The Kid Laroi hits one billion streams, breaks into global charts

Sydney-raised Los Angeles-based rapper The Kid Laroi continues to grow as a major global force.

He has reached a phenomenal one billion streams across his catalogue, according to Sony Music Entertainment, who first signed the artist when he was 13 years old.

At the same time, the digital repackage of his Fuck Love (Savage) mixtape is generating even more chart traction for the 17-year old wunderkind

Earlier this year, the mixtape debuted in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 200 and #3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. By August it had generated 49.39 million streams.

The digital repack debuted at #3 in Australia and the US, and #2 on the New Zealand charts.

It has seven new songs, with cameos from NBA Youngboy, Internet Money and Marshmello.

Further achievements in Australia include the Gold-certification of ‘Addison Rae’ (his fourth gold) and ‘So Done’, becoming his highest ARIA Singles chart spot to date peaking at #7.

He is also nominated for three ARIAs at this month’s music industry awards, including Best Male Artist, Breakthrough Artist and Best Hip Hop Release.

The Kid Laroi is now Australian hip hop’s second most successful act on a global level, after Iggy Azalea, who has sold 48 million records and in 2014 became the second act in history after The Beatles to simultaneously hold both the #1 and #2 positions in the US.

Hau Latukefu, one half of Koolism and host of triple j’s The Hip-Hop Show, earlier commented on Kid’s breakthrough, “I think it’s extremely fitting that the biggest hip hop/R&B export ever out of Australia is a young First Nations lad.

“We all knew LAROI was destined for greatness, but to actually see it – bloody amazing.

“His win is a win for Australia.”

His global success has now opened up debate within Australian hip hop circles on how to achieve that breakthrough – sounding specifical as if you were Australian or go for a global sound.

In his early teens, he was trying to track down Young Money’s phone number, while he’d talk himself backstage or into hotels when US rappers as YG came to Sydney to get his tapes to them.

He explained that approach was more effective than uploading his stuff online because “It’s only one in a million chance something would come out of that.”

Juice Wrld invited him to move to America after he opened for him on an Australian tour, “I didn’t even know what would happen but how would you know if you never tried.

“I liked (Juice WRLD)’s music before I met him, and I wanted to be in that position.”