13 Beats of the Week
This week’s theme: Bet you heard these on TikTok.
Description: Since COVID-19 hit the U.S. in 2020, TikTok became one of the most popular apps to date. With its addictive qualities, billions of users now use TikTok as their main social media platform to advertise their products and to show off their talents in hopes of being discovered. TikTok being a sound-based app, songs new and old are constantly going viral. Many artists who became famous pre-TikTok have shown their distaste towards their pieces becoming “that TikTok song” rather than a product of their hard work before the app’s launch. On the other hand, many artists appreciate the fact that their songs are still loved by audiences of all ages. For an avid music listener, TikTok has been a blessing and a curse: one is exposed to songs, artists and genres they might never have considered exploring. However, songs one has loved and enjoyed for years can become overplayed and — as a consequence — annoying. Here are 13 Beats that either rose to fame or had a revival through TikTok trends:
1. “Break My Stride” By Matthew Wilder
This 1983 hit was used in a viral trend in early 2020. According to a January 2020 BBC article, Wilder was ecstatic that his song was rediscovered and enjoyed by a younger generation.
2. “This Could Be Us” By Rae Sremmurd
Released in 2015, “This Could Be Us” has lived many lives on TikTok. It seems that, in every year since its release, a new clip of this iconic song gets used in one of TikTok’s most popular trends.
3. “American Boy (feat. Kanye West)” By Estelle and Kanye West
Originally released in 2008, “American Boy (feat. Kanye West)” is another song that has lived on Tik- Tok for many years. Behind countless trends, “American Boy (feat. Kanye West)” has stayed relevant since its release.
4. “Lay All Your Love On Me” By ABBA
During the summer of 2020, “Lay All Your Love On Me” went viral across the world. The 1980 hit was used while TikTokers recreated the iconic beach scene from Mama Mia.
5. “My Shit” By A Boogie Wit da Hoodie
“My Shit” was released in 2016, though the song has been at the heart of numerous trends from 2019 to 2021.
6. “She Knows (feat. Amber Coffman & Cults)” By J. Cole, Cults, and Amber Coffman
“She Knows (feat. Amber Coffman & Cults)” was already one of J. Cole’s most popular songs before it ever came to TikTok. The 2013 hit rose to fame on TikTok through a trend in August of 2021.
7. “Bad Girls” By M.I.A.
“Bad Girls” (released in 2012) was used in an early 2021 viral trend where TikTok users would document their getting-ready transformations. M.I.A. is a commonly featured artist on the app.
8. “Beef FloMix” By Flo Milli
“Beef FloMix” immediately went viral after its 2020 release. Milli used the same beat as Ethereal and Playboi Carti’s track “Beef”, inspiring other female rappers to reuse Carti beats with their own lyrics.
9. “Chun Swae (feat. Swae Lee)” By Nicki Minaj and Swae Lee
Nicki Minaj is a TikTok staple, as her entire discography is used and reused for trends. During summer 2021, Minaj’s 2018 collaboration with Swae Lee became TikTok’s new viral trend.
10. “Cha Cha” By Freddie Dredd
French-Canadian rapper Freddie Dredd’s 2019 hit “Cha Cha” instantly went viral on TikTok.With nearly 500k videos using his song, Dredd became a TikTok classic.
11. “Ginseng Strip 2002” By Yung Lean
“Ginseng Strip 2002” was not only a viral hit on TikTok, but also currently has over 45 million listens on Spotify. This Yung Lean hit was released in 2013 and evidently continues to resurface on different online platforms frequently.
12. “Over” By Drake
Off Drake’s second studio album “Thank Me Later”, “Over” is yet another song that gets recycled throughout trends. Drake’s 2010 hit is just one of the many songs from his discography that are staple TikTok sounds.
13. “No Idea” By Don Toliver
“No Idea” is the ultimate TikTok hit. Best known as “that song from TikTok,” “No Idea” carries a sense of nostalgia for the times preceding COVID-19 reminding many of a normal and stable life.
