(AllHipHop News) Lil Uzi Vert was one of the most honored music acts of 2017. The Philadelphia native earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, and his 4x platinum single “XO Tour Llif3” won the MTV Video Music Award for “Song Of The Summer.”
Uzi’s debut studio LP, Luv Is Rage 2, opened at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 135,000 equivalent units. The project has also earned the distinction of being the 2017 SoundCloud Playback Top Album based on the amount of streams, likes, and reposts.
In addition, the streaming platform named Uzi’s “XO Tour Llif3” the Top Rap/Hip-Hop Track. The Top R&B/Soul Track accolade went to SZA for her Travis Scott collaboration “Love Galore.”
Scott was also included on the list of Buzziest Drops of 2017 for his “Butterfly Effect,” “Green & Purple,” and “A Man” records which hit SoundCloud on May 16. Chance The Rapper releasing “Big B’s” featuring Young Thug on July 15 and BTS releasing “4 o’clock” on July 8 reaped recognition as buzzworthy drops as well.
Hip Hop continued to be a leading genre on SoundCloud throughout 2017. Last month, the company’s new CEO, Kerry Trainor, spoke with AllHipHop about the success of rap acts on the site.
“I think it’s been an incredible few years for Hip Hop in general. We’re excited to be part. SoundCloud’s mission is we’re here to empower creators and give them the tools to build their fan bases and careers on their own terms and connect with a level of immediacy with their fans that’s really only possible through an open platform,” said Trainor.
The SoundCloud Playback referred to Lil Uzi Vert, Post Malone, Kehlani, Khalid, Lil Pump, Marshmello, and Trippie Red as “artists who were on SoundCloud first and owned the internet in 2017.” The streamer also presented Ro Ransom, Melo Makes Music, Cautious Clay, Jori Vague, Mabel, Nilufer Yanya, Lil Wop, Bosco, Cobi, and DNMO as artists to watch in 2018.
“We’re all about being first, and SoundCloud is first for creators in terms of where they bring their art to the world. And it’s first for listeners, in that, if you want to discover what’s really new and coming next in music, you come to SoundCloud. That’s why we’re incredibly excited to see the huge blowout on the charts this year from Lil Uzi and Post Malone,” added Trainor. “The artists that are having so much success now started on the platform years ago. The reason is because SoundCloud is the truly open platform where creators can get their start and connect directly with their audience. It’s unlike any of the other streaming services.”