“One Dance” isn’t the #1 song in the country anymore, but that doesn’t mean Drake‘s summer ’16 has slowed up any. His fourth studio album, Views, which was released way back on April 29, is the #1 album in the country for the 12th time, leaving Billy Ray Cyrus as the only male artist to spent more weeks at #1 in the last 25 years. (The country singer spent 17 weeks at #1 in 1992 with his Some Gave All album.) Somehow, Drake’s January prophecy has come true in immaculate ways. He’s spent over 18 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 this year, thanks in large part to Rihanna‘s work, on which Drizzy was featured, and last week he began his Summer Sixteen Tour, which has already seen Kanye West and Rihanna as special guests, in addition to his tour mate Future. Every year Drake drops an album and embarks on a tour is a big one for the Toronto rapper, but we have never seen him dominate at this high a level, and for this long.
Impressively, another rap act directly follows Drake on the Billboard 200: Gucci Mane. Gucci’s career has experienced dismaying hiccups at several stages due to jail stints, but this time, it’s the culmination of what is hopefully the Atlanta rapper’s final jail stint that’s launched him to the biggest commercial success of his career. Gucci’s Everybody Looking album, which featured Kanye West, Drake and Young Thug, moved about 68,000 equivalent album units this week, good for 2nd behind Drizzy. Gucci, who generally releases his music in the form of mixtapes, recorded the album in the first 6 days after his release from prison, and recently spoke to the New York Times about his sober and improved outlook on life. If Gucci keeps this up, he could easily return to his 2009 peak, when he was one of the most sought after and studied artists in the game.
As far as the Hot 100 goes, SIA and Sean Paul reign for a second consecutive week with “Cheap Thrills.” It’s another hit for SIA, which is nothing new to her in the 2010’s, but Sean Paul is back on top after more than a decade of stagnation. Good to see the former automatic hit-maker regain his star-power.
Right behind SIA and Paul is Major Lazer, who teamed up with Justin Bieber and MØ for “Cold Water,” another Diplo + Bieber summer banger. This one is already more successful than “Where Are You Now,” Bieber’s collab with Diplo and Skrillex, which topped off at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and if it gets granted a music video-which is likely–we could see Bieber back at #1 in 2016 after he dominated the fourth quarter of last year.
Next week, look for DJ Khaled to make the biggest album debut of his career, and for early projections for Frank Ocean’s Boys Don’t Cry album, which is finally expected to drop this Friday on Apple Music.
For every great moment, there’s a song that goes with it. We believe this is the SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIFE – SOL REPUBLIC.
