A new analysis of Spotify workout playlists found that hip-hop and rap artists dominated users’ listening habits when exercising
If you glance over the shoulder of anyone in the gym to see what they’re listening to, there’s a good chance it’ll be some kind of hip-hop or rap song.
New only supports that, showing rap and hip-hop tracks appear on gym playlists more often than any other genre.
Electrolyte brand Instant Hydration conducted an analysis of the 25 most popular workout playlists on Spotify, compiling a list of over 1,000 tracks, identifying the top songs by looking at how many times each artist appeared and what their most repeated songs were.
Rap icon Eminem was at the top of the ranking, with his songs appearing 19 times across the playlists. Other hip-hop and rap artists claimed the majority of the other top spots, including Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Drake (who appeared a whopping 88 times throughout the playlists), Kanye West, Metro Boomin, Central Cee, Mustard and 21 Savage.
- Eminem, “Till I Collapse,” streamed over 2.44 billion times on Spotify
- Britney Spears, “Toxic,” with over 1.86 billion streams
- JAY-Z, “Ni**as In Paris” 1.78+ billion streams
- Travis Scott, “FE!N (feat. Playboi Carti),” 1.54+ billion streams
- Drake, “Jimmy Cooks (feat. 21 Savage),” 1.3+ billion streams
- Kanye West, “POWER,” 1.15+ billion streams
- Bad Bunny, “NUEVAYoL,” 1.13+ billion streams
- Metro Boomin, “Like That,” 963,8+ million streams
- Central Cee, “Doja,” 908.2+ million streams
- Mustard, “Pure Water (with Migos),” 836.3+ million streams
- 21 Savage, “redrum,” 809.9+ million streams
A common thread in the final ranking was the high-energy nature of the songs — the final list almost entirely had songs with beats per minute (BPM) over 120.
It makes sense that songs with more energy would be more popular motivators for workouts, and a recent analysis from Chordify, an AI-powered online music learning platform, backed that up.
The report showed that the pop songs most commonly associated with longer, more consistent workouts include three key components: optimal tempo (BPM), emotional uplift and rhythmic consistency.
Chordify noted that songs between 120 and 170 BPM — which includes all of the top songs Instant Hydration identified in its report — are most effective for maintaining movement without premature fatigue. Slower tempos can slow pace down, but tracks that are too fast could lead to overdoing it and burning out.
Additionally, the science reflected that songs that feel more upbeat can help reduce perceived exertion, meaning people are less likely to cut short workouts or sets, even when effort stays the same.
