In the leadup to Drake’s gargantuan fourth studio album Views, the Toronto-bred superstar released the non-album single “Summer Sixteen.” On the track, he rapped, “I used to wanna be on Roc-A-Fella then I turned into Jay.” While that line was initially met with controversy and endlessly debated by rap pundits everywhere, Drake may have been onto something. Well, in terms of Billboard chart success, at least.
Following the release of Her Loss earlier this month, the OVO founder notched an incredibly elusive Billboard album record. Drizzy’s collaborative effort alongside 21 Savage landed at #1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. This achievement marks 21 Savage’s third time topping this chart, and it marks Drake’s 14th.
Prior to the success of Her Loss, the only artist to ever land 14 #1s on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart was Jay-Z. According to AllHipHop, Drake has officially tied his frequent collaborator, further cementing himself as the most commercially successful rapper of his generation.
Her Loss brings Drake closer to another unbelievable Jay-Z record.
In addition to tying Jay-Z’s R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart record, Drizzy is on course to match another Hov record. For years — decades, even — Jay-Z has boasted about his prolific chart-topping tendencies. On his Blueprint 3 track “Thank You,” he rapped, “I just got ten #1 albums, maybe now eleven.” As historically significant as that line once was, Hov has long since eclipsed that achievement.
After 13 years, Jay-Z now has 14 albums under his belt that have topped the highly competitive Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, Jay-Z’s record is not only the best in Hip-Hop history but in music history altogether. Although he technically has five fewer #1s than The Beatles, Hov has more album #1s than any other solo artist.
However, Drake is steadily getting closer to reaching Jay-Z’s record. Her Loss debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 as well, marking 21 Savage and Drake’s third and 12th chart-toppers, respectively. Whereas the “God Did” artist still has two #1 albums over Drake, the Honestly, Nevermind artist is considerably more active.
In 2022 alone, Drake dropped two chart-topping albums. If he keeps that momentum going, he may surpass one of Hov’s loftiest records in a matter of years. Let us know what you think about his news in the comment section. Does Drake’s latest achievement give his “Summer Sixteen” line more credence, six years later?
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