The formula for making a rap hit has changed a lot over the past five decades but at the same time, it seems that one almost surefire way to craft an inescapable bop is do what rap’s first-ever hit did: Sample a previous hit and turn it into something that would make the original creators’ heads spin.
We’ve seen a lot of the biggest hits in hip-hop lately do just that. Latto’s “Big Energy” liberally interpolates Tom Tom Club’s 1981 dance floor rocker “Genius Of Love,” while more recently, Doja Cat revivified Dianne Warwick’s “Walk On By” with “Paint The Town Red” and Coi Leray’s “Players” became the latest in a long line of songs looping Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message.”
In the same way, Milwaukee rapper Myaap is on the cusp of a huge breakout of her own thanks to a sample coming from one of the unlikeliest, un-hop-hop-iest song imaginable. “Getting To It,” which — like many of the aforementioned hits — derives much of its propulsion from an endless stream of TikTok videos utilizing the sound, employs Abba’s mournful 1976 hit “Dancing Queen,” slotting in blunt boasts over the original’s bright, disco production for a sweet and spicy blend that only needs the proper clearances to take off.
(Myaap’s music video for the track was wiped from YouTube over a copyright strike from Universal Music Group, but make no mistake — if it continues to gain momentum on TikTok, I have little doubt it’ll be back.)
So, who is the Milwaukee artist and what’s making her such a draw?
Well, unlike fellow Milwaukee star Lakeyah, she sticks to more of a locally-grown production style on tracks like “Wham” and “Party Crackin.” While Lakeyah’s connection with Atlanta-based hit factory Quality Control Music has put her on the national radar, Myaap’s approach ensures a dug-in hardcore hometown fanbase that’d be hard to uproot. From such a solid foundation, any moves she makes will likely be amplified by her hometown supporters — and if they can get loud enough, it’ll make it hard as hell for outsiders to ignore.
She’s also proven adept at capturing attention on TikTok — hard enough to do with the way that app is set up — and if she can keep getting minor viral hits there, it’s only a matter of time until interest in her off-platform music hits critical mass. But the key will almost certainly be whether “Gettin To It” can make a return to streaming services, as it’s clearly a hit in the same fashion as Sexyy Red‘s “Ah Thousand Jugs” — and we all know where Big Sexyy ended up: on top.