Seven things learnt from triple j's 2017 Hottest 100

Okay, so the Hottest 100 has been run and won, and amid the cries of "ya joking, should've been higher" and "triple j is so shit these days" there is some knowledge to be gained. And here it is. Sit down. Be humble.

Kendrick is king

Kendrick Lamar is the first African-American to top the triple j Hottest 100. He is the first artist to win having previously finished second. Humble is only the second hip hop song to top the chart. Lamar had four songs in the countdown - it's only the fifth time the poll-topper has had four or more songs in that year's Hottest 100. He also placed #3 in the triple j listeners' poll. Oh, and he just won a big pile of Grammys. Everything's coming up Kendrick.

Hip hop rules, OK?

Lamar wasn't the only hip hop artist doing well this year - it was a big year for rap in the Hottest 100. Thundamentals reached the top 10, Brockhampton were just outside it, and elsewhere the likes of Khalid, Baker Boy, Post Malone, Drake, Migos (on a Calvin Harris track), NERD, Allday, Big Shaq, Odette, Macklemore, Bliss N Eso, Hilltop Hoods (on a Thundamentals track), Future, and Stormzy dropped it like it was hot. All up, that's 23 songs, or almost a quarter of the countdown. Pretty sure that's a record.

It's a metal-free zone

"Where's the metal?" asked some Twitter users. The answer was "nowhere". The closest thing to heavy was DZ Deathrays' Shred For Summer and that ain't metal - it just has the word "shred" in the title. Even the Queens Of The Stone Age song was more dancefloor than moshpit. In recent years, there's always been a sprinkling of metal tracks, but that drizzle dried up in 2017. The highest ranking metal song in the whole 200 was Architects with Doomsday at #139, with Polaris' The Remedy not far behind at #142. Does this mean metalheads don't vote in the Hottest 100 anymore or were there too many killer metal songs to vote for?

Foo Fighters are officially "dad rock"

Powderfinger and Foo Fighters are locked at 22 apiece in the battle to claim the crown of most Hottest 100 entries, and with the 'Finger retired and the Foos dropping a great album in 2017, it looked like Dave Grohl and his buddies were going to take the prize. But it wasn't to be. Despite boasting a Grammy-winning single, the Foos didn't even crack the top 200. It's the first time they've released an album that didn't yield a track in the 100 (and it's a great album too). So it's official - Foo Fighters are now "dad rock", and their days of filling the triple j airwaves seem over. Muse appear to have joined that category as well, and one would imagine Queens Of The Stone Age aren't far behind.

The youths are alright

While Gang Of Youths didn't get the top prize, three songs in the top 10 is nothing to be sneezed at. Powderfinger (2003) and Chet Faker (2014) are the only other acts to have done it. Mind you, GOY is the first act to get three in the top 10 while also getting two in the top five. They had four in the top 100, and a further three in the top 200. Not bad at all.

Winning is not the end

It was a great year for acts who had previously won the countdown. Flume, The Rubens, Vance Joy, Macklemore, Angus & Julia Stone, and Queens Of The Stone Age all returned, which is a record. Typically, a few previous winners make a return to the Hottest 100 each year, with the previous best being four in 2009.

Yacht rock is back, baby

Forget hip hop, this is the genre of 2017. Winston Surfshirt's Be About You, Holy Holy's True Lovers, Ocean Alley's The Comedown, Kingswood's Golden - yacht rock is where it's at. But don't take my word for it - watch the above clip and let Hollywood Steve take you on a journey.