Drake Atop Billboard Singles, Album Charts
Published:Thursday | May 12, 2016 | 2:40 PMCurtis Campbell
Canadian rapper Drake has taken over Billboard this week, holding down the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 chart with his single One Dance, while his album titled Views holds the No. 1 spot on the Top 200 Albums Chart.
Notably, One Dance is the first Drake-single to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 as the lead artiste on a project, since all his previous efforts were regarded as features, namely, Rihanna's Work and What's My Name.
But why is the success of Drake's album so important to Jamaica? Well, the album features three dancehall samples, giving credit to dancehall artistes like Serani, Mavado, Beenie Man, and Popcaan. All three Drake songs featuring dancehall samples have also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, which ultimately translates into more money for writer's credit and reinforces dancehall's relevance on the international scene.
Popular disc jockey ZJ Rush recently said Drake was a blessing to dancehall.
"Which other foreign artiste with the power of Drake is embracing our culture? We can't 'dis' Drake, because he is endorsing Jamaican music in a way that nobody else is doing it," ZJ Rush said.
Dancehall is also doing well in France with Sean Paul and Sia's Cheap Thrills holding down the No. 1 spot on the French Billboard chart. While on the reggae chart, Alkaline remains the only dancehall artiste on the chart with his album, New Level Unlocked, moving up to No. 5 this week.