by Chris Longo
The growth of TikTok over the past few years has been extraordinary. Everyone from your elementary-school-aged cousin to your grandmother likely has an account on the platform. TikTok is a phenomenon that knows no generational or cultural boundaries, making it an incredible way to spread content to audiences that otherwise would not hold any interest in it.
TikTok allows for users to use sounds created by other users or popular songs to use in their own videos. There have been plenty of cases of individuals creating a sound which is re-used by thousands of other users, thus catapulting them into the cultural stratosphere for a brief fifteen minutes of fame. These users do not just receive clout, since the TikTok Creators Fund allows for their creations to be monetized. Users on TikTok have found a lucrative means of being paid for entertainment, and it is no wonder that artists have begun to follow suit.
Among the popular pieces of music used on TikTok, perhaps none is more ubiquitous than Capone-N-Noreaga’s “Oh No.” Since the song’s release in 2020, TikTok users have created a video with the song almost 20 million times. For a song that is only known for its repeated usage of “Oh no, no, no, no, no,” that is not half bad. Popular music has since seemed to have shifted to cater to catchy and usable sound bites rather than normal pop structures. Even the superstar Taylor Swift been accused of seeking a TikTok trend through the chorus of her recent single, “Anti-Hero,” and Steve Lacy’s new hit “Bad Habit” has spread rapidly because of the platform.
Among the latest trends this holiday season is Fetty Wap’s “Sweet Yamz.” Clocking in at only one minute and forty-five seconds, the song is only comprised of a chorus which repeats itself the entire duration of the song with no variance to be found. Just like the previous two songs mentioned, “Sweet Yamz” has been a smash hit despite being devoid of most characteristics that would be traditionally attributed to songs. No matter how passionately Fetty Wap pleads to get to those “Sweet Yamz,” the song feels largely empty. It’s funny, but it leaves no impression afterwards, much like the TikTok videos that it often accompanies.
With songs like “Sweet Yamz” becoming increasingly popular, one must wonder what the future of popular music signals. Are sound-bite songs the new norm? It’s hard to blame artists for going in such a direction. With streaming services paying so minimally and tours being a luxury to schedule, many are struggling to keep their careers afloat. TikTok is a valuable source of revenue for the artists whose songs are used and provides ample opportunity to get their work to reach a wider audience.
Popular music seems to be catering more and more to this phenomenon and it is up to listeners to decide if the quality of the song still holds up without a video of a dance or pets accompanying it. Only time will tell how popular music progresses, but for right now we should revel in the fact that a song as hilarious as “Sweet Yamz” can be in the spotlight.
