What’s the most unoriginal aspect of the rap game? The “Lil” prefix in rap names. Who’s holding down Spotify in 2018? Those same Lil rappers.
“Lil” is a constant in Hip Hop that has mostly outlasted its counterparts – the MCs, the Youngs, the Grandmasters, and so on – and has only grown more popular with each passing generation.
According to a report from Spotify, “Lil” artists (of which there are more than 8,000 on the platform) are the masterminds behind 33 of the top 1,000 most-streamed tracks on the music service so far in 2018 – a 106% increase over the same timeframe in 2017 and an astonishing 725% increase from 2016.
These three little letters have stood the test of time dating back to the early days of the culture.
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In the late ’70s and early ’80s, we had Lil Rodney C of the Funky 4+1. Lil Troy has been active since the late ’80s. M.O.P. gave us Lil Fame and the mid-to-late ’90s gave us Lil Kim and perhaps the most iconic “Lil” rapper of them all, Lil Wayne.
Whether the “Lil” signifies a lifelong nickname or is the product of a lack of originality, 2018 has seen these artists flourishing, according to Spotify.
Take a peek at the top of Spotify’s Top 200 Lil Rappers list:
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1. Lil Wayne
2. Lil Uzi Vert
3. Lil Yachty
4. Lil Pump
5. Lil’ Kleine
6. Lil Dicky
7. Lil Jon
8. Lil Peep
9. Lil Xan
10. Lil Skies
11. Lil’ Kim
12. Lil Durk
13. Lil Baby
14. LiL Ronnie
15. Lil’ Mo
16. Lil’ Troy
17. Lil’ Flip
18. Lil Wyte
19. Lil Rob
20. Lil’ Will
21. Lil Bibby
22. lil aaron
23. Lil Scrappy
24. Lil Keke
25. Lil Reese
