Drake is the next The King of Rap?

Photograph by Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Earlier this year, Kanye West lamented that he was no longer the king of rap. He conceded to GQ that Drake now wore the crown. West didn’t seem thrilled about it. But the so-called rap game is a competitive one. There are winners and losers. If there weren’t, what would these guys have to rap about?

For Drake, the honors (and potential lyrical fodder) have been piling up this week.Billboard reported that his latest single, 0 to 100 / The Catch Up, is his 18th No. 1on the magazine’s Rap Airplay chart. West has a mere 10. The same is true for Lil Wayne, who, of course, is Drake’s mentor.

The news follows Billboard’s announcement this week that Drake has now reached its Hot 100 chart 73 times—surpassing the Beatles, who did it 72 times—with his appearance on ILoveMakonnen’s single Tuesday. Yes, it was a guest verse. But that’s why artists pay the Canadian rapper a lot of money to furnish their songs. He gets them more listeners.