editorial placements on Internet People and Get Turnt. Breezy, Kali, and Lola rap in sultry whispers in the pretty-in-pink music video, which could nearly double as the set for the Barbie movie: it is a testament to how far the genre has come. Rap can thrive in femininity, too.
Kool & The Gang: “Get Down On It”
Chartmetric Score: 881
Genre: R&B/Soul
Country: U.S.
When released in 1981, “Get Down On It” signaled Kool & The Gang’s transition into a new era of sleeker, poppier funk. It was gold certified and became their first top 5 hits in the U.K. Now, it’s trending again thanks to a TikTok dance set to a track by D Sturdy, Spence & Jumbo, a Philly club song called "Get Off The Wall" that is a spin-off “Get Down On It.” Spence teased a verse from the song on April 13 and then made a video of himself dancing to it on April 16. Since mid-April, 1.4M TikTok videos have used the sound—an impressive feat for a song without an official release. The trend shows that though “Get Down On It” specifically defined the sound of funk and disco in the 1980s, it’s a song that’s never really left pop music and can resonate with new listeners over 40 years later.