#HitsOfTomorrow: A Weekly Rundown Of The ‘Should-Be’ Hits

It seems like we can’t go one week without a classic dance hit getting interpolated/sampled.  This week we get the much-hyped collab “Barbie World” from Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. The single features a portion of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” on loop. At just 1 minute and 50 seconds, the track can hardly even be thought of as a song but I’m guessing with the upcoming Barbie film, the rappers had to keep it clean and that’s about all the time that was possible without an expletive drop!

Of course, it doesn’t stop there though as Coi Leray releases her album COI which samples everyone from James Brown to Technotronic! Yes, yet another club classic “Pump Up The Jam” is sampled by featured DJ David Guetta. The two already worked together on the “What Is Love” update with Anne-Marie called “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” and now this one, titled “Make My Day,” is likely to blast up the charts too. Again, this track is 2 minutes and 15 seconds. What is going on with song lengths? It’s like structure doesn’t matter anymore and it’s all about TikTok and maximizing streams.

Beyond the female rappers dominating, we’ve got big album drops from Young Thug with Business Is Business, a tamer Kim Petras on her full-length LP Feed The Beast (compared to her last EP Slutpop) that we don’t mind and a divorce album that truly puts forwards the “hell hath no fury” to the test from Kelly Clarkson on Chemistry.

While all these songs and albums are likely to impact the charts, here we like to focus on the songs that deserve our little extra nudge – the SHOULD-BE hits of the week. Here are this week’s #HitsOfTomorrow. 

“BABY HELLO” – Rauw Alejandro, Bizarrap

Bizarrap has been on a roll of late but hands down his work with Shakira this year seemed hard to top. Then comes “BABY HELLO” with Rauw Alejandro. Serving as the first single from Alejandro’s next album Playa Saturno, the single is marinating in Nineties dance (yes, it’s everywhere). What’s surprising about the release is that it comes just a day after the two dropped “BZRP Music Session #56” together. But it makes sense as the single follows much in the same vein as that BZRP collab. While neither of these names likely deserve any more attention and the streaming numbers and YouTube views will be through the roof, I wanted to feature this track mainly because Western Top 40 radio has a serious problem. Beyond just not playing older artists (ahem, Kylie’s “Padam Padam” to name just one example), the lack of Spanish-speaking songs getting actual radio airplay on mainstream channels is still an issue. I don’t understand the logic, but then again, are we lobbying enough for it or are we just content with finding and supporting the content elsewhere. “BABY HELLO” is a smash and there is truly no reason the single shouldn’t find love on playlists everywhere, no exceptions.

“die young” – venbee, Rudimental

veenbee has been one to watch for some time now and “die young” perhaps is her biggest single to date. It doesn’t hurt that the track features Rudimental who, at this stage, can’t do wrong. The single is instantly catchy and the lyrics are meaningful enough that the track doesn’t feel like another throwaway dance song of the week, so there’s something here. At a time when so much of the charts feels like an homage rather a creative place, it’s nice to hear tracks that aren’t chasing after a sampled hook but rather going the conventional route and giving us a banger! After “Dancing Is Healing,” Rudimental continue their hot streak and prove to be continued supporters of propping up budding artists and helping to give them their much deserved massive hit!

“Odyssey” – Beck, Phoenix

When Beck and Phoenix decided to co-headline a summer tour together, two indie rock veterans that you normally really wouldn’t think of coming together proved otherwise. It felt like a great idea for a tour but the two artists have come together for a single now! “Odyssey” feels kind of like the perfect organic mashup of their sounds and Beck and Phoenix’s Thomas Mars’ vocals actually complement each other really well. While neither act has had a major hit or even got airplay on Top 40 in at least maybe a decade, this single is actually ridiculously catchy and a programmer would be wise to include this as the track screams summertime hit! Traditionally, age hasn’t really been as grand a factor for guys so here’s hoping that’s not the reason this doesn’t hit the mainstream charts, it deserves to be there!

“Alive!” – Bakar

Off his upcoming album Halo, “Alive!” is the first single from Bakar. The track is an instant winner, built around a post-punk sound that matches perfectly with Bakar’s tone who adds a layer of grit and soul to the track. While the song is likely to impact the charts well in his native England, it would be a shame if the track doesn’t crossover globally, because there just isn’t anything like this on the radio right now. Bakar’s flow, ease and musicality make this one of the most exciting releases so far this summer and we can’t wait for the album!

“Better Without You” – Tensnake, Nazzereene

At a time when so many DJ-producers are playing it safe by just rehashing old songs, Tensnake continues to find songs and artists who bring us into his world and sound. His latest album Stimulate is truly a “hit bank” of singles that all could actually become playlist faves. For me, “Better Without You” featuring Nazzereene is a stand-out because, well, this isn’t their first time working together. The two worked together on Tensnake’s last album L.A. for “Latching Onto You” (which charted very high on my year-end list for 2020).  This single is equally good and there is a warmth to Nazzereene’s vocals that complement the sound so well, it’s hypnotic. Top 40, give this a chance, it’s that damn catchy!

Even More Hits!

“Duvet Cover” – Ashley Singh

“Can I Shower At Yours” – Amy Shark

“Healed” – George Alice

“Secret” – Fractures

Listen To #HITSOFTOMORROW Playlist on Spotify!