As hip-hop strikes additional away from an period when feminine rappers seemingly must be affiliated with a crew of males to safe legitimacy and launch their very own careers, the style’s reigning queens are serving to a rising class of feminine rappers attain new ranges of business success.
Whereas there’s benefit to the argument that remixes are getting much less creatively formidable, they nonetheless have a sure gravity about them — particularly when a longtime artist is becoming a member of forces with a burgeoning star. Maybe essentially the most tangible type of a co-sign, the remix has cemented itself as a savvy means for rappers with regional hits to deliver these songs to the forefront of the nationwide, and worldwide, consciousness, whereas much less established artists can show that their hits have a life outdoors of TikTok developments and challenges.
After all, there’s additionally a profit for the extra established stars on this equation. Artists who’ve already cemented themselves in hip-hop’s present pantheon can attain younger and extra area of interest followers by means of these remixes, whereas additionally retaining their identify afloat within the streets and on the charts, relying on the character of the track. Remixes have additionally develop into a part of the promotional marketing campaign for imminent album releases from outstanding artists; in anticipation for his or her correct lead singles, artists will hop on scorching songs to maintain their identify within the dialog and set the stage for their very own takeover. In Nicki’s case, her current wave of remix goals to put the muse for her forthcoming Pink Friday 2 album cycle. For Cardi, whereas particulars on her sophomore document stay scarce, her string of remixes has allowed her to stay within the musical dialog regardless of not releasing a single of her personal since final yr’s “Sizzling S—t” (with Kanye West & Lil Durk).
However for these rising artists, being stamped by both confirmed hitmaker brings with it the eye of large, devoted fanbases and A-list star energy. The truth is, Nicki/Cardi remixes are a mirrored image of the extremely collaborative nature of up to date feminine rap. From Monaleo and Flo Milli’s “We Not Humping (Remix)” to Gloss Up, Ok Carbon, Slimeroni, Aleza, & Lola Brooke’s “Shabooya,” feminine rap is prospering thanks largely to the abundance of such crossover collaborations.
Beneath, Billboard breaks down the numbers behind these current remixes, and examines the impact Nicki Minaj and Cardi B have on songs that they lend their voices and pens to:
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“Entire Lotta Cash” (BIA & Nicki Minaj)
Earlier than “Entire Lotta Cash” grew to become her signature hit, BIA was grinding simply left of rap’s mainstream. In 2016, she earned her first main hit along with her featured activate J Balvin’s “Safari,” however didn’t enter the Billboard Sizzling 100 till the discharge of 2020’s “Finest on Earth” (with Russ). That yr noticed the discharge of For Sure, her sophomore EP, which didn’t yield a Sizzling 100 entry till sixth single “Entire Lotta Cash,” nevertheless, because of the track’s quick-rising TikTok virality — which resulted in a nine-week run on the Effervescent Below Sizzling 100. Throughout that interval, the track pulled a median of 4 million official on-demand U.S. streams per week, in response to Luminate. Finally peaking at No. 3 on the Effervescent Below Sizzling 100, “Entire Lotta Cash” entered the Sizzling 100 at No. 16 on the chart dated July 24, 2021, because of an “Itty Bitty Piggy”-interpolating Nicki Minaj remix.
In its first week of availability, the Minaj remix of “Entire Lotta Cash” pulled 11.2 million official on-demand U.S. streams — one of the best streaming week of the track’s total run. Minaj’s model of “Entire Lotta Cash” has out-streamed BIA’s authentic each week since its launch. The track spent 17 weeks on the Sizzling 100 and reached the highest ten on Streaming Songs (No. 9), Digital Music Gross sales (No. 6) and Sizzling R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 6) — BIA’s first look in that area on any of these charts.
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“Tomorrow 2” (GloRilla & Cardi B)
Previous to the “Tomorrow 2” takeover, Memphis rapper GloRilla had each the streets and the summer season on lock with “F.N.F.” — the gloriously raucous Hitkidd-produced kiss-off anthem that will earn GloRilla her first Sizzling 100 entry (No. 42) and first Grammy nomination (greatest rap efficiency). A sequence of singles adopted, together with the unique solo model of “Tomorrow” and “Blessed,” however none made a lot of a industrial affect — partly because of the sustained momentum of “F.N.F.” Within the weeks previous Cardi B’s seismic remix, “Tomorrow” pulled a median of two million official on-demand U.S. streams, in response to Luminate, crossing the three million mark simply as soon as.
On September 23, 2022, only a few weeks earlier than the discharge of her Anyhow, Life’s Nice… EP, GloRilla unveiled the retitled and Cardi B-assisted “Tomorrow 2.” In its first full week of availability, “Tomorrow 2” collected 17 million official on-demand U.S. streams — the track’s greatest streaming week ever. The Cardi remix of “Tomorrow 2” shortly grew to become essentially the most dominant model of the track, each commercially and culturally. “Tomorrow 2” averaged over ten million official on-demand U.S. streams for eleven consecutive weeks, and Cardi’s verse concurrently grew to become the most popular celebration anthem of the season and the brand new blueprint for Instagram captions. The remix debuted and peaked at No. 9 on the Sizzling 100, turning into GloRilla’s first high ten entry on the chart and her highest peak up to now. The Cardi remix additionally helped the track attain the highest 5 on Streaming Songs (No. 3), Digital Music Gross sales (No. 2), and Sizzling R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 3) — GloRilla’s highest peaks on every of these tallies.
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“Princess Diana” (Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj)
It merely can’t be overstated how fast Ice Spice’s rise to mainstream dominance has been. From the discharge of her breakout single “Munch” in August 2022, the Bronx rapper has risen by means of the ranks of each hip-hop and pop stardom with spectacular ease. She kicked off 2023 with the discharge of her Like..? EP, which housed her first unaccompanied Sizzling 100 entry in “In Ha Temper” (No. 58), and of the yr’s earliest smash hits: “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” a Jersey membership/U.Ok. storage fusion with Brit singer-songwriter PinkPantheress. Upon launch as part of the Like..? EP, “Princess Diana” pulled 3.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams in its first week of availability. That quantity dwindled steadily week after week, slipping to 1.3 million the week earlier than Ice enlisted Minaj for the track’s remix.
In its first week of launch, the reworked Minaj-featuring “Princess Diana” earned a whopping 20.5 million official on-demand U.S. streams, whereas the unique pilled 1.6 million. Minaj’s model of the track boosted the monitor to a lofty No. 4 debut on the Sizzling 100, serving to Ice return to the area for the primary time since “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2.” Three weeks into the remix’s lifespan, the unique model of “Princess Diana” dropped under a million streams per week, whereas the remix has remained above 4 million each subsequent week. “Princess Diana” has gone on to develop into Ice’s best-performing track from her personal catalog on Streaming Songs (No. 6), Radio Songs (No. 31), and Digital Music Gross sales (No. 1).
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“Pound City 2” (Sexyy Pink, Tay Keith & Nicki Minaj)
“Pound City,” 2023’s outrageously vulgar and undeniably hilarious unofficial track of the summer season, was already dominating the streets earlier than a remix entered the image. Similar to her previous viral hits “Ah Thousand Jugs” and the Sukihana-assisted “Born by the River,” Sexyy Pink’s brash persona and savvy quick-wittedness drove “Pound City” to TikTok dominance. Upon its January 27 launch, “Pound City” debuted with a bit of over 37,000 official on-demand U.S. streams. Because the track’s profile grew, that numbered ballooned to 2.4 million streams within the week previous the discharge of Minaj’s remix.
In its first week of availability, the newly minted “Pound City 2” collected 4.5 million official on-demand U.S. streams, a determine that continues to be the track’s largest streaming week of all time. The success of the remix helped “Pound City 2” debut on the Sizzling 100, turning into the primary entry on the chart for each Sexyy Pink and Tay Keith. Since its Could 26 launch, the up to date model of “Pound City” has averaged round 3 million weekly streams. Stunningly, the unique model of the track has remained regular, barely rising to a bit of over 2 million weekly streams. By means of a mixture of the track’s irresistibility, Sexyy Pink’s magnetic persona and nuanced understanding of social media, and Minaj’s star energy, “Pound City” has grown right into a phenomenon that has bolstered the performances of each variations of the track. “Pound City 2” is now Sexyy Pink’s highest-charting track entry on Digital Music Gross sales (No. 1), Sizzling R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 21) and Rap Airplay (No. 12).
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“Put It On Da Flooring Once more” (Latto & Cardi B)
Final yr, after years of toiling outdoors of rap’s mainstream, Latto lastly broke by means of with the large Grammy-nominated hit single “Huge Vitality,” which flew to No. 3 on the Sizzling 100 and have become Latto’s signature track. Within the months following the multi-format success of “Huge Vitality,” Latto struggled to ship a correct follow-up hit. All of her subsequent 777 singles, standalone songs, and collaborations (save for her activate Megan Thee Stallion’s “Price range”) didn’t enter the Sizzling 100. Nonetheless, by the start of 2023, Latto returned to the Sizzling 100 along with her Lu Kala-assisted “Lottery” (No. 83) and her and Yung Miami’s remix of Lola Brooke’s “Don’t Play With It” (No. 69). Though “Put It On Da Flooring” didn’t enter the Sizzling 100 upon its April 21 launch, the track was already making cultural waves: Latto debuted the track stay throughout her Teyana Taylor-helmed Coachella set, and between the track’s sly disses and the meme based mostly on its opening line — followers have been actually ripping themselves out of plastic each on-line and within the membership — “Put It On Da Flooring” shortly grew to become an indeniable road hit.
Within the weeks previous Cardi B’s remix, “Put It On Da Flooring” pulled a median of three million official on-demand U.S. weekly streams. As soon as the retitled “Put It On Da Flooring Once more” arrived, the track collected 14.6 million streams. Cardi’s remix helped the track enter the Sizzling 100 for the primary time, peaking at No. 13 — Latto’s highest peak on the chart since “Huge Vitality.” Each week since its launch, “Put It On Da Flooring Once more” has averaged over 7 million weekly streams, whereas streams for the unique have fluctuated between 1.7 million and 4.3 million. Because of Cardi’s endlessly quotable verse (“N—a, cry for what? / B—h these are Denim Tears/ I’m attractive dancin’ in the home, I really feel like Britney Spears”), “Put It On Da Flooring Once more” has grown into Latto’s most dominant hit since “Huge Enegy” — particularly from a cultural standpoint.
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“Level Me 2” (FendiDa Rappa & Cardi B)
Chicago drill rapper FendiDa Rappa launched her debut album Str8 From Da Raq in 2021, and two years later her ominous “Level Me to the Slut’s” started to indicate indicators of a possible crossover from a regional hit to authentic nationwide prominence. In its first month of availability, “Level Me To The Slut’s” collected underneath 1,000 official on-demand U.S. streams per week. Because the track’s refrain continued to achieve traction on TikTok, that determine reached a peak of 943,000 streams within the week ending Could 11, and dipped to 734,000 streams within the week previous Cardi’s remix.
The Cardi B-minted “Level Me 2” is the youngest remix on this wave, but it surely has already emerged as some of the profitable tracks of the bunch. In its first week of launch (July 7-13), “Level Me 2” earned 6.9 million official on-demand U.S. streams — simply the track’s largest streaming week. “Level Me 2” is now FendiDa Rappa’s first look on any Billboard chart, together with the Sizzling 100 (No. 82), Sizzling Rap Songs (No. 14), and Sizzling R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 20).