Jay-Z may have spurred a social media frenzy with his Twitter Q&A, and Kanye West may have ignited worldwide interest with his mysterious tweet of an album announcement, but Drake has the most popular social network of the year. This, according to a new study that tracks Twitter, Facebook, blogs and forums.
Media tracking company Networked Insights found that the Toronto native earned a top spot on the list of rappers by garnering 46,212,641 conversations. Coming in a distant second on the popularity trail is Yeezus at 25,418,362 followed by Lil Wayne's 22,052,209. Rounding out the bottom three are Rick Ross (16.1 million), Jay (16 million) and 2 Chainz (13.6 million) respectively.  
 
Out of the 50 million social media conversations tracked, interest in the "No New Friends" rhymer was steady over 12 months but spiked after big career developments, like when he and Hov were photographed in the studio together.
His social influence is also being noted by the academia. Tufts University referenced him and his "YOLO" ("You Only Live Once") motto as a topic for its entrance applications. The university, which is known for its unconventional essay questions, compared the 26-year-old's words to the "seize the day" phrase popularized by Latin poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus and the more modern saying "No day but today!" popularized by a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and playwright.

"The ancient Romans started it when they coined the phrase 'Carpe diem,'" reads the application. "Jonathan Larson proclaimed 'No day but today!' and most recently, Drake explained You Only Live Once (YOLO). Have you ever seized the day? Lived like there was no tomorrow? Or perhaps you plan to shout YOLO while jumping into something in the future. What does #YOLO mean to you?"
Drizzy popularized "YOLO" via his 2011 song "The Motto," which sold more than three million in U.S. sales, reached as high as 20 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song. It appeared on his sophomore album, Take Care.

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(Photo: George Pimentel/WireImage)