Drake is giving The Beatles a run for their money, as he just claimed the record for most Top 10 singles to reach the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in a calendar year, a record the Liverpool lads held for more than 54 years — since the height of Beatlemania.
The Beatles have held onto this record since 1964 with 11 Top 10 singles, but the Toronto-based rapper reached his 12th on Saturday thanks to his feature on Bad Bunny’s MIA.
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Only a week before the end of 1964, The Beatles’ classics I Feel Fine and She’s A Woman shot up the charts and earned them this half-century-old accolade. Other songs included Hard Day’s Night and Can’t Buy Me Love.
Drake’s 12 charters come from a number of collaborations as well as a handful of tracks from his latest album, Scorpion. He reached the No. 1 spot with Nice for What, In My Feelings and God’s Plan.
His fans took to Twitter to wish him a happy birthday on Wednesday, and congratulate him for the accomplishment.
“I don’t think my 16 or 17-year old self would comprehend,” he replied. “I would just want a Nestea and to figure out how I can turn my 61% into a 73% ASAP.”
Quite a birthday present indeed.
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Given that the artists highlight two completely different genres from two different eras, it is hard to compare their success, especially given that we are in the digital age of streaming.
Many outraged fans have tweeted out against Drake and Billboard, claiming that despite his numbers and achievements, he’ll never compare to The Beatles.
One user said, “Man I’m not even a huge Beatles fan but you can’t compare the two. The Beatles were musicians, Drake is a… well a dude with a computer who can’t sing for s**t.”
With his brand new Billboard record and more than 86 million singles sold worldwide, he may not need to worry about ill-willed or malicious comments.
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Drizzy may have beat this record, but he’s still got a few more to top before he catches up to The Beatles’ legacy.
Could this be the beginning of a new sort of Beatlemania?
adam.wallis@globalnews.ca