Jermaine Dupri Claims Bow Wow Has More No. 1s Than Drake and That's Absolutely Not True

Let's look at the numbers, Jermaine.

During a now-infamous 2016 interview with Taxstone, Beanie Sigel helped turn the word "facts" into a moment, at least in my eyes. The thing is, the word isn't used to just signify that you're speaking the undeniable truth at the end of a statement. This great tool known as the internet makes it easier than ever to examine the facts and prove a statement right, or very wrong. Today, we'll examine a comment Jermaine Dupri made during a recent visit to The Breakfast Club.

During the episode, Dupri spent a segment of the interview defending Bow Wow's antics; he told the world that not only was Bow Wow signed to Death Row at the age of five, but that Bow Wow really was being chased by a group of fans. Fine, whatever, those are two pieces of information I truly don't give a fuck about. The comment that did sound confusing was Dupri's insistence that Bow Wow "has more No. 1 records than Drake." Yeah he seriously said that.


The problem is, there was no real clarification on this comment. Was Jermaine speaking about one chart in particular? Was he looking at a cumulative number? And this, dear reader, is where the facts come into play. I decided to crunch some Billboard numbers to get a sense of what the fuck Jermaine Dupri, who not only turned Bow Wow into a star but has been a fixture within the music industry since the early '90s, was getting at. Could Bow Wow really have more No. 1s than Drake?

I decided to look at Billboard's chart history on Bow Wow, and it was pretty surprising, especially for people who only know of Bow Wow as that guy who has a history of taking Ls. To his credit, Bow Wow has a dope number of No. 1s spread across numerous Billboard charts; 16 to be exact (14 singles, two albums). The chart that showed him the most love was the Hot Rap Songs, where he's received seven No. 1 songs, including his feature on the So So Def remix of Dem Franchize Boyz' "I Think They Like Me." Surprisingly, Bow Wow had been around since 2000, but it wasn't until his fourth album (2005's Wanted) that he got his first No. 1 album (his second being 2007's Face Off with Omarion). Either way, 16 No. 1s on the Billboard charts is pretty damn dope.

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Then I took a glance at Drake's Billboard chart history, and remembered that this Canadian is one dominant motherfucker when it comes to the charts. Bow Wow has two No. 1s on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart? Drake has 22 of those. Bow Wow has two No. 1s on the Rhythmic chart? Drake has 19 of those. And 17 No. 1s on Hot Rap Songs chart, 16 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and even one No. 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart (which would be his single "One Dance").

The thing is, Drake charts in places Bow Wow never has; Drake has five No. 1s on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart, and 16 No. 1s on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart. These are places that are possibly out of Bow Wow's reach because he's doing more acting than making music during Drake's reign. Thing is, Drake even has No. 1s on the Dance Club Songs chart, multiple Latin charts, and many others. And of course, he has seven albums hitting the Billboard 200 chart; that includes every one of his solo albums, and his three "commercial mixtapes." I actually stopped counting when I realized Drake had more Billboard No. 1s on the Rhythmic chart than Bow Wow had total.

Now, maybe Jermaine Dupri was speaking of another chart. Maybe Bow Wow is popping in Europe, and I just don't have access to those charts. Or maybe Durpi was adding up Bow Wow's Billboard No. 1s with No. 1s in movies and television? I'm not sure, the math seems fuzzy. If Jermaine Dupri was strictly talking Billboard, it looks like Drake's properly washed Bow Wow, just looking at the numbers. That's facts.

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