Drake ties Michael Jackson for most Number One hits by a male solo artist

Drake and Michael Jackson. Credit: Ross Gilmore and Kevin Mazur via GETTY

Drake and Michael Jackson have tied with the most Number One hits by a male solo artist in Billboard history.

The rapper’s track ‘First Person Shooter’ which features J. Cole debuted at Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 charts making it his 13th chart-topping song in the US charts which is a record that had yet to be surpassed since Jackson achieved it back in 1995. (per Pitchfork)

Both musicians are now tied, sharing the title of fourth-most Number One songs to chart on the Hot 100. The Beatles currently hold the reigning titled of most Number One tracks with 20 songs on the charts followed by Mariah Carey with 19 and Rhianna close behind with 14.

Ironically, the lyrics in ‘First Person Shooter’ anticipated the milestone with Drake rapping: “I’m one away from Michael” and alluding to Jackson’s iconic 1982 hit ‘Beat It’. The track also marks Cole’s first Hot 100 Number One track.

The song is featured on Drake’s eighth studio album ‘For All The Dogs‘. The LP also earned the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart making it the rapper’s 13th Number One album. Per Billboard, the LP earned the equivalent of 402,000 units, with the overwhelming majority of them due to streaming: 391,000 units compared to 10,000 album sale units.

In a two-star review of ‘For All The Dogs’, NME shared:“Trailed as a return to form, the rap megastar instead doubles-down on his worst impulses on the final album before his health-induced hiatus.”

It continued: “‘For All The Dogs’- his third solo LP in as many years –  not only feels tiring, but sounds tired too.”

Elsewhere, Drake’s six-year-old son, Adonis Graham, recently released a debut single titled ‘My Man Freestyle’.

Produced by Lil E$$o, the song is an extended version of Adonis’ brief verse on ‘Daylight’. The playful track sees the budding MC rap about “playing on my iPad” and “saying hi to my Dad.”

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