Canadian singer and rapper Drake has officially broken another record as he becomes tied with the iconic Michael Jackson for the most number-one hits by a male solo artist in Billboard history.
The emcee’s latest album, For All The Dogs, has earned him a number-one with the song ‘First Person Shooter’ featuring J Cole debuting at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. This latest collaboration is the Toronto native’s thirteenth chart topper. It has him tied with Michael Jackson, who achieved the same feat in 1995.
Both musicians are fourth on the leaderboard with 13 number-ones. The band reigning supreme over the rest is The Beatles, who managed to achieve a whopping 20 number-one tracks. Second place sees Mariah Carey with 19 and Rihanna in third with 14.
If Drake achieves two more number-ones, he will surpass Rihanna and secure the spot as the third most successful artist in history concerning number-one singles. Drake (real name Aubrey Graham) was fully aware of his place in the rankings and referenced it on the track.
Rhyming alongside J Cole, Graham rapped, “Niggas talkin’ ’bout when this gon’ be repeated / What the fuck, bro? I’m one away from Michael / Nigga, beat it, nigga, beat it, what?” Referencing Jackson’s 1982 hit ‘Beat It’.
For All The Dogs unsurprising debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it Drake’s thirteenth chart-topping project. According to Billboard official statistics, the album sold the equivalent of 402,000 units, with the overwhelming majority of them due to streaming. 391,000 units compared to 10,000 album sale units.
Although the project debuted at number one, it wasn’t received well by some critics, with NME awarding two stars, writing, “[For All The Dogs] Trailed as a return to form, the rap megastar instead doubles-down on his worst impulses on the final album before his health-induced hiatus.”
