Drake and Metro Boomin’s distinctions are now quantifiable with the release of the 2023 numbers, each securing a significant accolade. It’s now left to the fans to determine the significance of each achievement.
On December 31, Chart Data revealed that the Canadian superstar is “the #1 most streamed rapper on Spotify in 2023, with over 17.6 billion streams.” It’s noteworthy that Taylor Swift broke the record for the most streams in a single year on the platform, affirming Drizzy’s “Red Button” bar: “Taylor Swift the only n-gga that I ever rated.”
In terms of full-length projects, Our Generation Music reported that Metro Boomin’s “Heroes & Villains” became “the MOST streamed rap album of 2023 with 3.3 Billion streams on Spotify,” making it “the only rap album to reach over 3B streams this year.” With both artists achieving monumental figures, it’s evident that they continue to dominate the game.
In the previous month, Metro Boomin addressed the rumored beef with Drake. Responding to a fan’s query on Twitter about the depth of their tension, he clarified, “Not deep at all lmao.” The drama had initiated when Metro commented on a debate about streaming figures between his “Heroes & Villains” and Drake and 21 Savage’s “Her Loss.”
Following a report that Metro’s LP amassed more streams in a single year (3.7 billion) than any other rap album since 2018, and generated twice the daily streams as “Her Loss,” he wrote in a now-deleted post: “Yet Her Loss keeps winning rap album of the year over H&V.” Drake seemingly responded on Instagram Stories, quoting JAY-Z’s “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” and unfollowing Metro on Instagram.
Later, during a Stake livestream, Drake addressed the situation, expressing disdain for non-believers and underachievers. The assumed target, Metro Boomin, seemingly responded on Twitter by sharing a viral meme video featuring an argument between a group of Black people and mockingly racist white folks on a basketball court, with one actor saying, “Whoa calm down Jamal, don’t pull out the 9.”
