Drake’s “Nokia” falls to No. 4 on the Hot 100, making it his record-breaking 11th single to peak at … More
Drake is far and away one of the most successful musicians in the history of the Hot 100. When it comes to Billboard’s ranking of the most popular songs in America, he claims multiple records — though not every single one of them just yet. Also, not all of the honors and milestones he’s reached are wholly impressive, or even ones he’d want.
As the Canadian rapper’s current smash “Nokia” drops from No. 2 to No. 4 on the Hot 100, it looks like the tune may be forced to settle for a second place peak. Drake was clearly hoping to send it to No. 1 and score a historic champion, but it doesn’t seem like that’s in the cards. It’s still a huge hit, of course, but a little bit disappointing.
Now, “Nokia” joins a roundup of Drake’s runners-up. He has seen 11 different songs peak at No. 2 on the Hot 100. That’s frustrating – to come so close to reaching the summit and miss out by just one space is annoying. Sometimes he’s done with solo tracks, and in other instances, he’s peaked at No. 2 with collaborations.
Drake has seen all of the following 11 tracks peak at No. 2 on the Hot 100: “Best I Ever Had,” “Hotline Bling,” “Nonstop,” “Life Is Good,” “Laugh Now, Cry Later,” “Wants and Needs” with Lil Baby, “Girls Want Girls” featuring Lil Baby, “Rich Flex” with 21 Savage, “Search & Rescue,” “IDGAF” with Yeat, and now “Nokia.”
With “Nokia” seemingly locked out of the top spot, Drake officially surpasses Taylor Swift for the distinction of claiming the most No. 2-peaking songs on the Hot 100. Before “Nokia” arrived, the two stars were tied with such wins 10 apiece.
Drake first saw a smash rise to the runner-up spot on the Hot 100 without climbing any higher back in 2009, when he was just launching his career. “Best I Ever Had” was his breakout success, and it nearly earned him a No. 1. It would be more than half a decade before another cut did the same, when “Hotline Bling” failed to reach the summit, in part because of its limited availability in some forms on streaming platforms, as at the time, Drake was working with Apple Music to help the company break into the competitive space.
While he didn’t score a new leader this time around, Drake already claims the fourth-most No. 1 hits in the history of the Hot 100. He’s tied with Michael Jackson, with 13 champions each. One more leader would have helped him break that tie and form another with Rihanna, who has already claimed 14. The Beatles are still in first place with 20 No. 1s, followed by Mariah Carey with 19.
Looking at his full discography, Drake has reached the top 10 with 80 hits — by far the most among all artists. He has sent a total of 358 songs to the Hot 100, which is another record and one that may never be matched.