Drake scores 42 hits on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first artist to occupy 40 spaces (or more) in a single tracking frame. HOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 16: Rapper, songwriter, and icon Drake attends a game between the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Toyota Center on March 16, 2024 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
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Drake is the king of the Billboard Hot 100 – the chart company’s ranking of the most popular songs in America – in nearly every way imaginable. The hip-hop superstar dominates the most competitive list published by Billboard, thanks to the dozens of tracks featured on his three new albums, Iceman, Habibti and Maid of Honor, which simultaneously launch at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on the Billboard 200.
The fact that Drake earns another champion and almost fills the entirety of the top 10 is, impressively, nothing new for him. He does manage a first, not just when it comes to his time in the spotlight, but of all time, as he breaks a record and ups his career total number of wins dramatically.
Drake Claims 42 Hits on the Billboard Hot 100
On this week’s Billboard Hot 100, Drake scores 42 hits. That means that he fills 42% of all available real estate on the busy, 100-space tally. He is the first artist to occupy that many slots at one time.
Drake Passes Morgan Wallen’s Record
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 22: Morgan Wallen performs onstage for night two of his One Night At A Time tour at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for for Morgan Wallen’s One Night At A Time 2024)
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Before this week, Morgan Wallen owned this bit of history. The country superstar reset the all-time record for the greatest domination of the Billboard Hot 100 just last year, when his album I’m the Problem arrived in late May, just slightly under 12 months ago. 37 songs credited to Wallen lived on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.
Notably, Wallen beat his own record thanks to his blockbuster I’m the Problem. Several years prior, the singer-songwriter’s previous full-length One Thing at a Time helped him rack up 36 appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 in a single tracking period.
Drake and Morgan Wallen Have Swapped Records
Billboard notes that Drake and Wallen have been trading this record for nearly eight years. The Canadian hip-hop musician charted 27 smashes on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 2018, as a number of songs from his album Scorpion reached the ranking at the same time. That showing held as the greatest until Wallen’s back-to-back successes.
Drake Debuts 40 Songs on the Chart This Week
Of Drake’s 42 songs that can be found on the current edition of the Billboard Hot 100, 40 debut. Billboard reports that, understandably, he is the first artist to manage that specific feat.
Two previously released tracks, which for months were not attached to any album, return to the chart. “What Did I Miss?,” which formerly topped out at No. 2, reenters the ranking at No. 15. Further down on the ranking comes “Which One,” a collaboration with Central Cee. That song, which has now spent 13 frames on the rundown, breaks back in at No. 63 – 40 spaces beneath its all-time high.
Drake Nearly Sweeps the Top 10
Drake nearly conquers the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, but once again, he is stopped from filling spaces one through 10. The only song that keeps him from that bit of history – which only Taylor Swift has managed in the past – is “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley. Last week, the country cut sat at No. 1 for a milestone tenth frame, and now it is down to No. 5, though Drake appears in every other space.
“Janice STFU” earns the multi-genre talent his fourteenth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Drake pulls out of a tie with Michael Jackson and matches Taylor Swift for the third-most leaders in the ranking’s history as he once again tops the roster.