Is it almost time to crown a new “King”?
Drake – who rapped about being “one away from Michael [Jackson]” on his new album, For All The Dogs – tied the record with the same song where the Toronto native made that claim. Drake, 36, notched his 13th No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart on Monday, October 16, when “First Person Shooter” (featuring J. Cole) debuted at the top. This “baker’s dozen” of chart-toppers now ties him with the late Jackson for the most in the list’s history among solo males.
“Will they ever give me flowers? Well, of course not / They don’t wanna have that talk, ’cause it’s a sore spot,” Drake rapped on the “First Person Shooter’s final verse. “They know The Boy, the one they gotta boycott / I told Jimmy Jam I use a GRAMMY as a door stop … N—s talkin’ ’bout when this gon’ be repeated / What the f—k, bro? I’m one away from Michael / N—a, beat it, n—a, beat it, what?”
Regarding the Most Billboard No. 1 Hits in history, Drake has a few more to go before he sits atop that mountain. Currently in third is Rihanna, the woman whom Drake said “the sex was average” with on “Fear Of Heights,” another cut from For All The Dogs. Rihanna, 35, currently has 14 No. 1 hits, and if she finally releases her long-awaited ninth album, that number will surely grow.
The top two artists with the most Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs are Mariah Carey, with 19, and The Beatles, with 20.
Drake’s No. 1s include “What’s My Name” (with Rihanna), “Work” (with Rihanna), “One Dance” (with Wizkid and Kyla), “God’s Plan,” “Nice For What,” “In My Feelings,” “Toosie Slide,” “What’s Next,” “Way 2 Sexy” (with Future and Young Thug), Wait for U (with Future and Tems), “Jimmy Cooks” (with 21 Savage) and “Slime You Out,” Drake’s collab with SZA that also comes from For All The Dogs.
Jackson, who died in 2009 at age 50, reached the top of the charts with “Ben,” “Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough,” “Rock With You,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Say Say Say” (with Paul McCartney), “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” (with Siedah Garrett), “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man In The Mirror,” “Dirty Diana,” “Black or White” and “You Are Not Alone.”
Interestingly enough, Drake may have 13 hits, but most of them have only spent a single week at No. 1. Only “Work,” “One Dance,” “God’s Plan,” “Nice For What” and “In My Feelings” have more than a single week at No. 1.
It remains to be seen if Drake’s son picks up his first Billboard hit. Adonis, 6, released the full version of “My Man Freestyle” on Monday, October 16, expanding on the short verse that closed out “Daylight” on For All The Dogs. The music video for the track featured Adonis with a Drake tattoo and a cameo from Toronto Raptors rookie Gradey Dick.
