Drake Makes Chart History
King Aubrey is doing numbers. Scorpion debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with the biggest sales week of the year (and record-breaking streaming numbers), which gives Drake his eighth No.1 album and brings him closer to rarefied territory (only the Beatles, Jay-Z, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley have more No. 1 albums).
But that’s not where the real news is. The real news is on the Billboard Hot 100, where all 25 tracks from Scorpion charted this week and “Nice for What” rebounds to No. 1 for an eighth non-consecutive week. The records being set and extended are plentiful, so stick with me:
- Most concurrent entries on the Billboard Hot 100 (27 — all of Scorpion‘s tracks plus two others)
- Most concurrent entries in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (seven)
- Most concurrent entries in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 (12)
- Extends his lead as solo artist with the most Billboard Hot 100 entries (186 — second only to the Glee cast)
- First song to have four stints at No.1 (“Nice for What”)
- Most simultaneous debuts in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 (four)
- Most Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits among solo male artists (31 — third to Madonna’s 37 and the Beatles’ 34)
It’s worth noting that two of the songs that interrupted the “Nice for What” reign were viral hits as opposed to songs that actually held the consciousness of the general public. Just eight weeks after its No. 1 debut, Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” (one of the interrupters) is sitting at No. 24, which kinda supports my initial assessment of that song. The good news is that all these interruptions allowed Drake to set another record while demonstrating what true staying power looks like.
There aren’t many artists who have had this good of a run in popular music, and in hip-hop, it is almost unheard of. People may have their reservations about Drake, but his achievements speak for themselves and deserve every bit of respect.
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