Late Tupac’s ‘Hit Em Up’ tops list of most streamed tracks from 90s

Tupac, who died on September 13, 1996, of gunshot wounds from a Las Vegas drive-by shooting, still has his musical collections as evergreen.

News Agency of Nigeria • December 19, 2022

American Rapper Tupac Shakur

Spotify, an online streaming platform, has announced that late American Rapper Tupac Shakur’s track “Hit Em Up” is the most streamed track from the 90s in 2022.

Tupac, who died on September 13, 1996, of gunshot wounds from a Las Vegas drive-by shooting, still has his musical collections as evergreen.

In a statement on Sunday, Victor Okpala, Spotify’s Artiste and Label Partnerships Manager for West Africa, said Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Still D.R.E” was the second most streamed track from the 90s in Nigeria in the list of 10.

He listed others as Tupac’s “Dear Mama”; Coolio, L.V.’s “Gangsta”; Tupac and Dr. Dre’s “Roger- California Love (Original Version)”; Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me (Theme from “Up Close and Personal).

Okpala said others were Tupac’s “Do For Love”, Tupac and Talent’s “Changes”, Lucky Dube’s “It’s Not Easy (Remastered)”, and Boyz II Men’s “End of The Road”.

“A step further into the 90s throws us straight into palm trees and the golden age of West Coast Hip-Hop; the top tracks are dominated by rap, as 2pac leads the pack with some of his best-known classics, including Hit Em Up and California Love.

“This nostalgic feeling for the era builds on a deep love for the genre and its sub-cultures that is even reflected in the styles of new wave artists like PrettyBoy DO.

“Tapping into another aspect of Nigerian 90s nostalgia is Lucky Dube’s “It’s Not Easy”, a song that has maintained strong fandom since it crossed over from South Africa as a message of struggle and hope and is still poignant in current times,” he said.

Okpala noted that the most streamed track from the 2000s on Spotify in Nigeria in 2022 is Beyonce’s “Halo”.

He listed others as Eminem’s “Mockingbird”, Dido and Eminem’s “Stan”, 50 Cent’s “In Da Club”, Styl Plus’ “Olufunmi”; 9ice’s “Gongo Aso”, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj’s “High School”; Jay Z and Rihanna’s “Umbrella”; D’banj’s “Fall In Love” and Mario’s “Let Me Love You”.

“Looking at the top songs from earlier decades, it is also clear that old sentiments stand strong, as shown by Lucky Dube’s “Remember Me”, is the most streamed song from the 80s in Nigeria this year.

“Likewise, the influence of nostalgia in broader pop culture is playing a role in bringing that music to new listeners,” he said.

(NAN)

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