XXXTentacion now has the most streamed hip-hop album on Spotify, surpassing Drake.
What he did not achieve when he was alive, he did in death. The late rapper XXXTentacion now holds the honor of having the most-streamed hip-hop album in Spotify history, removing Drake, who sat comfortably on top of the hip-hop streaming throne for several years. The two rappers had an ongoing rivalry while the “Look At Me” entertainer was alive, and now Jahseh Onfroy, better known as XXXTentacion, has won the Spotify battle, at least for now.
Statistics released by Chart Data show that up to November 2021, Drake’s “Scorpion” was the most-streamed hip-hop album, leading XXXtentacion’s album “?” by close to one billion streams. However, the album has now reached 7.884 billion plays on Spotify, with Drake sitting at 7.883, making the “Sad” artiste the current one to beat.
This new hip-hop feat is indeed impressive, especially considering that Onfroy died three and a half years ago. However, it is still a long way from attaining the overall all-genre record on Spotify, which belongs to British singer Ed Sheeran. The “Shape of You” artiste is very comfortable in the number one position with his “÷” album that has already been streamed an incredible 11.5 billion times.
The irony of XXXTentacion surpassing Drake is not lost on many in the rap industry. He initially emerged onto the music scene as a SoundCloud artiste in 2013, utilizing techniques that were considered unconventional and outside the box in the genre. He employed heavy guitar instrumentals and distortions that previously were heard mainly in grunge and emo music.
Fans, however, loved his versatility. Soon, he had a huge and loyal underground fan base; hence when his debut album “17” dropped, it was certified double platinum and reached the number two position on the Billboard 200 charts. During his career, he had beef with several of his fellow artistes, including Drake. In 2017, he referred to the Canadian rapper as a “pu**y ni**a” after accusing him of allegedly using his “Look at Me” flow on a track.
Following its releases in 2018, “?” produced several chart-toppers, including the singles “Moonlight,” “Changes,” and “Sad,” and the overall compilation hit the Billboard 200 top spot at number one after copping 131,000 album-equivalent units.
Since then, it has been certified as triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The now-iconic “?” album would be his final as XXXTentacion was shot and killed in a robbery gone wrong in Florida less than six months after its release.
XXXTENTACION's '?' is now the #1 most streamed hip-hop album in Spotify history, surpassing Drake's 'Scorpion'.
— chart data (@chartdata) February 17, 2022
