Drake made the transition from being an up-and-coming rapper to being a global pop star a long time ago, and along the way many of his songs have landed on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
The Canadian rapper has now broken the record for having the most top 10 hits on the Hot 100 chart after two of his songs with DJ Khaled, “Popstar” and “Greece,” landed in the Nos. 3 and 8 positions respectively. The two cuts mark the 39th and 40th times that Drake has found himself on the chart’s top 10 list.
Drake had been tied with Madonna since May before breaking the record, as both had 38 songs in the top 10. The “Material Girl” had held the record since November 2002 after beating out The Beatles.
Some of the artists that follow Drake and Madonna for the number of top 10s on the Hot 100 include Rihanna, who’s landed there 31 times. Michael Jackson has 30 songs on the list, Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder have 28 apiece, while Janet Jackson had 10 of her songs in the top 10.
Madonna still has the most songs in the chart’s top 10 list as lead performer, since Drake’s chart positions are a mixture of solo songs and collaborations.
“Popstar” and “Greece” were released simultaneously on Friday, July 17, and they’re the first singles off Khaled’s forthcoming album “Khaled Khaled.”
On “Popstar,” Drake raps about being one of the world’s biggest artists over soft drum sounds and floating synths.
Then, on “Greece,” he breaks out his singing chops, but this time uses a much higher vocal registry, sounding a lot like Canadian crooner The Weeknd.
“Come with me, leave all of your things / We can stop at Gucci, stop at Louis V, / Come with me, fly you out to Greece / Full speed, survoler Paris,” Drake sings in the chorus.
“Popstar” and “Greece” are Khaled’s fifth and sixth songs to land in the Hot 100’s top 10 list.
