The rise of streaming platforms welcomed a much-needed change to how people shared and discovered music. You could finally say goodbye to your friend’s mid-music recommendations or other users’ playlists that definitely needed an update.
Playlists like Spotify’s RapCaviar strike a simple balance between playing new music from artists you already know and lesser-known heat from up-and-coming names. This simple concept for music discovery has evolved into household brands with enough pull to create documentaries and host Grammy parties.
Recently, the rise of AI has impacted the playlists that we know and love with attempts from services like Spotify’s AI DJ feature to make the listening experience more personalized. Honestly, though, the human touch wins every time—the AI features are notorious for either playing only the genre’s Top 40 or repeating the same songs (over and over and over again).
Ever wonder who are the real people behind the scenes that compile a selection you want to listen to? We did some digging to reveal the curators for Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal playlists and why they get it right.
Spotify’s RapCaviar Playlist
The beloved RapCaviar playlist started in 2015 and slowly began changing the hip-hop landscape. Rappers who had not been given a spotlight yet became superstars bolstered by the popularity of the playlist, which amassed millions of listeners. For example, when Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” was included in the summer of 2017, it was given enough exposure to become not just a summer smash but one of her biggest hits.
Originally curated by Tuma Basa, his love for the genre could be felt throughout each playlist. He grew up swapping VHS copies of Rap City and MTV Raps with friends and then leveraged his extensive rap knowledge to personally oversee one of the biggest rap playlists in the world.
“When Hot 97 played ‘Protect Ya Neck’ by the Wu-Tang Clan, that was it. It went all over the country. RapCaviar has that influence right now. A song goes in RapCaviar and everyone pays attention. Lucky for us, Tuma’s an expert. He knows what kids want,” former executive vice president at Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Joie Manda, said in a 2017 interview with Vulture.
Despite Basa leaving the company for YouTube in 2018, the playlist continued to grow successfully under Spotify’s new Head of Urban Music, Carl Chery.
When talking about the changes he made to “RapCaviar” as the new head honcho, Carl said in a 2023 interview with Hits Daily Double, “if you look at artists who’ve thrived on the playlist over the years, there’s been a lot of trap. There weren’t as many artists who’d be considered more alternative like, say, Tyler, The Creator. With that in mind, I had to get familiar with the playlist and figure out what worked and what didn’t. The big picture was 100% building up the RapCaviar universe.”
What started as a playlist has grown to be such a respected name in the music industry that they put together a Hulu doc series called RapCaviar Presents, focusing on the lives of big names like Tyler, The Creator, and Polo G under Cherry’s direction. They’ve also hosted release parties for highly-anticipated albums like NIGO’s I Know Nigo in 2022, bringing to life the physical aspect of the album’s visuals.
With over 15 million subscribers and counting, the playlist and its expanding fanbase are nowhere near slowing down.
Apple Music’s Rap Life Playlist
Originally known as “The A-List: Hip-Hop,” the Apple Music playlist rebranded to “Rap Life” in 2019. The first playlist under the rebrand featured songs like Drake’s “Money in the Grave” (now ironically featuring Rick Ross) and “Under The Sun” by J. Cole featuring DaBaby and Lute.
Ebro Darden, Apple Music’s Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop and R&B and host of The Ebro Show, said in 2019 that they changed the playlist to “dig deeper into the lifestyle [and to] keep pushing the culture forward.”
The mission of the curator team he is in charge of is: “Rap isn’t just a genre. There’s a reason it’s sometimes simply called The Culture: It’s a way of life.”
Before leading the branch of Apple Music, he worked in front of the mic for Hot 97 radio as the Vice President of programming. He has nearly 30 years of radio work under his belt and years of experience on the research side, finding what songs people loved or hated.
Since the relaunch, the Rap Life brand has grown significantly in followers and content. For those who want to hear more of a breakdown on trending rap topics and what’s to come, there’s Rap Life Radio with Darden and other Apple Music personalities like Nadeska.
Could there be an AI rap radio show? Sure, but it would be a regurgitation of whatever human opinions it’s trained on. The heart of Rap Life is culture, capturing the genre and its cause and effect on the world, a concept intrinsic to the human experience—not AI.
LIVE by Tidal
The streaming service TIDAL was first launched in 2014, but LIVE by Tidal was launched in 2023. The new feature allows TIDAL members to find and share music, whether you are specifically looking for an artist or need a new “getting ready playlist.” The service also put together its team of playlist curators for those looking to listen to recommendations of specific genres, like rap music.
Juan Navarro is the Senior Manager of Hip-Hop/R&B Content & Editorial at TIDAL. He describes his curated Hip-Hop and R&B playlist vibe as “new and classic hip-hop and R&B, records pinned to a cultural moment/conversation, region/city-specific hip-hop, plus reggaeton and Latin trap.”
Before taking his talents to TIDAL, Navarro was an editor and media coordinator for Music Choice’s content for over five years. He also has experience in hip-hop content creation, having worked for sites like WatchLOUD.
Adding on his deep knowledge of the genre, Navarro not only helps put together the streaming service’s rap catalog but also “works alongside Chief Content Officer Elliott Wilson on high-profile projects like the ‘A Toast to Biggie’ Twitter Spaces that featured JAY-Z, Diddy, and Fat Joe.”
Philipp Senkpiel is the Senior Manager of Global Programming at TIDAL and runs the Global Hip-Hop and R&B LIVE by Tidal playlist. The vibe is described as “hip-hop, R&B and related genres from all eras—U.S. rap classics to contemporary R&B, European lo-fi and ’90s U.K. soul.”
He has a background as a DJ and producer behind the turntables, as well as in radio and hosting on-air programs.
The people behind these meticulously put-together playlists don’t just love hip-hop. They eat, sleep, and breathe it, as seen in their numerous career accomplishments before becoming playlist curators. That type of passion is something that AI just can’t replicate.