In an extraordinary moment for modern music, Toronto legend Drake made history on April 8, 2025, shattering a decades-old Beatles record and simultaneously earning a landmark certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
According to data from Chart Data, Drake has officially become the artist with the longest cumulative run on the Billboard 200 chart, accumulating an impressive 3,348 weeks. This achievement pushes him ahead of The Beatles, who previously held the record with 3,311 weeks, and Taylor Swift, who has also surpassed the iconic group with 3,313 weeks. Eminem remains the only other hip-hop artist within the top ten, with a notable 2,423 weeks.
In addition to this chart-topping success, it was announced that Drake has become the first artist ever to exceed 500 million RIAA-certified units across his catalog of albums, singles, and collaborative features. This monumental achievement reinforces his status as the highest-certified artist in RIAA history, a title he has held since 2022, when he surpassed Eminem.
Drake’s Diamond Legacy and Chart Resurgence with ‘Nokia’
Drake’s impressive RIAA certification encompasses six diamond singles, including hits like “God’s Plan,” “One Dance,” and collaborations such as “Work” with Rihanna and “Sicko Mode” with Travis Scott. Notably, he also boasts several songs approaching the 10 million sales milestone, alongside a series of multi-platinum albums, including Take Care (8x platinum), Views (8x platinum), and Scorpion (7x platinum).
Following a slight decline in commercial performance after a highly publicized rap rivalry with Kendrick Lamar last year, Drake is once again climbing the charts. His latest single, “Nokia,” has surged to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 after a significant leap of four positions, bolstered by the release of its music video. Initially debuting at number ten, the track quickly fell from the top ten before gaining renewed traction, marking Drake’s highest-charting single in two years since his collaboration with J. Cole on “First Person Shooter.”
As momentum gathers behind “Nokia” and its bid to climb further up the Hot 100, it enters a crowded race dominated by Kendrick Lamar’s “Luther,” a SZA-assisted single that has held the top spot for seven consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, Drake’s string of milestones underscores not only his staying power but also his role in shaping the sound and stature of a generation. With each record shattered, he continues to recalibrate the boundaries of mainstream success—leaving the industry watching closely for his next move.
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