The 2024 Spotify Wrapped is finally here! Every year, music lovers and artists from all over the world look forward to this yearly roundup of streaming data, which captures the music that shaped the past 12 months. Once again, the biggest names in the music industry have dominated the charts. Among them is Ye, aka Kanye West
, who made it to the top ranks as one of the most-streamed artists of the year.
This prompted popular YouTuber DJ Akademiks to make an interesting observation for independent artists worldwide, like Ye himself.
Ye does not need the backing of any label anymore
Earlier this year, when Ye released ‘Vultures’, he did it without any label partner. And somehow the rapper’s independent album still ended up earning a little more than $1 million in its opening week. Now, according to Spotify’s Wrapped data, Ye is the sixth most-streamed artist on the platform this year in the US. And in his hometown, Chicago, the rapper was the third most streamed artist on Sppotify. Celebrating this achievement, DJ Akademiks wrote on X that this is the “best year…for any artist that is independent
.”
Kanye West dominating streaming this year is absolutely crazy. Best year to my memory for any artist that is independent. Shows that it can be done on a extremely high level once you’re a legend and have a army of loyal supporters and of course when you’re the GOAT.
— DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) December 4, 2024
DJ Akademiks went on to highlight how Ye has proven that record labels are not a necessity if you have “loyal supporters
” and “when you’re the GOAT
.” Despite a long streak of controversies, uneven releases, and a sporadic presence, Ye’s allure had fans coming back for his music- both new and old- on Spotify throughout the year. Last year, Ye ranked ninth on Spotify’s global list of most-streamed artists. This year, he further moved up to the eighth spot on the very list. But even with this improvement, he could not quite surpass his long-time rival.
Read More: New Ye Music Coming? Fans Sniff the Billboard Hint With Vigilance
beat Ye yet again- this time on Wrapped. In fact, this is the second time in a week that Swift has bested Ye in a major ranking.
Taylor Swift is in a different league
Only a few days ago, Taylor Swift was ranked the second greatest pop star of the 21st century by Billboard, while Ye came in at seventh. Although some Ye’s fans grumbled about the ‘Graduation’ rapper’s rank in the Billboard list, Swift once again outperformed him on Spotify. No matter the category- global streams, US specific charts, or even the rankings in Ye’s own hometown- Swift was consistently ahead.
Even Beyoncé, Ye’s de facto sister-in-law and a legend in her own right, could not top Swift on Spotify’s Wrapped
, despite beating her in Billboard’s rankings. So, when it comes to streaming numbers, the debate about who is the true GOAT- at least for this century- is still open.
Read More: Fans Lose It Over 13 Taylor Swift Mentions in Beyoncé’s ‘Greatest Pop Star’ Announcement
What do you think about DJ Akademiks’ tweet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
