A Grammy-nominated producer, France's DJ Snake is at the forefront of the electronic trap music movement. Having taken the genre to the charts with his 2013 single "Turn Down for What" featuring Lil Jon, he scored an additional mainstream hit with 2015's "Lean On," a multi-platinum, global chart-topper that featured Major Lazer and vocalist MØ, before topping that song's success with 2016's Justin Bieber collaboration "Let Me Love You," off Snake's Top Ten Billboard 200-charting debut, Encore. He has remained a chart regular, landing at number one on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Albums list with 2019's Carte Blanche. The record also spawned the dance hits "Taki Taki" with Selena Gomez, Cardi B, and Ozuna, and "Fuego" with Sean Paul, Anitta, and Tainy. In 2021, he again joined Gomez for her song "Selfish Love" before reuniting with Ozuna (as well as Megan Thee Stallion and BlackPink's Lisa) for the Top Ten dance single "SG." He's since released singles with Future ("U Are My High"), Peso Pluma (2024's "Teka"), and others.
Born William Grigahcine, Snake's production work on Lady Gaga's 2011 effort Born This Way earned him a Grammy nod when it was nominated for Album of the Year in 2012. He signed with Diplo's imprint Mad Decent that year and released the single "Bird Machine" on the label in 2013. The singles "Slow Down" and "Together" also arrived in 2013, along with more work for Gaga on her ARTPOP album. Snake's big break as a solo artist came late in the year when "Turn Down for What," featuring Lil Jon became the most popular crossover trap hit since Baauer's "Harlem Shake." In 2014, he collaborated with Dillon Francis on the single "Get Low," while 2015 saw him join MØ and Major Lazer on the worldwide hit "Lean On."
In 2016, DJ Snake delivered his debut album, Encore, which appeared at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart. Included on the record were the singles "Middle" featuring guest vocalist Bipolar Sunshine and "Let Me Love You" with Justin Bieber. The latter track topped the charts and was certified multi-platinum across the globe. More singles followed, including 2017's "A Different Way" featuring vocalist Lauv.
The following year, Snake landed hits first with his solo track "Magenta Riddim," followed by "Taki Taki," a collaboration with Selena Gomez, Cardi B, and Ozuna that charted across the globe, including a number two placement in France. "Try Me" with Plastic Toy and "SouthSide" with Eptic followed in early 2019. All these singles were included on Snake's sophomore full-length, Carte Blanche, which arrived in July 2019 and hit number four on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Also featured on the album were J Balvin, Anitta, Majid Jordan, Bryson Tiller, Zomboy, and others. A stand-alone track, "Trust Nobody," appeared in June 2020. The following year, he collaborated with Selena Gomez on her song "Selfish Love," and with Rick Ross and Rich Brian on "Run It." Another single, "SG" with Ozuna, Megan Thee Stallion, and BlackPink's Lisa, appeared in 2021 and hit the Top Ten of Billboard's Dance chart. Snake also released "U Are My High" with Future.
In 2022, Snake released "Disco Maghreb," "Nightbird," and "Guddi Riddim" (with Wade and Nooran Sisters). "Westside Story" appeared in 2023. "Big Bang" (with Crankdat) and "Teka" (with Peso Pluma) were both issued in 2024. ~ David Jeffries
Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado, professionally known as Ozuna, is a record-setting, award-winning reggaeton singer and songwriter from Puerto Rico. He writes positive, uplifting songs that encourage people to work toward their dreams while avoiding the use of profanity out of respect for his daughter. He made his breakthrough in 2016 with the single "La Ocasión," which peaked in the Top 30 of the Hot Latin Songs chart, and he continued with a string of high-profile collaborations before issuing his debut, Odisea, in 2017. The album topped the charts, a feat Ozuna repeated with 2019's urbano-leaning Nibiru, 2020's Enoc, and the following year's Los Dioses, his third collaborative album with Anuel AA. In 2022, the artist released OzuTochi, followed by the surprise release of Cosmo in late 2023. A 2024 single, "Guay," with Bad Gyal was a hit in Spain.
A songwriter since the age of 12, Ozuna grew up in Puerto Rico, later spending time in New York City before his career took off. In 2014, he signed a record contract and began posting singles online. By 2015, songs such as "Si Tu Marido No Te Quiere" had become radio hits across Latin America, and he'd performed concerts in numerous countries. In early 2016, he joined DJ Luian, Mambo Kingz, De la Ghetto, Arcángel, and Anuel AA on the track "La Ocasión," which kicked off a modest chart run for the nascent artist. Months later, he released a remix of his song "No Quiere Enamorarse," which featured superstar Daddy Yankee. The track racked up millions of streaming views. He followed it with "Dile Que Tu Me Quieres," "Si Tu Marido No Te Quiere [Remix]," and "En la Intimidad," all of which charted in the Top 30.
In 2017, Ozuna delivered his full-length debut album, Odisea, which featured guest appearances by De la Ghetto, Anuel AA, J Balvin, and others. Included on the record were the singles "Tell Him That You Love Him," "Your Photo," and "A Flower." In September, the album debuted at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart. He also contributed to a handful of collaborations with Daddy Yankee, Wisin, J Balvin, Chris Jeday, and others. One of the most high-profile duets was 2018's "La Modelo" with American rapper Cardi B, which marked Ozuna's first entry on the Hot 100. His sophomore effort, Aura, arrived later that year and peaked in the Top Ten on the Billboard 200, again debuting at number one on the Latin Albums chart. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the multi-platinum Puerto Rican-Dominican singer held four world records by the age of 27: He attained one for most videos to reach one billion views on YouTube, another for being the solo artist with the longest reign at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart for his debut Odisea. In addition, he broke the record for most Billboard Latin Music Award nominations, with 23 across 15 categories; he also holds the record for most wins by a single artist with 11.
In 2019, Ozuna delivered more than a handful of charting singles including "Baila Baila Baila" (plus two hit remixes), "Amor Genuino," "Vacía Sin Mí" with Darell, "Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi" with Rosalia, "Muito Calor" with Brazilian singer Anitta, and "Hasta Que Salga el Sol." In late November, he released this third long-player, the 18-track Nibiru. Named for a pseudoscientific planet, the set included 18 tracks; it became his third straight number one debut on the Latin Albums chart. Ozuna referred to the outing as an urbano rather than reggaeton album. In addition to some of the singles, it included a series of collaborations with Diddy and DJ Snake ("Eres Top"), Snoop Dogg and Anuel AA ("Patek"), Dalex and Nicky Jam ("Reggaeton in Paris"), Swae Lee ("Sin Pensar"), and Sech ("Yo Tengo Una Gata"). Ozuna released one more single from that album in April 2020, "Temporal" with Willy Rodriguez (of Cultura Profética), and guested in the Black Eyed Peas single "Mamacita" along with J. Rey Soul (on the group's album Translation). A couple months later, he issued the summery single "Caramelo."
In September 2020, Ozuna issued Enoc, his fourth album. In addition to "Carmelo," it included the advance charting singles "Del Mar" (featuring Sia and Doja Cat) and "Una Locura" (featuring J Balvin and Chencho Corleone). Among its 20 tracks were guest appearances by Cosculluela, Myke Towers, Wisin, Arcángel, and Juanka, on steamy opener "Enigma Occultos." Zion & Lennox joined Ozuna on "Que Tu Esperas," and Towers and Karol G both guested on the remix of "Carmelo." The release debuted in the number one spot at Top Latin Albums and topped numerous streaming charts. In January 2021, Anuel AA and Ozuna issued their third collaborative long-player, Los Dioses. The 12-track set was their first to enter the Latin Albums and Latin streaming charts at number one.
Later that year, Ozuna released the bachata single "Señor Juez," followed in 2022 by tracks like "Deprimida" and "G Wagon. His fifth full-length, OzuTochi, appeared in October. The diverse 18-track set traced Ozuna's roots through the musical styles of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic while traveling across styles as diverse as dembow ("Perreo y Dembow"), techno-fueled merengue ("Un Lio"), baile funk ("Cielos Rosado"), rock ("La Copa") EDM, and of course, his trademark reggaeton romantico ("Vida," "Manana," and "Favorita"). His collaborators included Arcangel, Chencho Corleone, Feid, J Balvin, and Danny Ocean, among others. Upon release, the record entered the Top Latin Albums chart at number five.
2023 saw Ozuna experimenting with Afrobeats on the seven-song EP Afro and in November, he announced the imminent release of his long-player Cosmo. Appearing a week later, the diverse, 15-track set included collaborations with Chencho Corleone, Sky Rompiendo, Maldy, De la Ghetto, Anuel AA, Chris Jedi, David Guetta, Jhayco, Lito MC Cassidy, and many more. In 2024 Ozuna teamed up with Spanish singer Bad Gyal, hitting Spain's Top Ten with "Guay." ~ Paul Simpson & Neil Z. Yeung
Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion's sexually charged lyrics and nonstop confidence meet a pop sheen that consistently delivers commercial hits. She found local success shortly after she began performing in 2016, and the rest of the world caught on soon thereafter. Several one-off tracks led to 2017's Make It Hot mixtape and 2018's follow-up project, Tina Snow. After she and Normani contributed the track "Diamonds" to the 2020 superhero film Birds of Prey, she landed a pair of number one hits, first a Beyoncé-featuring remix of her own track "Savage" and then her feature on Cardi B's "WAP," one of the biggest and most talked-about singles of the year. Her first studio album, Good News, was released in November 2020 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 charts. The next year, Megan released Something for Thee Hotties, a compilation of freestyles and unreleased material, and followed it with the guest star-packed, lyrically introspective Traumazine in 2022. Along with acting in the film Dicks: The Musical, she again paired with Cardi B for 2023's "Bongos" and teased her next album with "Cobra" and 2024's Hot 100-topping "Hiss." That third studio LP, Megan, arrived in June 2024 and was expanded months later as the double-album variation Megan: Act II.
Born Megan Pete in 1995 and raised in Houston, Texas, she grew up the daughter of rapper Holly-Wood (aka Holly Thomas) and was listening to Southern rap staples like Three 6 Mafia and Pimp C from a young age. She was writing her own raps by age 14 but didn't make serious moves until she posted a series of video clips on social media a few years later. Her first official single came with 2016's "Like a Stallion," and her presence on the Houston rap circuit was solidified by decimating all opponents in local freestyle competitions.
Sexually explicit lyrics and effortless flows became signatures of her sound, and after the less-widely distributed 2016 mixtape Rich Ratchet, she released the singles "Pull Up Late" and "Stalli (Freestyle)" in 2017, the latter of which had an accompanying video that would be viewed millions of times. The seven-track EP Make It Hot arrived that same year and a slowed-down "chopped" remix version of the EP followed the next. Megan's fame grew quickly, and as she gained more fans and followers, she signed with 300 Entertainment in 2018 and released her most consistently produced work to date with the ten-song Tina Snow. The late 2018 collection featured a cameo from Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo and production from Concept P. The project caught on, and a video for single "Big Ole Freak" was streamed millions of times within months of its February 2019 release.
Fever, arrived in May 2019, complete with features from Juicy J and DaBaby. The album hit number ten on the Billboard 200, further cementing Megan's rise. After she and Normani contributed the track "Diamonds" to the 2020 superhero film Birds of Prey, she landed a pair of hits with the attitude-driven "B.I.T.C.H." and "Savage," both of which appeared on the EP Suga. Later that year, she released the singles "Girls in the Hood" and "Don't Stop," the latter of which featured rapper Young Thug. Megan's most crucial appearance of the year, and up until that point, in her career, came with her contributions to "WAP," a collaborative track with Cardi B released on August 7, 2020. "WAP" was a maelstrom of sexual imagery and intense vulgarity, and immediately became a worldwide hit. Deemed by many 2020's "song of the summer," "WAP" charted at number one in multiple countries, was certified platinum several times over, and was streamed hundreds of millions of times.
After a wealth of EPs, mixtapes, and charting singles, Megan's debut studio album, Good News, finally arrived in November 2020. The record was a star-studded celebration of sex, wealth, and power, featuring cameos from SZA, City Girls, Popcaan, Lil Durk, and many others, as well as a remix of "Savage" featuring Beyoncé. That remix would become Megan's first number one hit, and the album itself peaked at the number two position on the charts. The following year, she released several singles, including "Thot Shit," which became a Top 20 hit, and in November 2021, Something for Thee Hotties was released, a compilation made up primarily of freestyles and some unreleased songs from the archives. The collection also included "Thot Shit," as well as several new skits and interludes featuring Juicy J, VickeeLo, and Dino BTW. Something for Thee Hotties was released as a gesture of gratitude for her fan base, and the album reached the number five position on the charts.
More collaborative singles arrived in 2022, including "Lick" with Shenseea and "Sweetest Pie" with Dua Lipa. Megan also released the track "Plan B," which hit number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Later that year, she issued her third album, Traumazine, which hit number four on the Billboard 200. Focused lyrically on trauma and her struggle to overcome it, she welcomed a slate of guest artists that ranged from Lucky Daye and Jhené Aiko to Key Glock and fellow Houstonians Big Pokey and Lil' Keke.
In September 2023, the rapper reunited with Cardi B for their "WAP" follow-up, "Bongos," hitting the Top 20 of the Hot 100. That same year, Megan starred in the musical comedy film Dicks: The Musical, for which she also contributed the song "Out Alpha the Alpha." She rounded out the year with "Cobra," the first track off her third studio album. A second song from the album, "Hiss," arrived in January 2024, topping the Hot 100. It was followed that May by "BOA," which also landed within the Top 40 upon its debut. Megan Thee Stallion's third studio album, Megan, was released in June 2024, with her Hot Girl Summer Tour already in full swing at the time of its release. In October of the same year, Megan was expanded with an extra album's worth of material for the deluxe-edition release Megan: Act II. Among its new material were songs with cameos from Flo Milli, Spiritbox, and BTS member RM. ~ Fred Thomas
At the heart of K-pop powerhouse BLACKPINK, Lisa has become one of the most prominent stars of the Korean music industry, enjoying multiple decades of chart-topping success in one of the genre's most successful girl groups. In 2021, she made equal waves with her solo debut: her first single album, Lalisa, topped the Gaon charts, breaking sales and streaming records in the process. In 2024, she reached number four on Billboard's Global 200 with her single "Rockstar."
Much like fellow BLACKPINK star Rosé, Lisa's roots start far from the city where she made her name; the musician was born Pranpriya Manobal in Thailand's Buriram Province, changing her name to Lalisa on the advice of a fortune teller. Having started dance classes at the age of just four, Manobal soon found national success in nationwide competitions, including in LG Entertainment's "Million Dream Sanan World" as part of dance crew We Zaa Cool. A 2010 interview for YG Entertainment offered an opportunity to realize her global ambitions: at the age of just 13, Lisa impressed the judges enough to become the label's first non-ethnically Korean trainee, and moved to South Korea to begin her five years of coaching.
In 2016, Lisa debuted alongside Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo as BLACKPINK: with their debut single album, Square One, the group became the third Korean artists ever to hold the top two spots of the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart simultaneously. Their signature "K-trap" style secured them similar successes in Square Two, which was the first debut for a K-pop girl group on the Canadian charts, and the Japanese-language Blackpink EP, which made them the third foreign artist debut to top the Japanese charts. A hot streak of new material, international tours, and high-profile collaborations soon made BLACKPINK one of the most successful girl groups worldwide, with the act consistently breaking new records for the industry. Their debut Korean-language LP, 2020's The Album, became the best-selling girl group album in Gaon chart history.
Having established herself as one of the industry's most popular idols, Lisa made her solo debut in 2021 with the release of rap-heavy first single album Lalisa. Selling over 730,000 copies in its first week, the project set records across the board, including the highest first-week sales of any female artist on the Gaon charts. After touring and recording with BLACKPINK, she returned to her solo work with the 2024 single "Rockstar," which reached number four on Billboard's Global 200. It became the first single behind her debut solo album, 2025's Alter Ego, followed shortly by ROSALÍA collaboration "New Woman" and the funky "Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me)." ~ David Crone
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