Drake Officially Took Home Artist Of The Decade At The Billboard Music Awards

When crowning an artist of the decade, there’s a lot to consider. Whoever the Billboard Music Awards crowns, it has to be someone who’s continually had an impact for ten years. While the 2021 awards season saw Taylor Swift and BTS walk away with the big awards from the night, they weren’t the only ones making a splash at the show.

There is plenty to consider when crowning someone the most successful artist of the decade, including their contribution to music and the public’s reception. Fortunately, it seems they made the right choice as Drake won Artist of the Decade at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.

What are Drake’s album sales like?

Not a single one of Drake’s five main studio albums has failed to top the Billboard 200 (or the R&B/hip-hop and rap charts, either.) Add to that the number ones he’s scored with some of his mixtapes and compilations, and that’s nine times he’s hit the peak. No other artist has managed it that frequently in the past decade. The most successful of these releases is 2011’s ‘Take Care,’ the sales of which stand at over 2.3 million. Many of Drake’s other albums follow closely behind, though, with ‘Thank me Later,’ ‘Nothing Was The Same,’ ‘Views,’ and ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’ all shifting over 1 million copies. That alone makes him worthy of being named Artist of the Decade.

What about his single success?

Throughout his career, Drake has released hundreds of singles. Eight have gone on to top the Billboard Hot 100, collectively racking up a total of 50 career weeks at the peak. The rest of his songs - which amount to an additional 224 entries on the chart - have managed varying levels of success. 45 have hit the top 10, with 119 entering the top 40. Some of these have been Drake’s own huge hits, such as ‘One Dance,’ ‘Hotline Bling,’ and ‘God’s Plan.’ Others have been prominent features on songs for big stars like Rihanna, with whom he scored the number ones ‘What’s My Name?’ and ‘Work.’ Whether alone or with others, though, Drake hasn’t stopped releasing smash hits for the entirety of the last decade.

What else counts towards Artist of the Decade?

It’s not just album and single sales that determine whether someone is deserving to be named the Artist of the Decade at the Billboard Music Awards. Other elements like touring revenue and social media data also come into play here. Well, given that just two of his tours - ‘Would You Like A Tour’ and ‘Club Paradise Tour’ -  collectively amassed approximately $73 million, he’s obviously done well on that front. As for social media, in terms of followers alone, he has 108 million on one site, 39.4 million on another, and 53 million on another. Sure, there are a few stars out there with higher grossing tours and bigger followings, but do they also have the success Drake has managed on the charts? Not a chance.

The last decade has been an amazing time for music because of the efforts of many people. However, when it comes to true stars, Drake deserves his place at the top. He was truly the Artist of the Decade for the 2010s, and who knows, maybe he’ll take that accolade for the 2020s too?