Rap/hip-hop started gaining mass popularity in 2016 when 30% of the top 100 Billboard songs came from the genre (The Data Face). Ever since, its popularity has been rising, especially in the US.
Let’s find out:
- Where rap and hip-hop are the most popular
- What are the most successful artists
- Which demographic commonly listens to it
How high does hip-hop rank worldwide? Find out down below.
How many people listen to rap and hip-hop?
How many people listen to rap and hip-hop in America?
Hip-hop audience demographics: Who listens to rap?
Why do people like rap/hip-hop?
How big is the rap/hip-hop industry?
Rap & Hip-Hop Music Statistics (Top Picks)
- Around 26% of music listeners worldwide listen to rap and hip-hop.
- Rap/hip-hop is already the most popular music genre in the US and UK, while on a global scale, it sits in 6th place.
- Rap/hip-hop is most popular among 16-24-year-olds and listeners from black communities.
- With $470 million in revenue, Jay-Z was the most successful rapper and second most successful musician in 2021.
- Drake is one of the most listened rappers, currently owning 26 top-charting hits.
Check this article for general music and music industry statistics.
How many people listen to rap/hip hop?
Based on the IFPI survey, 1.85 billion people, or 26% of music listeners worldwide, listen to rap/hip-hop.
The survey included 19,000 respondents from 18 countries.
- That translates into 1.85 billion rap/hip-hop listeners, based on the 7.11 billion people worldwide that listen to music.
(IFPI)
Rap/hip hop music ranked as the 6th most popular music genre worldwide in 2021.
(IFPI 2)
Based on TikTok music reports, rap/hip hop music jumped from 2nd most popular genre in the UK in 2020 to the most popular genre in 2021.
(TikTok, Music Week)
How many people listen to rap/hip-hop in America?
Almost a third, or over 90 million Americans listen to hip-hop.
- 27.7% of Americans listened to hip-hop in 2021.
- That translates into 93.3 million individuals that listen to hip-hop.
Here’s a table of rap/hip-hop listeners in the US:
| Year | Percentage of US listeners | Number of US listeners |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27.7% | 93.3 million |
| 2020 | 28.2% | 92.9 million |
| 2019 | 27.7% | 90.9 million |
| 2018 | 31.2% | 101.9 million |
| 2017 | 25.1% | 81.6 million |
In the US, the hip-hop genre represented 32.2% of all on-demand video streams in 2021.
Hip-hop and rap take a large cut of all music sales.
| 2021 | Hip hop % among all other genres |
|---|---|
| Total albums sales | 13.7% |
| Physical album sales | 13.3% |
| Digital album sales | 15% |
| Digital song sales | 21.2% |
| Total on-demand streams | 29.9% |
| On-demand video streams | 32.2% |
| On-demand audio streams | 29.8% |
In 2019, 52 out of 100 top-streamed songs in the US were from the hip-hop genre.
In the top 10, 6 songs were from the rap/hip-hop genre.
(MBW 2019)
Rappers with the most number 1 hits.
With 26 chart-toppers, Drake holds the first place among rappers with the most no. 1 hits.
Lil Wayne is at the distant second place, having “only” 11 chart-topping hits.
| Rapper | Number of #1 charting hits |
|---|---|
| Drake | 26 |
| Lil Wayne | 11 |
| Puff Daddy | 10 |
| Kanye West | 10 |
| LL Cool J | 8 |
| 50 Cent | 7 |
| Bow Wow | 7 |
| TI | 7 |
| Nicki Minaj | 7 |
| Ice Cube | 6 |
| Nelly | 6 |
| Cardi B | 6 |
| Eminem | 5 |
| Post Malone | 5 |
| T-Pain | 4 |
Top 20 rappers from 2021, based on Billboard charts.
- Drake
- Pop Smoke
- Lil Baby
- Juice WRLD
- Polo G
- Moneybagg Yo
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Lil Durk
- Rod Wave
- Post Malone
- J.Cole
- The kid LAROI
- Kanye West
- Da Baby
- 24K Goldn
- Pooh Shiesty
- Cardi B
- Jack Harlow
- Masked Wolf
- Lil Tjay
(Billboard 2)
Hip-hop audience demographics: Who listens to rap?
Rap/hip-hop is the most popular among 20-24-year-olds, with a 54% audience.
The audience was asked which music genre is their favorite.
Here’s a table of US listeners who claimed rap/hip-hop is their favorite genre (by age group):
| Age group | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 16-19 | 48% |
| 20-24 | 54% |
| 25-34 | 42% |
| 35-44 | 33% |
| 45-54 | 15% |
| 55-64 | 5% |
| 65+ | 1% |
Even in China, 37.1% of listeners (or 296 million people) aged between 15 and 25 listen to hip-hop.
Hip-hop listeners are among the youngest out there. Another genre with a young audience, alternative music, has, on average, 3 years older listeners.
(K-Frawley)
Hip-hop genre popularity among Gen Z and millennials.
| Age group | Popularity in 2019 | Popularity in 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Gen Z | 34% | 55% |
| Millennials | 56% | 54% |
Hip hop and rap one of the most popular music genres for working out.
That’s not surprising as hip hop gives more exercise motivation than other genres.
1000 surveyed gym-goers and their music genre preferences during workouts:
| Music genre | Percentage of listeners |
|---|---|
| Pop | 53.4% |
| Rap/hip-hop | 48.6% |
| Classic Rock | 46.3% |
| Alternative | 30.4% |
| Electronic/Dance | 29.2% |
| Heavy Metal | 24% |
Percentage of rap/hip-hop listeners among white/black Americans:
- Out of 100%, 35% of black Americans listen to rap/hip-hop.
- Out of 100%, 7% of white Americans listen to rap/hip-hop.
| White | 7% |
| Black | 35% |
50% of households with at least one hip hop listener have one or more people collecting $50,000+ yearly wage.
Also, statistically, hip-hop listeners are the likeliest to live in poverty.
(K-Frawley)
70% of African Americans have hip-hop tracks in their top 100 track lists.
| Race | Percentage of hip-hop music in their Top 100 tracklist |
|---|---|
| Black | 70% |
| Hispanic | 31% |
| Other | 14% |
Around 48% of Apple Music users listen to hip-hop.
Interestingly, the genre seems least popular among Amazon Music users, sitting at 11% of listeners.
Here’s a table of music genre popularity among different streaming services:
| Genre popularity among music streaming services | Apple Music | YouTube | Spotify | Pandora | Amazon Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hip-Hop | 48% | 38% | 24% | 23% | 11% |
| Rock | 8% | 8% | 16% | 7% | 9% |
| Pop | 31% | 36% | 44% | 29% | 41% |
| Dance | 8% | 7% | 11% | 5% | 9% |
| Country | 3% | 8% | 4% | 35% | 28% |
| Latin | 1% | 2% | <1% | <1% | 1% |
| Other | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
The highest percentage of 12-34 years old men have hip-hop music on their TOP 100 lists.
On average, listeners in this age group filled their TOP 100 playlist with 43% of hip-hop songs…
| Age group | Percentage of hip-hop songs in their playlists |
|---|---|
| 12-34 | 43% |
| 35-54 | 11% |
Countries where hip-hop is the most popular
The most downloaded music genres based on country.
| Country | Most downloaded music genres |
|---|---|
| USA | Hip-hop, Trap, R&B |
| UK | Hip-hop, Trap, House |
| Canada | Hip-hop, Trap, EDM |
| Nigeria | Hip-hop, African, Afrobeat |
| China | Hip-hop, Trap, R&B |
| India | Hip-hop, Trap, EDM |
| South Korea | Hip-hop, Trap, EDM |
| Australia | Hip-hop, Trap, EDM |
| Brazil | Hip-hop, Trap, House |
Read more on popular music genres.
Hip hop popularity statistics per country.
Most music listeners that listen to hip-hop in digital formats (on-demand, downloads) come from South Africa, with 59% of respondents listening to the genre.
| Country | Percentage of people listening to hip-hop in digital formats |
|---|---|
| South Africa | 59% |
| Mexico | 41% |
| India | 36% |
| Australia | 35% |
| USA | 34% |
| UK | 31% |
| Germany | 25% |
| China | 25% |
| Brazil | 23% |
| South Korea | 21% |
Most listened to hip hop songs by year.
“Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black was the most streamed hip hop song in 2022.
Check out the #1 most-streamed hip hop song of 2022:
Most streamed hip-hop song that year:
| Year | Most streamed hip-hop song that year |
|---|---|
| 2022 | “Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black |
| 2021 | “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd |
| 2020 | “The Box” by Roddy Ricch |
| 2019 | “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X (Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) |
| 2018 | “God’s Plan” by Drake |
| 2017 | “Bad and Boujee” by Migos (Feat. Lil Uzi Vert) |
| 2016 | “Panda” by Desiigner |
| 2015 | “Trap Queen” by Fretty Wap |
| 2014 | “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea (Feat. Charli XCX) |
| 2013 | “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke (Feat. TI & Pharrell) |
“Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black was also the most streamed rap song in 2022.
Listen to the #1 most-streamed rap song of 2022:
Most streamed rap songs that year:
| Year | Most streamed rap song that year |
|---|---|
| 2022 | “Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black |
| 2021 | “Rapstar” by Polo G |
| 2020 | “The Box” by Roddy Ricch |
| 2019 | “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X (Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) |
| 2018 | “God’s Plan” by Drake |
| 2017 | “Bad and Boujee” by Migos (Feat. Lil Uzi Vert) |
| 2016 | “Panda” by Desiigner |
| 2015 | “Trap Queen” by Fretty Wap |
| 2014 | “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea (Feat. Charli XCX) |
| 2013 | “Gangnam Style” by PSY |
What is the most streamed hip-hop album ever?
XXXTentacion’s album “?” from 2018 is the most streamed hip hop album on Spotify.
It has more than 8 billion plays.
| Ranking | Artist + album | Number of Spotify streams |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | XXXTentacion’s – “?” | 8+ billion |
| 2. | Drake – “Scorpion” | 8 billion |
| 3. | Drake – “Views” | 7.3 billion |
| 4. | Travis Scott – “Astroworld” | 6.2 billion |
| 5. | Juice WRLD – “Goodbye & Good Riddance” | 5.7 billion |
| 6. | XXXTentacion – “17” | 5.7 billion |
| 7. | Kendrick Lamar – “DAMN.” | 5.3 billion |
| 8. | Drake – “More Life” | 5.1 billion |
| 9. | Pop Smoke – “Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon” | 5.1 billion |
| 10. | Juice WRLD – “Legends Never Die” | 4.3 billion |
Which rapper has the most songs?
As of 2017, Snoop Dogg holds the record for the most songs in the catalog.
That also includes featured songs.
| Rapper | Total number of songs in the rapper’s catalog |
|---|---|
| Snoop Dogg | 583 |
| Lil Wayne | 430 |
| Eminem | 388 |
| Bun B | 280 |
| 2 Chainz | 274 |
| Busta Rhymes | 254 |
| Nate Dogg | 241 |
| Jay-Z | 229 |
| Kendrick Lamar | 206 |
| E40 | 200 |
Why do people listen to rap/hip-hop?
Rap/hip-hop music inspires people to express themselves in a more positive way.
(Daily Universe)
When looking past the edgy lyrics, hip-hop culture actually advocates for:
- Social justice
- Respect
- Self-worth
- Peace
- Having fun
(Conversation)
Lyrics in rap/hip-hop music also:
- Inspire
- Boost energy (when exercising)
- Are thought-provoking
- Reflect on current (social, political, economic) events
This genre of music is also easy to practice, making if more attractive for young people to start expressing themselves artistically or even start their own musical path.
(Audio Dome)
Hip-Hop Industry
How big is the rap/hip-hop industry?
In 2016, the hip-hop industry was worth $15.7 billion.
In 2004, it was worth $10 billion.
Researchers at Wonder estimate that by 2021, the hip-hop music industry will already reach $19.8 billion.
(ABC News, Wonder)
R&B/Hip-Hop, while landing third in music genre sales share, doubled its sales in the last 10 years.
Data from 2017.
| Music genre | Revenue percentage |
|---|---|
| Pop | 31.1% |
| Rock | 24.1% |
| Hip-hop/R&B | 11.9% |
| Dance | 5.9% |
| Country | 5.3% |
| Classical | 4.3% |
| Latin | 1.9% |
| Jazz | 1.4% |
| Other | 14.1% |
Jay-Z earned $470 million in revenue in 2021, making him the second biggest earner that year.
Kanye West landed 4th with $250 million in revenues.
(RollingStone)
What percentage of all music is rap and hip-hop?
Hip-hop accounted for 13.7% of all albums sold in 2021 in the US.
| Percentage of engagement | |
|---|---|
| Total rap album sales | 13.7% |
| Physical album sales | 13.3% |
| Digital album sales | 15% |
| Digital song sales | 21.2% |
Hip-hop market share for the US.
| Year | Market share |
|---|---|
| Q2 2022 | 27.6% |
| Q1 2021 | 28.25% |
| Q1 2020 | 28.44% |
| 2019 | 27.7% |
| 2018 | 25.6% |
Best-selling rap albums:
| Ranking | Album name | Albums sold |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “The Eminem Show” by Eminem | 27 million |
| 2. | “The Score” by Fugees | 22 million |
| 3. | “The Marshall Mathers LP” by Eminem | 21 million |
| 4. | “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” by Lauryn Hill | 20 million |
| 5. | “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” by MC Hammer | 18 million |
| 6. | “Crazy Sexy Cool” by T.L.C. | 15 million |
| 7. | “To the Extreme” by Vanilla Ice | 15 million |
| 8. | “Devil Without a Cause” by Kid Rock | 15 million |
| 9. | “Curtain Call: The Hits” by Eminem | 13 million |
| 10. | “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” by Outkast | 13 million |
| 11. | “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” by 50 Cent | 12 million |
| 12. | “Big Willie Style” by Will Smith | 12 million |
| 13. | “Encore” by Eminem | 11 million |
| 14. | “Nellyville” by Nelly | 11 million |
| 15. | “Doggystyle” by Snoop Dogg | 11 million |
| 16. | “The Massacre” by 50 Cent | 11 million |
| 17. | “2001” by Dr. Dre | 10 million |
| 18. | “Greatest Hits” by 2Pac | 10 million |
| 19. | “Life After Death” by Notorious B.I.G. | 10 million |
| 20. | “E. 1999 Eternal” by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | 10 million |
There’s a 57.4% likeliness for gym-goes to achieve personal records if they listen to rap/hip hop.
- Around 33.7% of gym-goers think rap/hip-hop motivates them during a workout.
- 62.1% of gym-goers prefer listening to rap/hip-hop for intense workouts.
(FitRated)
Drake was the most streamed artist of 2021 in the US, with up to 8.6 billion audio streams.
Basically, each 131st stream was a Drake song.
(Twitter)
Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy” is also the most popular rap album of 2021 in the US.
It sold around 1.97 million units.
(MRC Data Reports 2021)
Top rap songs in 2021 based on sales, plus on-demand streams.
| Artist + song | Number of sales + on-demand streams |
|---|---|
| Masked Wolf – “Astronaut in the Ocean” | 4,159,000 |
| LIL NAS X & JACK HARLOW – “Industry Baby” | 3,574,000 |
| Polo G – “Rapstar” | 3,563,000 |
| Drake – “Wants and Needs” | 3,375,000 |
| Cardi B – “Up” | 3,312,000 |
Rap vs. Rock Statistics
Percentage of people listening to rock globally compared to hip-hop.
57% of respondents listen to rock, whereas 26% listen to rap/hip-hop, according to an IFPI report from 2018.
| Music genre | Global popularity in percentages | Number of worldwide listeners |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | 26% | 1.97 billion |
| Rap/hip-hop | 57% | 4.3 billion |
Rock is the second most popular music genre worldwide, whereas rap/hip-hop ranks 6th place.
(IFPI 2)
Rock genre popularity among Gen Z and millennials.
| Age group | Rock popularity in 2019 | Rock popularity in 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Gen Z | 31% | 52% |
| Millennials | 56% | 38% |
Percentage of Americans engaging with rock compared to hip-hop.
Hip-hop is dominant in streaming, whereas rock does better in album sales.
Here’s a table of hip-hop vs. rock stats:
| Category | Hip-hop | Rock |
|---|---|---|
| Total albums sales | 13.7% | 41.1% |
| Physical album sales | 13.3% | 44.3% |
| Digital album sales | 15% | 31% |
| Digital song sales | 21.2% | 21.6% |
| Total on-demand streams | 29.9% | 17% |
| On-demand video streams | 32.2% | 17.3% |
| On-demand audio streams | 29.8% | 11.9% |
In what countries is rock the most popular?
51% of Mexicans listen to rock music in digital formats.
The USA holds second place at 47%.
| Country | Music genre popularity (in digital formats) |
|---|---|
| Mexico | 51% |
| USA | 45% |
| Germany | 40% |
| Australia | 39% |
| UK | 38% |
| India | 35% |
| China | 25% |
| South Africa | 25% |
| South Korea | 14% |
Who listens to rock compared to listeners of rap/hip-hop?
US youngsters aged 18 to 29 prefer rap/hip-hop (32% popularity) over rock (17%).
(CBS News)
Around 40% of white Americans listen to rock compared to 6% of black Americans.
(CBS News)
Around 32% of women listened to hip-hop on Deezer in 2019.
Compared to 68% men.
(Deezer)
Read more:
- Fascinating Music Streaming Statistics
- Listening to Music Stats: Time Spent Listening to Music
- Best Bass Earbuds in 2023
- Best Bass Headphones
- Benefits of Listening to Music According to Science
Conclusion
These were the latest rap & hip-hop statistics. The music genre is getting increasingly popular, primarily due to its musical simplicity and lyrical likability.
What do you think of hip-hop and rap music? Who is your favorite artist? Do you think the genre will keep on growing?
Please let us know in the comments.
Sources: IFPI, IFPI 2, The Data Face, TikTok, Music Week, Nielsen Music Report 2019, Nielsen Music Report 2018, Nielsen Data Report 2017, MRC Data Report 2021, MRC Data Report 2020, MBW 2019, Statista, Statista 2, Statista 3, Statista 4, Statista 5, FitRated, CBS News, Coleman Insights, Highsnobiety, Billboard, Billboard 2, Billboard 3, Billboard 4, Billboard 5, Billboard 6, Radio France, musicMagpie, Reddit, ABC News, Wonder, Music & Copyright, RollingStone, Audio Network, FitRated, Twitter, Twitter 2, CBS News, Deezer, Inside Radio, Conversation, Audio Dome, Daily Universe
Billboard 7, Is Hip-Hop’s Dominance Slipping? My Concern Is the Magic Is Gone. Published Oct 18, 2022. Accessed Feb 22, 2023.
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