Drake is our Artist of the Decade

It is an incredibly bold statement to make to say that someone is the best artist of the decade. Because we all have different tastes in music based on how it makes us feel, what sounds satisfy our soul, and which songs ignite memories in us, no one will ever agree on one true ‘best’ artist. However, over the course of the 10s’ there has been several artists who have consistently wowed listeners globally and have had millions of listeners reported by the streaming service Spotify. That artist is Drake. 

Drake has been creating music since 2006 and hit the charts quickly with his songs that featured other talented artists like Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Rhianna, and Nicki Minaj. His style is predominately R&B and rap; however, his music is so beloved listeners of all genres have most likely heard his songs. Drake has dominated the charts since his album in 2011, Take Care, and he took people by storm with his 2018 album Scorpion, along with numerous singles and collaborations. He is undoubtedly one of the most popular musicians of all time, but because his stardom hit its peak in the 10s’ he is the artist of the decade. 

He started out the decade charting the Billboards with his song “Best I Ever Had” and shortly after made headlines with his song “Headlines.” Other famous songs of his from the time were “HYFR” and “The Motto,” true staples of the start of the decade. Through several years of releasing hit singles and touring he grabbed the spotlight again with his first number one album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, released in 2015.

Next, his songs “Hotline Bling” and “One Dance” featuring WizKid and Kyla became instant hits. “Hotline Bling” gained so much popularity that clips from the music video became globally known memes. In the same year, Drake released another number one charting album, What a Time to Be Alive, and in 2016 the phenomenal album Views. In 2017, Drake released his seventh album More Life. The song “Passionfruit” was trending everywhere during the year. It is a tune that really exemplifies Drake’s sultry style that has consistently made him a force to be reckoned with in the hip-hop world. 

In 2018 “God’s Plan” became another charting tune that won the Grammy award for “Best Rap Song” and also appeared on the 25-song album, Scorpion. The album featured “Nice for What” and “Don’t Matter for Me,” a groundbreaking song that features a never before heard chorus sung by Michael Jackson. The hook was recorded back in 1983 as a demo alongside the tune “Lover Never Felt So Good.” Drake’s musical genius was able to rework this demo into a new hit rap song that achieve much reception and success with fans of both artists. On the same album, Drake’s song “In My Feelings” became a cultural phenomenon. “Kiki do you love me” was heard being chanted everywhere and thousands of video appeared online of the “kiki do you love me challenge,” a dance done to the first verse of “In My Feeling,” while being recorded by a driver in a moving car. 

To end the decade, Drake came out with a multitude of songs that were created from old demos and recordings dating back to 2011. His newest releases tie together the entire decade and reestablish why we still love Drake all these years later. There is not doubt he will continue to create music that defines the lives of so many who love his work. Drake is a talented songwriter who has worked with many other great musicians. Because he has sustained popularity consistently throughout the decade, set standards in the music industry, curated work that became cultural phenomena, along with having the most streamed songs on Spotify over the past 10 years, Drake is unarguably the artist most representative of the 10s’.