She joins the likes of Jay Z and Jermaine Dupri on the prestigious list.
With a brand new year of music and the odd rap beef and scandal undoubtedly in the mix for 2019, the hip hop world is already churning with achievements and exciting news from some of our favourite local and international artists.
The legendary Missy Elliott joins Jay Z and Jermaine Dupri as the latest rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The 2019 list of writers has been released, with Missy being the only female writer featured, making her the first female rapper to join the revered ranks as well. The hit-maker particularly enjoyed success through the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, with singles including ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’, ‘Get Ur Freak On’ and ‘Lose Control’ bridging the gap between the mainstream pop/hip hop charts and the steadfastly street elements of the genre. Her work with Timbaland, Aaliyah and Ciara to name a few, also elevated Missy’s global profile and reach, with six platinum certified albums to her name. In 2016, Jay Z was the first hip hop artist to be brought into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a feat that proved to be a bit of a game changer. Acknowledging musical pioneers, the Songwriters Hall of Fame spotlights writers who have been crafting outstanding and influential work in their genre for 20 years or more. The 2019 ceremony is set to take place on Thursday June 13 in New York City.
Adelaide hip hop kings Hilltop Hoods are no strangers to success, but as the hype train ramps up surrounding their forthcoming new album The Great Expanse (due for release on Friday February 22), Hilltop Hoods are celebrating their latest win. Current single ‘Leave Me Lonely’ is the latest Hoods track to enjoy gold certification, with the group announcing the nod over the weekend. Produced by longtime collaborator Plutonic Lab, ‘Leave Me Lonely’ follows on from the hugely popular ‘Clark Griswold’ release, which has seen guest vocalist Adrian Eagle break out as an artist to watch in 2019. The Great Expanse is also set to show off the talents of some very special guests, with Hilltop Hoods revealing collaborations with the likes of Ecca Vandal, Illy, Ruel, Nyassa and Timberwolf all feature on the thirteen track album. Featuring Trials (A.B. Original), VIIV, Cam Bluff and One Above on production duties too, the Hoods’ first album in five years is sure to be one for the longtime fans who’ve been waiting, as well as being a good taster of the groups’ musical development for newcomers.
According to Billboard’s final tally up of streaming numbers from last year, it’s been R&B and hip hop artists who properly killed it with music fans. While Drake had a huge year – the first artist to clock ten billion streams in a year – he also grabbed the lion’s share of streaming numbers for 2018 with a whopping 11.13 billion on-demand streams (audio and video), according to Nielsen. On streaming services, R&B and hip hop proved to be the most popular genre last year, with rock following close behind. Alongside Drake, of the ten most streamed artists of 2018 in the US, nine of them were rappers. Post Malone came in second with 7.51 billion streams, XXXTentacion (6.91 billion), Eminem (4.82 billion), YoungBoy Never Broke Again (4.46 billion), Travis Scott (4.01 billion), Cardi B (3.99 billion) and Lil Baby (3.32 billion).
