Jack Harlow, Ghanaian Drill, and More Intriguing TikTok Music Stories

The News:

TikTok makes a significant impact week-in and week-out on the charts, but sometimes the most exciting trends exist at the margins. 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. This week, not only did TikTok help a favorite artist achieve his first solo number one hit, but the community helped elevate songs from Ghana, Honduras, and Jamaica to internet prominence. Check out some of the fascinating music trends from recent days: 

Check out more extraordinary stories from the world of TikTok this week: 

• Star rapper Jack Harlow reached a new career milestone this week, with some help from his large contingent of fans on TikTok. A few weeks ago, Harlow treated TikTok to a preview of his new single “First Class,” a smooth song that samples Fergie’s 2007 hit “Glamorous.” The song went viral on TikTok in the days before its official release, generating tens of thousands of video creations, with fans begging him to drop and creating silly trends to the song’s harmonious piano tones. Powered by its TikTok success and over 440k video creations in less than three weeks, including over 50k creations before its official release, “First Class” made its debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week. The song is Jack’s first solo number-one hit and his third TikTok-powered song to reach the upper echelons of the pop charts, following his hit “What’s Poppin” (400k+ combined creates) and “Industry Baby” (1.6 million creates), his collaboration with Lil Nas X.
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• The TikTok community uses a shared taste in music to bond over similar experiences, whether good, bad or simply awkward. Inspired by Ghanaian artist Black Sherif’s “Kwaku The Traveller” (667.2K+ platform and user-generated creations), creators share a couple of their most embarrassing and awkward interactions with people they know. Black Sherif’s vehemently relatable line, “Of course, I f***ed up/Who never f*** up, hands in the air,” resonates with creators who have gotten caught cheating on their partners, accidentally sent screenshots to the wrong person, and unintentionally sent mixed signals to their crush. Black Sherif also interacted with the track on his TikTok page, thanking his followers for their continuing support of the song. Thanks to the TikTok trend and other skits using the audio, “Kwaku The Traveller” is one of the most popular Ghanaian songs, generating over 50 million views on the tag #kwakuthetraveller.
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• Despite our best intentions, life doesn’t always go according to plan. This week, the TikTok community proves that to the tune of Honduran artist Pilo Tejeda’s upbeat track “Sopa de Caracol” (392.5K+ creations). Initially released by Tejeda’s popular 90s band Banda Blanca, the 2022 remastered version of the song is an inspiring comedic creations from those who know they should be doing one thing but can’t help but to do another. Creators are using the sound to admit times they ignored things they probably should not have: they can only think about Easter baskets rather than grown-up responsibilities, they zone out and think about dinner in the middle of class, and they haven’t quite taken the leap to move out of their parents’ house. The sound is also perfect for adorable ducklings who like to waddle together in bathroom sinks. 
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• Recently on TikTok, creators have been displaying the humorous lessons they are learning about the importance of restraint. Soundtracked by Lil Glock 420’s rage-beat anthem “FASHION” (48.9K+ creations), a warped version of David and Goliath is making its rounds throughout the platform. Creators are displaying themselves throwing an object at someone or something in slo-mo. Whether it be tossing a roll of tape at a friend or tossing a ball at a dog, they immediately regret their decision as the target of their frustration grows into a monstrous size on the screen. Lil Glock 420 has been actively engaging with the song on his own account, sharing a clip of the official video and thanking fans for helping the song reach 2M Spotify streams, reposting some of his favorite creations with the sound, and sharing his reaction to “FASHION” trending on TikTok.
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• Before he was recognized as one of the only Canadian creators on the 2022 Black TikTok Trailblazers List, Toronto creator Akintoye made a splash on TikTok with his off-the-cuff freestyles, such as “I’m Broke” (21.3K+ creations) and a freestyle about the COVID-19 vaccine (19.3M+ views). Previously released as a snippet on his page, Akintoye’s “Pizzazz” inspires creators to share their mental health checks in a lighthearted way. Using his emphatic lyrics, “Are you okay, like really?/I’m fine, if I’m going to be sad I’m gonna do it with pizzazz,” creators find a silver lining in their sadness by showing the ways they cope with “pizzazz”: playing video games, dying their hair, and giving themselves new tattoos. Akintoye has also interacted with his song on TikTok, showing his 2.5M followers how he deals with sadness by binge-watching anime. “Pizzazz” has more than 125k video creations to date, and its TikTok success helped the song rack over 500k streams on Spotify alone.
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• With his off-the-wall lyricism and rapidfire toasting style, Dancehall deejay Yung Bredda has a TikTok hit on his hands with “Rockin Chair” (42.5k creations). The song’s minimalist percussion and emphatic, NSFW lyrics make it the perfect soundtrack for a new trend used by creators who feel like they can’t be stopped. When faced with the song’s irresistible breakdown, creators face away from the camera and practice their most untouchable strut, walking headfirst with the belief that their irrational confidence will help them navigate sticky situations, from tricking a significant other’s protective brother to delivering a white lie to mistaking someone else’s car for your own.

Check TikTok’s newsroom for more noteworthy stories: newsroom.tiktok.com

Source: Audible Treats