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While the introduction of streaming was a great leveller for the industry and many artists, Drake (much like his peers Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd) found a way to evolve from a downloads-based music industry into one where streaming and virality was king. It’s telling, then, that every single song in his Top 10 most-streamed songs in UK chart history come from 2015 onwards.
MORE: See where all of Drake’s singles and albums have charted in the UK
3. Nice For What
Year: 2018 Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1 Total UK streams: 234 million
Exuberant, effervescent and above all, just an excellent song, Nice For What is considered by many to be the high mark of Drake’s singles discography. And it’s not hard to see why. Built around a fly and free New Orleans bounce beat, Nice For What sees Drake sample both Lauryn Hill and the Wu-Tang Clang in an irresistible banger all about respecting the boss ladies.
Helped along by its celebrity-packed video (featuring appearances by Olivia Wilde, Emma Roberts and Issa Rae), Nice For What still stands high as the sparkling, crystal clear distillation of Drake’s nice boy image.
A Number 1 hit in the UK (one of three Number 1s taken from Scorpion), Nice For What is Drake’s official third-most-streamed track in the UK, totalling 234 million streams and counting.
2. God’s Plan
Year: 2018 Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1 Total UK streams: 301 million
It’s all a part of the plan. The biggest track from Scorpion, Drake’s most hit-heavy LP, God’s Plan was a Number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic.
Again, God’s Plan has a great video (directed by Karena Evans, who also helmed Nice For What) which sees Drake give out 1 million dollars (!) to those in need in Florida.
With 301 million streams to its name, God’s Plan is Drake’s second-most-streamed song in the UK. Because it can’t hold a candle to…
1. One Dance (with Wizkid and Kyla)
Year: 2016 Official Singles Chart peak: Number 1 Total UK streams: 372 million
Could it have been anything else? When Drake had the ingenious idea to sample a little-known garage track by British singer Kyla (Drizzy is nothing if not an Anglophile at heart), he created the most enduring hit of his career.
Also bringing Afrobeats legend Wizkid along for the ride, One Dance boosted the profile of Dancehall and Afrobeats, helping spur on the growing success of the genre that we continue to see in 2023, bringing the music of West Africa to the widest possible audience and making it possible for an entire generation of new artists like Burna Boy, Rema and Tyla to emerge.
If all that wasn’t enough, One Dance is also the joint-third longest-running Number 1 single in Official Charts history, as well as the longest-running Number 1 of the 21st century. It shares the stretch of a mammoth 15 consecutive weeks with Wet Wet Wet’s Love Is All Around. One Dance also remains one of the most-streamed songs in UK chart history.
Also, we think we must have heard this song play at least once at every club we’ve ever been to since it was released. That’s got to count for something too, right?