Across its 63-year history, Billboard has never seen a phenomenon quite like Drake.
Listed alongside insurmountable stats on the organization’s main singles tally, the Billboard Hot 100, the Canadian rapper (born Aubrey Graham) currently sits in history books for most overall appearances on the chart, most #1 debuts, most #2-peaking singles, most cumulative weeks in the top 10 (among males), most top 10 singles, most #1 hits (among rappers), and many other achievements.
On the Billboard 200 side of the charts, Graham is arguably even more successful – boasting some of the century’s greatest success stories with just six studio albums.
Among the latter, his record-busting, 2016 effort ‘Views,’ recently made history for putting him in yet another exclusive chart territory.
Find out how inside:
Nearly 6 years after its release, ‘Views’ – in its 302nd week of charting – is found at #93 on the refreshed Billboard 200.
The project, which most famously houses the hits ‘Hotling Bling’ and ‘One Dance,’ is Drizzy’s third studio effort to spend at least 300 weeks on the hit list. And while overall, Eminem is the first act to have three projects chart for over 300 weeks, Drake – unlike Slim Shady – accomplished the feat with studio albums (not compilation projects).
Before it, the 6 God’s albums, ‘Take Care’ (2011) and ‘Nothing Was the Same’ (2013), crossed the 300-week threshold and currently boast 469 weeks and 410 weeks of placement on the chart respectively.
Cumulatively, their successes – alongside the longstanding runs of his mixtapes, EPs, compilation albums, and three other studio efforts – extend his reign as the longest-charting Hip-Hop act in Billboard 200 history (over 2,170 weeks).
Drizzy is a legend. Listening to his Pandora station reminds me of the many hits he has. A Legend in these streets!
So overrated just because he’s light skin if Drake was dark he’d be a flop same with Beyoncé
I disagree since Black artists regardless of skin tone who has released POP/R&B OR POP/Hip-Hop records have always enjoyed more MAINSTREAM success each decade.
Beginning in the mid 90s, P. Diddy had the biggest IMPACT on Mainstream Hip-HIp due to him “Re-Introducing” R&B/POP/DISCO/ROCK elements when artists like Rakim/MC Lyte where going for a more Underground sound.
It’s NOT always about race hun. Drake is a star because he followed in the footsteps of The Diddy’s oppose to the Rakim’s.
What dark skin female artist is on same level as Beyoncé I’ll wait
Well Beyoncé’s solo music is requested more on Urban radio despite the fact other members of Destiny’s Child have released solo projects as well.
Kelly Rowland has released several singles to Urban radio, w/ many of them underperforming. How is that Beyoncé’s fault??
Beyoncé biggest influences are Jazz singers/POP artists which you can hear in most of her music since she incorporates those elements.
Well umm, Beyoncés dad even said that her success in the group and outside the group was due to her being light skinned. Just like her, Color plays a VERY big part in drakes success. Jcole is the only other artist with a similar racial background to drake and look how his success has faired for him with him being a woke and insightful black man…the white listeners, who account a huge number of the sales and streams in hip hop, don’t want to hear it. The only other hip hop artist as big as drake is and who broke records like drake did is Eminem. Go figure! I literally had a former white friend tell me that he didn’t listen to Kendrick or Jcole because he couldn’t relate to the messages of pro-blackness in their music, so Umm yeah…being a light skinned geeky half black, half white boy from Toronto is definitely helping drake just as it did beyonce in her earlier years.
You say it’s because of skin tone yet darker skin artists have been reaching wider audiences for decades w/ their music.
So now light skin artists are doing the same, it’s because they are light skin NOT because the musical elements they incorporate has universal appeal??
For the record….the most successful, influential & wealthiest Black ppl are NOT even light skin. The real issue is Black ppl choose to only acknowledge & celebrate certain Black ppl….usually those w/ lighter skin.
That’s what Beyoncé’s dad was implying. He knows ppl will continue to celebrate Destiny’s Child because of Beyoncé’s skin tone….giving the impression she & her group are the best.
Again that’s NOT Beyoncé’s fault hun. You guys literally elevate her than hate her at the same time because she is light skin.
If your going to try and prove a point by reference, your going to have to sight those references baby. Because I’d LOVE to know these artist you speak of that are darker skinned and on the level of a drake and Beyoncé or with similar success. Hmm….yeah…I’ll wait. I’ll most likely be waiting myself into a grave…
Name one female doing what BEYONCE is doing? I’ll F****** WAIT. I ain’t never see not one female give us a BEYCHELLA performance. Don’t get let her light skin fool ya dumb ass.
Somebody needs to stop self hating….
Drake’s discography is…
70% Trash
25% Lukewarm
5% Fire
My fav all time is 2exy & Come see me.
You have no taste! Stick with your junk food fat ass
LMAO @ LUKEWARM! i agree.
Rubbish.
I don’t understand how folks continue believing these “first” stats especially when you’re comparing apples and oranges (i.e. streaming era vs pure sales era)
These records artists are “breaking” nowadays based on streams is B.S.
If Thriller or The Bodyguard came out post 2014 they would’ve logged probably double these figures.
I hate that Yop 40 music is such… GARBAGE these days.
Them bots be STREAMING!