Drake may have bounced back from Views with his latest project, More Life, but rap's hit king has lost a notable streak that was representative of his stranglehold on the game. As of this week, Drake is out of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 431 weeks, breaking a streak that has seen him involved with hits dating all the way back to 2009.
In case you can't fathom how long of a streak that is, Drake first burst onto the charts with "Best I Ever Had," the single from So Far Gone that helped launch him from prominent mixtape rapper to a major label force. Through that lens, you could basically say this streak has lasted for his entire major label career, carrying him from the beginning of his brush with stardom until now.
The last gasp of this streak came courtesy of "Passonfruit," the More Life track that held on valiantly for a 20-week period on the Billboard chart, peaking all the way up at No. 8. It's also worth noting that despite the loss of the streak, More Life helped Drake set a bunch of new records along the way. All 22 songs from the project made the Hot 100 simultaneously in its debut week this March, helping Drake set a new high mark for most debuts there in one week, and the most simultaneously charted Hot 100 titles in a week (24 with the addition of two other singles).
Reactions to the busted streak ranged from celebratory to mourning, as Drake fans and haters alike reacted to the news.
A Fucking Legend ❤️
Unreal run
The tyranny is over.
Even as someone who has mixed feelings about Drake, you have to respect the accomplishment. Being relevant for eight years, let alone one of the best-selling artists in the world, is a feat unto itself, and Drake has consistently made music that the public responds to. That deserves a salute, and here's hoping he can get right back to work on starting another streak.
