By: Bri Renee
Rap Caviar, billed as the "most influential playlist in hip-hop", has crowned some of the most popular rappers as winners of its awards. The Spotify exclusive playlist polled its listeners to determine what artists would receive awards for the December 2020-June 2021 period.
J. Cole was crowned the All-Rap Caviar MVP. This comes weeks after having 4 tracks from his latest album, The Off Season, in the top ten of Billboard's Hot 100, and mere days after being featured on a playlist curated by former president Barrack Obama. The only other artists to achieve the Billboard milestone are Drake, Lil Wayne, and Juice WRLD.
Pooh Shiesty, whose single "Back in Blood" ft. Lil Durk has over 125 Million streams on Spotify, was named the Rookie of the Year. The Memphis rapper's mixtape, Shiesty Season, was certified gold and peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200. He was also selected as a 2021 XXL Freshman Class member, although he was arrested for aggravated assault in June and is being held without bond.
Both rappers were included on 2021 All Rap Caviar Teams, with J. Cole placed on the First Team and Pooh Shiesty on the Second. J. Cole, along with Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Kendrick Lamar, was also selected for the Hip-Hop Mount Rushmore for the 2010s decade.