Blanco Brown’s ‘The Git Up’ Tops Billboard Emerging Artists Chart, Cracks Country Top 10
Rising artist Blanco Brown has hit a new milestone, notching the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Emerging Artists chart for the week of June 29. The singer's rise comes thanks to the success of his breakthrough single, "The Git Up," a song aided by a viral dance challenge that played out on YouTube as well as the TikTok app.
According to Billboard, "The Git Up" also galloped from No. 66 to No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and hit an impressive 13.7 million streams in the United States. Additionally, the song cracked the country Top 10, jumping from No. 13 to No. 7 on Hot Country Songs chart.
Brown's single fuses elements of country with elements of rap and hip-hop, creating what the artist describes, according to Complex, as something similar to "trailer trap," with influences taken from both OutKast and Johnny Cash, among other artists. Sound familiar? The jump in popularity for "The Git Up" is similar to that of Lil Nas X's mega-hit "Old Town Road," a song that also fuses genres and got a hefty boost from a viral TikTok challenge.
However, there are some significant differences between the two artists: After "Old Town Road" charted on the country charts, Billboard removed Lil Nas X's song from considering for the genre's rankings, explaining that the song did not contain enough elements of country music to warrant inclusion. However, the decision sparked debate over whether or not the removal of "Old Town Road" from the country charts was racially motivated.
At the time of his breakout hit, Lil Nas X was a 19-year-old singer who had dropped out of college his freshman year, in 2018, to pursue music full-time. Meanwhile, Brown -- while new to the stage -- is an experienced vocal producer who has worked with pop and hip-hop performers such as Fergie, Childish Gambino and Chris Brown, as well as country singer Kane Brown (no relation). He is also signed to the Nashville-based BBR Music Group / BMG.
Blanco Brown is the first country artist to top the Emerging Artists chart in over a year. Previously, Jordan Davis hit No. 1 on that chart in April of 2018.
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