Drake Crowned Spotify’s Most-Streamed Rapper for 2024 Amid Ongoing Feud With Kendrick Lamar
To some, Drake might’ve lost in his diss track back and forth with Kendrick Lamar, but on Spotify, the Canadian artist is the highest-streamed artist in the U.S. and globally.
As the app’s 2024 Wrapped was unveiled on Wednesday, December 4, the “No Face” rapper was ranked as the No. 1 rap act on Spotify this year. With 73.3 million monthly listeners, the feat makes Drake’s eighth consecutive year as the top rapper on the music platform. However, he and Kendrick were involved in a lyrical sparring over multiple diss tracks beginning in spring. The feud kicked off with Kendrick’s venomous feature on Metro Boomin and Future’s “Like That” and follow-ups “Euphoria,” “6:16 in LA,” “Meet the Grahams,” and “Not Like Us,” while Drake hit back with “Push Ups,” “Taylor Made Freestyle,” “Family Matters,” and “The Heart Part 6.”
Rap artists succeeding Drake on Spotify Wrapped 2024 were Travis Scott at No. 2, Ye at No. 3, Eminem at No. 4, Kendrick at No. 5, Future at No. 6, Metro Boomin at No. 7, 21 Savage at No. 8, Playboi Carti at No. 9, and the late XXXTENTACION at No. 10.
Although she’s not a rapper, despite past collaborations with Kendrick and Ice Spice, Taylor Swift became Spotify’s highest-streamed artist this year, while Drake made No. 4.
The ranking follows Drake’s legal petition filings against Universal Music Group last month. Drake alleges that the corporation artificially boosted streams for Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” by compensating Spotify and iHeartRadio and accuses UMG of defamation in the song’s distribution.
In response to the alleged artificial streaming inflation, UMG stated that the “suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue.”
“We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear,” the company stated, per Billboard.