To the surprise of no one, it’s being reported that Drake has officially become the most streamed artist of 2021 in the U.S. According to Chart Data, the Toronto star has managed to accrue 8.6 billion on-demand streams — even wilder, one out of every 131 streams was a Drake song.
This figure comes following the release of Drake‘s sixth studio LP Certified Lover Boy back in September, which contained 21 tracks and a wealth of assists from Kid Cudi, Lil Durk, GIVĒON, JAY-Z, Travis Scott, Future, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Wayne, Tems, and more. The project earned Drizzy his tenth consecutive number one on the Billboard 200 thanks to a massive 562,000 first-week album equivalent units sold. Certified Lover Boy was also the biggest week for an R&B/hip-hop album, a rap album, and an album by a male artist since 2018’s Scorpion. Month prior to that, Drake liberated the sequel to the well-received EP Scary Hours, which saw three songs and appearances from Lil Baby and Rick Ross on the runaway hits “Wants and Needs” and “Lemon Pepper Freestyle,” respectively — the latter of which spawned plenty of remixes and freestyles from the likes of Meek Mill, Toosii, Potter Payper, King Los, Chip, and EARTHGANG.
Outside of his own work, Drake has continued to remain pretty unrivaled as a featured artist. In 2021, the OVO head honcho contributed to songs like Drakeo The Ruler‘s “Talk To Me,” Young Stoner Life’s “Solid,” Nicki Minaj’s “Seeing Green,” Migos’ “Having Our Way,” Brent Faiyaz’s “Wasting Time,” Trippie Redd’s “Betrayal,” Young Thug’s “Bubbly,” and — most recently — Gunna’s “P power.”
Given his reign over a decade plus, one can expect Aubrey Graham to keep the machine rolling in 2022, whether he releases a full-length project this year or not.