TLDR: Drake ranks No. 4 on the Billboard list of “Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century,” highlighting his genre-blurring impact and unmatched chart success.
Canadian rapper Drake has officially been ranked No. 4 on the Billboard list for “Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century,” outshining industry giants like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and Kanye West. Billboard is counting down the artists who have, in their words, “most defined pop stardom for the last 25 years,” and Drake’s high placement is a nod to his undeniable chart dominance and genre-blurring influence on modern pop and hip-hop. Interestingly, fellow Canadian artist The Weeknd, a major influence on pop culture in his own right, landed at eighteenth on the list.
The Billboard list, which is being released incrementally, still has its top three slots hidden, creating buzz about who might surpass Drake for pop supremacy. You can check out Billboard’s ongoing series here.
Drake’s story is more than just numbers, though his achievements certainly don’t lack in that department. With a staggering 13 No. 1 singles and 13 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, the For All the Dogs artist’s numbers are jaw-dropping. He’s racked up an unprecedented 338 career entries on the Hot 100 chart — a number even The Beatles, whom he famously got tattooed on his forearm after surpassing one of their records, could never touch. It’s this mix of sheer volume and widespread appeal that Billboard says “clearly stands alone” among his peers, proving Drake’s reach in a streaming era that’s elevated his hits to omnipresence.
But it’s not just stats that make Drake special; he’s fundamentally reshaped what it means to be a rapper in the pop world. From his breakthrough with So Far Gone in 2009, he’s blurred the line between genres, crafting a sound that doesn’t “go pop” but rather encompasses it, turning emotionally raw, introspective rap into a mainstream force. As Billboard puts it, the world soon found itself immersed in playlists filled with “songs that sounded like, as the artist himself once put it, ‘Drake featuring Drake.'”
With Drake locked in the top five, fans are eagerly awaiting the revelation of the top three spots. Could the final picks disrupt his reign? Only time will tell as Billboard inches closer to naming their ultimate pop star of the 21st century.
Billboard Greatest Pop Stars List
1. ?
2. ?
3. ?
4. Drake
5. Lady Gaga
6. Britney Spears
7. Kanye West
8. Justin Bieber
9. Ariana Grande
10. Adele
11. Usher
12. Eminem
13. Nicki Minaj
14. Justin Timberlake
15. Miley Cyrus
16. Jay-Z
17. Shakira
18. The Weeknd
19. BTS
20. Bruno Mars
21. Lil Wayne
22. One Direction
23. Bad Bunny
24. Ed Sheeran
25. Katy Perry
