Dre’s Halftime, Phoebe’s “Motion Sickness,” And More From Music On TikTok

Each week, the TikTok Treats newsletter gives a snapshot of the state of music on TikTok, touching on trending hits, emerging artists, superstar moves, ascendant memes, and much more. Take a look at the diverse group of artists and songs that have been making noise on the platform in recent days: 

• Super Bowl LVI was a historical moment for both the Los Angeles Rams and for hip-hop, the latter of which took center stage during the first-ever predominantly hip-hop Halftime Show. After the star-studded halftime performance, which notably featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and 50 Cent, the TikTok community took a moment to show appreciation for those artists’ timeless hits, Dre’s 1999 hit “The Next Episode” ft. Snoop Dogg and 50’s 2003 classic “In Da Club.” Boasting over 103K creations, Dre’s upbeat banger inspired creators to show their love for L.A.’s street culture. While some LA natives showed off their best SoCal-specific dances, others displayed their West Coast-style lip liner look and blue bandana-themed nails. With over 99K creations, 50’s “In Da Club” inspired creators to hilariously reenact the upside-down rap scene using their exercise equipment, tree branches, and their beds.
• Phoebe Bridgers is a master of emotional devastation, and “Motion Sickness” might be her most devastating song to date. The tuneful–and extremely sad–indie rock anthem is having a moment on TikTok, with over 85k creations across multiple sounds, on the back of a trend that encourages creators to take a look at their lives through the lens of their past selves. Influential creators like Halsey, JoJo Siwa, and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins have done their own versions of the trend, but the one that has people most excited is a video from Guy Fieri, The Mayor of Flavortown, himself. 
• Hip-Hop was the most popular genre on TikTok yet again in 2021, with sub-genres like Brooklyn drill and SoCal jerk having moments in the sun. This week, rap fans on TikTok have fallen in love with Plugg, an underground trap music subgenre., Leading the current Plugg renaissance is rising rapper iayze’s (pronounced ‘Jace’), and his trending track “556 (Green Tip).” Creators can’t get enough of the track’s booming bass and catchy lyrics, with even iayze himself taking to his account to promote the new video for the song last week. With over 98.3K creations, the sound is fitting for creators who can only wait so long to text their partner back, who want to stay oblivious to their significant other’s possible infidelity, and who are in shock that someone carried out a nice gesture and bought everything on their apartment wishlist.
• The TikTok community excels at spotting unexpected connections in life and pop culture. Inspired by Valee and Jeremih’s “Womp Womp,” creators are highlighting some of the best duos in their lives. Garnering over 132K creations to date, the remixed version of the2018 song finds creators pointing out their similarities and differences amongst their loved ones and revealing what makes them connect. The likely and unlikely pairs include tattoo lovers highlighting their mutually beneficial friendship with a tattoo artist, night owls and early birds dating, and finding funny commonalities between a bag of chips and their lungs. Like the soft-spoken rapper Valee and the expressive singer Jeremih, “Womp Womp” helps TikTok prove that sometimes opposites attract.
• Nicky Youre scored a hit with his first single “Sex and Lemonade” in 2020, but thanks to TikTok, his new single “Sunroof,” created with producer dazy, is poised to take over the charts. In October 2021, the young singer-songwriter started to tease “Sunroof,” giving TikTok users a sneak peek at his buoyant new pop single. He revealed that he wrote the song for his girlfriend, who shared her initial reaction on TikTok, and as he continued to tease the song, fans grew more and more impatient for its official release. Nicky acquiesced, moving the song’s release date up one month from early January to early December. Now, the song has over 920k video creations, powered by a trend in which TikTok creators show off their own unparalleled music tastes (Nicky helped fuel participation in this trend on his own page). With over 20 million streams on Spotify, and an impossibly catchy “la dee da” chorus, Nicky Youre & dazy seem intent on making sure that summer comes early on TikTok and beyond.
• Rising rapper and avid TikTok creator JELEEL’s track “DIVE IN!” is a hyperactive turn-up anthem and creators are matching the energy of the track. JELEEL’s pitched vocals paired with the song’s EDM-inspired, booming production have inspired a wave of high-energy creations from TikTok users in recent days. Garnering over 34K creations, “DIVE IN” is is the go-to soundtrack for those who want to show off their siblings and those who want to show off their dance moves. In one of his many creations under the sound, JELEEL used the sound to display his glow up from awkward pre-teen years to his new chiseled physique.
• Later today, at 5pm PT/8pm ET, TikTok partners with iHeartRadio for iHeart Living Black!, a TikTok LIVE event celebrating Black Music on TikTok and beyond. Hosted by DJ Envy, the show will include an all-star lineup of performances from A-List talent including Lizzo, Big Sean, H.E.R., Lil Durk, Moneybagg Yo, and Ari Lennox, and will feature special appearances from Saweetie, radio personalities like Charlamagne and Angela Yee, actress Niecy Nash, and many more. Tune in @ 5pm PT/8pm ET on @iheartradio to view iHeartLivingBlack and help celebrate the culture.

Earlier this afternoon, TikTok announced a new partnership with the National Hockey League, which includes a series of TikTok Tailgates at select NHL games, including this weekend’s Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series in Nashville and the Tim Horton’s NHL Heritage Classic in Hamilton, Ontario, occurring on March 13th. The first NHL TikTok Tailgate occurs on February 26th and feature Walker Hayes, the hitmaker behind TikTok-fueled smash “Fancy Like,” Walker’s performance will be exclusively broadcast LIVE on TikTok, and only will be able to be viewed by event ticket-holders and viewers on the app. Tune in to @NHL on February 26th at 5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT to watch Walker get fancy LIVE.