Hot 100 First-Timers: Kanii Arrives With Viral TikTok Hit ‘I Know’

Washington, D.C.-based singer-songwriter Kanii, 17, scores his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated April 15), as his breakthrough track “I Know” debuts at No. 95.

The song, released March 10 via Masked Records/Warner Records, debuts with 6.7 million U.S. streams (up 16%) and 367,000 radio airplay audience impressions (up 238%) in the March 31-April 6 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The song concurrently debuts at No. 19 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 30 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Its worldwide totals also spark a No. 191 start on the Billboard Global 200.

“This is truly insane,” Kanii tells Billboard. “To see my creation thrive and prosper this early in my career, I am forever grateful for this accomplishment.”

Contributing to the song’s surge are multiple versions: its original and PR1SVX mixes and sped-up versions of each. (All versions of the song are combined into a singular listing on Billboard’s charts.)

TikTok has been a big factor in the song’s growing profile, as a portion of the track has been used in over 20,000 clips on the platform to-date. A separate PR1SVX edit has also been used in over 200,000 videos. (TikTok does not contribute directly to Billboard’s charts.) Kanii himself has over 200,000 TikTok followers.

This isn’t the first time that Kanii has used TikTok to his advantage. His track “Attachment,” which he self-released last August, has been used in over 50,000 clips on the platform.

Kanii is new to Billboard’s charts. A week earlier, he was featured in Billboard’s 10 First-Timers column, which highlights artists who appear on Billboard’s charts for the first time, the week that they debut. “I Know” marks his first release on Warner.

Kanii also jumps 21-16 in his second week on the Emerging Artists chart.

Billboard’s Hot 100 First-Timers column highlights artists who achieve their first career entries on the Hot 100.