Monday, 01 July

Drake reaches a special milestone thanks to feud with Kendrick Lamar

Entertainment
Getty Images: Drake performs onstage at Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash Block Show at Phillips Arena on June 20, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia

Drake and Kendrick Lamar have not been on good terms for years now, but in the past few weeks, the two have escalated their feud in a very public way. The artists have traded barbs back and forth in a number of songs, which have thus far all become hits on the Billboard charts.

This week, Drake’s “Push Ups,” which is widely considered to be a retort to Lamar’s recent reigniting of the battle, debuts on a number of rankings. It opens at No. 1 on several charts, and on one list, this latest arrival helps the Canadian rapper reach a very special milestone. That just goes to show that some good can come out of any situation–even two men insulting one another.

“Push Ups” debuts at No. 1 on the Rap Streaming Songs chart. It’s his latest leader on the ranking of the most-streamed tracks in the U.S. that fit under the rap genre label–and Drake is very accustomed to running the show on this tally.

Drake has now accrued 20 No. 1 hits on the Rap Streaming Songs chart. That’s surely one of the most impressive counts of all time, and it may very well be an all-time record.

“Push Ups” opens in first place on the Rap Streaming Songs chart a decade after Drake first conquered the list. He first reached the summit on this ranking back in 2014 with “Only.” That cut was fronted by Nicki Minaj, and Drake was credited in a featured role alongside Lil Wayne and Chris Brown.

In addition to it being his twentieth No. 1, “Push Ups” helps Drake hit another impressive landmark. The tune is his one-hundred-and-twentieth top 10 smash on the tally. He’s placed a total of 203 titles on the Rap Streaming Songs chart throughout his career.

There have been several years in which Drake has earned multiple No. 1s on the Rap Streaming Songs chart. 2018 was his most prolific in this sense, as he snagged five new champions that year. 2022 and 2023 are tied with four winners each.

Two of Drake’s singles are tied as his longest-running No. 1s. Both “Hotline Bling” and “Rich Flex” with 21 Savage spent 13 weeks atop the Rap Streaming Songs chart.

“Push Ups” is Drake’s response to Lamar coming for him on the song “Like That,” which was featured on Future and Metro Boomin’s recent album We Don’t Trust You. The song went right to No. 1 on the Hot 100, as well as several other lists. Following “Push Ups,” Lamar has already responded with his own “Euphoria,” which should reach the Billboard rankings next week.

Source: forbes.com