Skip to content
Login to Spotify

Music genre

What Is Hip-Hop? Genre, History & Top Artists

The short answer

Hip-hop is music built around rhythmic vocal delivery (rapping) over beats and sampled or produced instrumentals, born in 1970s New York.

Live genre mix

Genre mix: what the US streams today

Every day musicpiechart records the genre families behind Spotify's daily charts. The pie is the latest mix; the chart under it shows how that mix moved.

Pop: 27%Alternative & Indie: 24%Country: 16%Hip-Hop & Rap: 12%R&B & Soul: 9%Rock: 6%Other: 6%

What the US is streaming today

Genre mix of Spotify's daily top 200, by streams, on October 19, 2026 · updated 19 Oct

  • Pop 27%
  • Alternative & Indie 24%
  • Country 16%
  • Hip-Hop & Rap 12%
  • R&B & Soul 9%
  • Rock 6%
  • Other 6%

Genre share over 34 recorded days

September 16 to October 19, 2026. Each band is one genre family's share of the chart's daily streams, stacked to 100%; a missing day leaves a gap.

Stacked area chart of genre-family share of daily streams on the United States Spotify chart, September 16 to October 19, 2026 Each coloured band is one genre family's share of the chart's daily streams, stacked to 100 percent. Days with no recorded edition leave a gap in every band. Hover a day for its shares; the data table below lists every value. 100% 75% 50% 25% 0% Sep 16 Oct 3 Oct 19 Sep 16, 2026: Pop 23.4%, Alternative & Indie 22.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.1%, Country 12.1%, R&B & Soul 10.3%, Rock 8.9%, Other 9.0% Sep 17, 2026: Pop 23.4%, Alternative & Indie 21.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.1%, Country 13.4%, R&B & Soul 9.4%, Rock 8.8%, Other 9.3% Sep 18, 2026: Pop 23.2%, Alternative & Indie 20.5%, Hip-Hop & Rap 15.0%, Country 15.6%, R&B & Soul 9.2%, Rock 8.0%, Other 8.6% Sep 19, 2026: Pop 23.9%, Alternative & Indie 20.0%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.0%, Country 15.9%, R&B & Soul 9.4%, Rock 7.5%, Other 9.4% Sep 20, 2026: Pop 23.8%, Alternative & Indie 22.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.2%, Country 14.5%, R&B & Soul 9.9%, Rock 7.0%, Other 8.5% Sep 21, 2026: Pop 22.4%, Alternative & Indie 23.5%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.4%, Country 13.5%, R&B & Soul 10.4%, Rock 8.3%, Other 8.4% Sep 22, 2026: Pop 22.4%, Alternative & Indie 23.9%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.4%, Country 12.8%, R&B & Soul 10.2%, Rock 8.8%, Other 8.4% Sep 23, 2026: Pop 21.7%, Alternative & Indie 25.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.3%, Country 13.1%, R&B & Soul 9.9%, Rock 8.1%, Other 8.9% Sep 24, 2026: Pop 21.4%, Alternative & Indie 25.7%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.4%, Country 13.4%, R&B & Soul 9.1%, Rock 8.5%, Other 8.6% Sep 25, 2026: Pop 41.7%, Alternative & Indie 18.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 10.1%, Country 11.2%, R&B & Soul 7.3%, Rock 5.4%, Other 6.0% Sep 26, 2026: Pop 33.2%, Alternative & Indie 19.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 12.5%, Country 13.1%, R&B & Soul 8.6%, Rock 5.6%, Other 7.5% Sep 27, 2026: Pop 30.2%, Alternative & Indie 22.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 12.6%, Country 12.4%, R&B & Soul 8.7%, Rock 6.8%, Other 7.3% Sep 28, 2026: Pop 32.7%, Alternative & Indie 22.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 11.4%, Country 11.1%, R&B & Soul 8.8%, Rock 6.7%, Other 6.8% Sep 29, 2026: Pop 30.8%, Alternative & Indie 23.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 11.6%, Country 11.1%, R&B & Soul 8.9%, Rock 7.6%, Other 6.9% Sep 30, 2026: Pop 28.3%, Alternative & Indie 22.8%, Hip-Hop & Rap 11.6%, Country 11.8%, R&B & Soul 9.7%, Rock 9.2%, Other 6.7% Oct 1, 2026: Pop 28.9%, Alternative & Indie 23.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 11.3%, Country 11.8%, R&B & Soul 10.3%, Rock 7.4%, Other 7.1% Oct 2, 2026: Pop 26.9%, Alternative & Indie 20.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 15.7%, Country 11.9%, R&B & Soul 8.8%, Rock 6.6%, Other 9.4% Oct 3, 2026: Pop 27.6%, Alternative & Indie 19.8%, Hip-Hop & Rap 16.1%, Country 12.9%, R&B & Soul 9.5%, Rock 6.1%, Other 8.1% Oct 4, 2026: Pop 26.4%, Alternative & Indie 23.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.8%, Country 12.2%, R&B & Soul 10.1%, Rock 5.5%, Other 7.9% Oct 5, 2026: Pop 25.3%, Alternative & Indie 24.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.8%, Country 11.9%, R&B & Soul 9.2%, Rock 7.0%, Other 8.6% Oct 6, 2026: Pop 25.7%, Alternative & Indie 23.9%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.8%, Country 11.8%, R&B & Soul 9.2%, Rock 7.0%, Other 8.6% Oct 7, 2026: Pop 25.1%, Alternative & Indie 23.8%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.8%, Country 12.3%, R&B & Soul 9.0%, Rock 7.8%, Other 8.2% Oct 8, 2026: Pop 26.6%, Alternative & Indie 23.7%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.1%, Country 11.3%, R&B & Soul 8.7%, Rock 7.4%, Other 8.1% Oct 9, 2026: Pop 26.0%, Alternative & Indie 22.0%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.9%, Country 12.7%, R&B & Soul 9.8%, Rock 6.6%, Other 8.1% Oct 10, 2026: Pop 25.9%, Alternative & Indie 21.6%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.9%, Country 13.7%, R&B & Soul 10.0%, Rock 6.3%, Other 7.6% Oct 11, 2026: Pop 23.9%, Alternative & Indie 24.0%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.6%, Country 12.9%, R&B & Soul 10.5%, Rock 6.2%, Other 7.9% Oct 12, 2026: Pop 24.4%, Alternative & Indie 25.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.4%, Country 12.7%, R&B & Soul 10.0%, Rock 7.4%, Other 6.8% Oct 13, 2026: Pop 24.8%, Alternative & Indie 24.4%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.2%, Country 11.1%, R&B & Soul 10.1%, Rock 7.4%, Other 8.0% Oct 14, 2026: Pop 24.2%, Alternative & Indie 24.3%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.9%, Country 11.2%, R&B & Soul 10.1%, Rock 7.4%, Other 8.0% Oct 15, 2026: Pop 24.5%, Alternative & Indie 23.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 15.2%, Country 11.2%, R&B & Soul 10.2%, Rock 7.8%, Other 8.0% Oct 16, 2026: Pop 26.1%, Alternative & Indie 19.5%, Hip-Hop & Rap 12.9%, Country 20.6%, R&B & Soul 9.1%, Rock 4.9%, Other 6.9% Oct 17, 2026: Pop 25.8%, Alternative & Indie 19.2%, Hip-Hop & Rap 13.3%, Country 18.6%, R&B & Soul 9.7%, Rock 6.0%, Other 7.4% Oct 18, 2026: Pop 26.0%, Alternative & Indie 21.1%, Hip-Hop & Rap 14.3%, Country 17.0%, R&B & Soul 9.4%, Rock 5.4%, Other 6.9% Oct 19, 2026: Pop 27.0%, Alternative & Indie 23.4%, Hip-Hop & Rap 12.3%, Country 16.1%, R&B & Soul 9.1%, Rock 5.7%, Other 6.2%
  • Pop 27.0% · +3.6 pts
  • Alternative & Indie 23.4% · +1.2 pts
  • Hip-Hop & Rap 12.3% · -1.7 pts
  • Country 16.1% · +4.0 pts
  • R&B & Soul 9.1% · -1.2 pts
  • Rock 5.7% · -3.2 pts
  • Other 6.2% · -2.8 pts
Genre-share data table
Genre-family share of daily streams, by day
Day PopAlternative & IndieHip-Hop & RapCountryR&B & SoulRockOther
Oct 19, 2026 27.0%23.4%12.3%16.1%9.1%5.7%6.2%
Oct 18, 2026 26.0%21.1%14.3%17.0%9.4%5.4%6.9%
Oct 17, 2026 25.8%19.2%13.3%18.6%9.7%6.0%7.4%
Oct 16, 2026 26.1%19.5%12.9%20.6%9.1%4.9%6.9%
Oct 15, 2026 24.5%23.1%15.2%11.2%10.2%7.8%8.0%
Oct 14, 2026 24.2%24.3%14.9%11.2%10.1%7.4%8.0%
Oct 13, 2026 24.8%24.4%14.2%11.1%10.1%7.4%8.0%
Oct 12, 2026 24.4%25.3%13.4%12.7%10.0%7.4%6.8%
Oct 11, 2026 23.9%24.0%14.6%12.9%10.5%6.2%7.9%
Oct 10, 2026 25.9%21.6%14.9%13.7%10.0%6.3%7.6%
Oct 9, 2026 26.0%22.0%14.9%12.7%9.8%6.6%8.1%
Oct 8, 2026 26.6%23.7%14.1%11.3%8.7%7.4%8.1%
Oct 7, 2026 25.1%23.8%13.8%12.3%9.0%7.8%8.2%
Oct 6, 2026 25.7%23.9%13.8%11.8%9.2%7.0%8.6%
Oct 5, 2026 25.3%24.2%13.8%11.9%9.2%7.0%8.6%
Oct 4, 2026 26.4%23.2%14.8%12.2%10.1%5.5%7.9%
Oct 3, 2026 27.6%19.8%16.1%12.9%9.5%6.1%8.1%
Oct 2, 2026 26.9%20.6%15.7%11.9%8.8%6.6%9.4%
Oct 1, 2026 28.9%23.3%11.3%11.8%10.3%7.4%7.1%
Sep 30, 2026 28.3%22.8%11.6%11.8%9.7%9.2%6.7%
Sep 29, 2026 30.8%23.1%11.6%11.1%8.9%7.6%6.9%
Sep 28, 2026 32.7%22.6%11.4%11.1%8.8%6.7%6.8%
Sep 27, 2026 30.2%22.1%12.6%12.4%8.7%6.8%7.3%
Sep 26, 2026 33.2%19.3%12.5%13.1%8.6%5.6%7.5%
Sep 25, 2026 41.7%18.3%10.1%11.2%7.3%5.4%6.0%
Sep 24, 2026 21.4%25.7%13.4%13.4%9.1%8.5%8.6%
Sep 23, 2026 21.7%25.1%13.3%13.1%9.9%8.1%8.9%
Sep 22, 2026 22.4%23.9%13.4%12.8%10.2%8.8%8.4%
Sep 21, 2026 22.4%23.5%13.4%13.5%10.4%8.3%8.4%
Sep 20, 2026 23.8%22.2%14.2%14.5%9.9%7.0%8.5%
Sep 19, 2026 23.9%20.0%14.0%15.9%9.4%7.5%9.4%
Sep 18, 2026 23.2%20.5%15.0%15.6%9.2%8.0%8.6%
Sep 17, 2026 23.4%21.6%14.1%13.4%9.4%8.8%9.3%
Sep 16, 2026 23.4%22.2%14.1%12.1%10.3%8.9%9.0%

Pop leads the genre mix on the US Spotify daily chart with 27.0% of the day's streams (22.6M plays), ahead of Alternative & Indie at 23.4% and Country at 16.1% on October 19, 2026. Across the 34 recorded days from September 16 to October 19, 2026, Country gained the most share, up 4.0 points to 16.1% of streams, while Rock slipped the most, down 3.2 points to 5.7%. Hip-Hop sits in the Hip-Hop & Rap family, which holds 12.3% of that chart's streams (-1.7 pts over the window). Shares are stream-weighted: every play of a song on the US Spotify daily chart counts once, credited to its lead artist's genre family. Every song that Spotify can classify counts; every family outside the biggest six is grouped with them as Other. The figures come from spotify-top.com's daily charts, recorded once a day by Music Pie Chart.

Top Hip-Hop artists on Spotify

Artists in our catalogue tagged with this genre, ranked by Spotify popularity.

  1. Eminem

  2. Kendrick Lamar

  3. Lil Wayne

  4. JAŸ-Z

  5. Snoop Dogg

  6. 2Pac

  7. Dr. Dre

  8. The Notorious B.I.G.

Hip-Hop & Rap: 73%R&B & Soul: 27%
73%Hip-Hop & Rap

Beyond Hip-Hop

What else do Hip-Hop artists play?

The other genre families Hip-Hop's top artists on Spotify are tagged with.

  • Hip-Hop & Rap 73%
  • R&B & Soul 27%

Everything about Hip-Hop

What Defines Hip Hop?

Hip Hop is all about rhythmic beats, powerful rhymes, and an electrifying energy that gets you moving. It’s the voice of the streets, filled with stories, creativity, and passion.

Where Did Hip Hop Originate And Who Were Its Founders?

Hip Hop’s history travels back to the Bronx, New York City in the 1970s.

Visionaries like DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash laid down the tracks, while MCs like KRS-One and Afrika Bambaataa spit fire with their rhymes, all setting the stage for a cultural revolution that continues to resonate worldwide.

These pioneers laid the groundwork for a global phenomenon.

The Most Popular Hip Hop Music Genre Artists

Below are the legendary Hip Hop artists who've shaped genre's legacy:

  • Old School Legends: Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, and Public Enemy turned the genre into a global phenomenon.

  • Golden Era Icons: Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., and Nas brought lyrical prowess and storytelling to new heights.

  • Modern Mavericks: Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and Cardi B continue to push boundaries and shape the future of Hip Hop.

Hip Hop vs Rap: What's the Difference?

While often used interchangeably, Hip Hop and Rap have their own distinct characteristics:

  • Hip Hop: It's more than just music; it's a culture that encompasses music, dance, art, and fashion.

  • Rap: Being a core element of Hip Hop culture, Rap focuses on delivering poetic verses over a rhythmic beat.

Pop Music vs Hip Hop

Pop and Hip Hop have their own unique styles:

  • Pop Music: Catchy hooks, upbeat melodies, universal appeal, and feel-good vibes make Pop a global sensation.

  • Hip Hop: With raw lyrics, urban storytelling, and an unapologetic attitude, Hip Hop speaks truth to power and celebrates authenticity.

Related genres

How much Hip-Hop is in your Spotify?

See your own top genres, artists and songs as a Spotify pie chart you can share. Free, and it takes seconds.

Get my Spotify pie