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It’s safe to say that some artists are popular in specific regions. To support that theory, Paul Lamere, who works for music intelligence platform The Echo Nest, compiled data to create a comprehensive map of musical popularity in the U.S.
The map was broken down into various music genres and some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B have resonated in unlikely regions. Some acts are big in their hometown states, like Miami native Rick Ross who is popular in Florida and Atlanta rapper Future who is big in Georgia, but other acts are more appreciated outside their home states like Wiz Khalifa, who hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but has a strong following in Arkansas.
Other surprising rappers on the list include Young Jeezy, who’s tops in Michigan. B.o.B is apparently beloved in Iowa, and Kevin Gates is huge in Louisiana.
Elsewhere, Ciara is the most popular artist in Nevada, Miguel is big in North Carolina, August Alsina is adored in Mississippi and Kelly Rowland has major fans in Maryland.
So how were these stats calculated? Lamere sampled a quarter of a million listeners with a zip code attached to their accounts to create the map, according to his blog.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio
