The Macklemore era was something else, one that most hip-hop heads think about as an afterthought. However, his success can’t be denied one bit. He became a commercial giant who earned respect from the OGs and his peers, though in retrospect, the majority of folks outside of those who liked him in the first place remember his catalog with any sort of real fondness.
A recent post on X revealed that Macklemore’s single, “Can’t Hold Us,” actually holds the crown for the most-streamed hip-hop song on Spotify with 3.4 billion streams. That means the song, released in 2011, has more alleged streams than any song from Kendrick Lamar or Drake–kind of crazy when you think about it. It should be noted that it was a sleeper hit that gained more acclaim and traction in the years that followed its release. In fact, it was also listed as Spotify’s most-streamed song of 2013.
One fan noted, “Man this song got played at every family event, sports game, school event you name it. Any fun time this song played.” Another added, “I’ve never heard this shit in my entire hip hop life.”
Macklemore's Spotify Record
A lot of hip-hop fans were confused, especially when artists like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Juice WRLD, and others have seen tremendous success on the platform. But according to Wikipedia’s list of most streamed Spotify songs, Drake’s “One Dance” ft. WizKid and Kyla boasts 4.407 billion streams, though it’s technically not a rap song. Meanwhile, “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee has 4.376 billion streams. However, that’s also more of a pop record.
How do you feel about Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “Can’t Hold Us” ft. Ray Dalton? Sound off in the comments below.
