'Surpassed Michael Jackson'... Drake achieves 14th Billboard No. 1, setting new record for most No. 1s by a solo male artist

*This content was translated by AI.

Drake (39), a rapper from Canada, has broken the record for the most No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 by a solo male artist, a record previously held by Michael Jackson. His new song "Janice STFU" reached the top of the Hot 100, securing his 14th No. 1 overall and surpassing the "King of Pop's" record.

According to Billboard on the 26th (local time), "Janice STFU" logged 40.7 million streams in its first week of release, launching directly to No. 1 on the Hot 100. This brings Drake's total to 14 Hot 100 No. 1s, tying him with Rihanna and Taylor Swift for third place among all artists in history. Only Mariah Carey (19) and The Beatles (20) have more.

Drake simultaneously released three albums—Iceman, Habibti, and Maid of Honour—on May 15. The three albums occupied the No. 1, 2, and 3 spots simultaneously on the Billboard 200, a record Cha Ji-ha-neun (EVP) that was also set. Additionally, 42 songs entered the Hot 100 in a single week, breaking Morgan Wallen's previous record of 37 songs for the most entries in one week. The cumulative number of Hot 100 entries for Drake now stands at 402, marking the first time in history that an artist has surpassed 400 entries.

However, backlash from Michael Jackson fans has been significant. On Yahoo News comment sections, reactions included: "Drake is still nothing. MJ is the real legend," and "Will anyone still be singing 'Janice STFU' 40 years from now? 'Thriller' is still being played." Another comment stating, "If this song is No. 1, something is wrong," received 14 likes. In contrast, Drake supporters countered, "Chart records are facts, and numbers don't lie."

Drake had previously mentioned in his 2023 song "First Person Shooter," "I'm one away from Michael," making this record achievement even more significant. Rolling Stone evaluated, "Drake has written another page in Billboard history this week."

"Janice STFU" samples Lykke Li's "I Follow Rivers," a Swedish artist's track. It is also the first rap song to reach the Hot 100 summit in nearly a year since Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "Luther."

Meanwhile, Drake was also recorded as the artist with the most daily streams on Spotify and Amazon Music for a single day in 2026. The day after releasing the three albums simultaneously, both platforms recorded historic daily streaming numbers. The albums are currently being distributed digitally only, with no plans for physical releases, and industry observers predict that Drake will maintain a strong chart presence throughout the summer.

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*This content was translated by AI.