Armani White Went Viral On TikTok, But He’s Much More than a “TikTok Rapper.”
West Philly artist Armani White had been bubbling on the Philly hip-hop scene for years before a snippet of his now hit song “Billie Eilish” made his name nationally recognizable. Back in February, a snippet of White and friends dancing in the studio to the hook of Billie Eilish went viral on TikTok introducing his music to a wide international audience. However the viral snippet also prominently features a sample from the 2002 hit “Nothin’” by N.O.R.E. and The Neptunes, which made the sample take a long time to hit the streaming shelves. Nearly three months later, the Neptunes, N.O.R.E, and Billie Eilish herself gave the green light for the song to drop!Now in the Summer of 2022, Billie Eilish has been streamed nearly 10 million times and the music video has skyrocketed to over a million views.
Watch our interview with Armani White highlighting the story behind his breakout song “Billie Eilish.”
White has been after it for years, a quick scan of his YouTube channel will show you highly produced music videos from as far back as 2014. Armani White has had both a powerful delivery and an eye for stunning visuals for years, but now the young rapper is finally getting national recognition. Patrick Mahomes, Apple Music, and the NBA have all taken note of White’s talent through previous projects such as his 2021 EP Things We Lost In The Fire and 2019 album Keep In Touch. Now the success of Billie Eilish has brought millions of eyes to other songs of his that made smaller waves but are still every bit as good as his viral hit. Armani White is a standout talent out of the fruitful Philadelphia rap scene. Philly doesn’t have a signature sound at this moment, but what it has been able to do is generate stars like Lil Uzi Vert, Meek Mill, and Tierra Whack who all make stylistically different music - but are the best at what they do. The same way no one sounds like Meek Mill and no one sounds like Tierra Whack, no one sounds like Armani White. There is no “wave” to hop on that will carry you out of the Philly rap scene, you have to make your own wave and Armani White has been doing just that.White may have popped off because of viral success, but he is not a viral rapper. He has put the time in, worked at his craft, and is reaping what he sowed. Anyone who is tapped in with the Philadelphia scene knows that Armani White is on a short list of artists who are up next.
