Drake dominates the competition as the No. 1 R&B/hip-hop act on Billboard’s recap of the first 25 years of the quarter-century, ruling Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the 21st Century chart. The retrospective is based on performance on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts from January 2000 through December 2024.

Despite a late start — he didn’t reach Billboard’s charts until 2009 — Drake sprinted to the lead through a prolific schedule of album releases and an avalanche of hit songs, both on his own and with supporting roles on others’ tracks. The final tally for the 2000-24 range: 30 No. 1 hits on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 15 No. 1s on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Not only does he own the strongest showing of the last 25 years, but he owns the top totals among all acts in the entire history of each chart (marks since extended to 31 and 16 leaders on the respective lists).

Carve the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart any way you like, odds are that Drake leads the category in that span: most No. 1s (30), top 10 hits (135) and total chart entries (355). His 15 No. 1s on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums combined for 67 weeks atop the chart and, thanks to their steady streaming counts, remain constant fixtures on the survey.

In a preview of his quarter-century coronation, Drake reigned on the annual Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists recap for a record eight years: 2012, 2015-18, 2021-22 and 2024. S: Billboard