ENTERTAINMENT NEWS: Drake Takes Over Charts in Wake of Meek Mill Feud

Drake performs onstage during Day 2 of Squamish 
Valley Music Festival 
on Aug. 8, 2015 in Squamish, Canada. 
Andrew Chin/Getty Images

This week, Drake has four songs debut on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Over the last few weeks, the public beef between Drake and Meek Mill has dominated headlines. New songs were released by each artist, following the Twitter-bred feud that began July 21, impacting sales, streaming and social activity for the rappers.

The back-and-forth has benefited Drake more, from a commercial standpoint, as he launches several songs onto the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts (chart dated Aug. 22) -- more on that below.

The recent buzz has prompted spurs in sales and streaming for Drake, not only for his

newly released tracks, but also for his album sales (up 12 percent in the week ending Aug. 6, according to Nielsen Music).

Meek Mill vs. Drake: A Full Timeline of the Beef

Meek Mill, however, is down 45 percent in overall album sales, and his diss track aimed at Drake, “Wanna Know,” made less of an impact on the charts, debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks chart (Aug. 15), and sinking to No. 49 on the current chart. Granted, Meek did not commercially release “Wanna Know,” and it therefore has not produced any sales.

If we take an overall look at the most recent tracking period for album sales, song sales and streams, we see Drake up across the board, while Meek Mill's numbers are down.

Drake vs. Meek Mill: Sales & Streaming (Week ending Aug. 6, according to Nielsen Music):

Drake:
Album sales – 13,000 (up 12 percent)
Album equivalent units – 81,000 (up 57 percent)
Song sales – 338,000 (up 260 percent)
Streams (audio and video combined, non-programmed) – 51.6 million (up 12 percent)

Meek Mill:
Album sales – 7,000 (down 45 percent)
Album equivalent units – 29,000 (down 35 percent)
Song sales – 67,000 (down 19 percent)
Streams (audio and video combined, non-programmed) – 22.7 million (down 35 percent)

On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Meek Mill also sees slips, dropping 8-13 with “All Eyes On You,” featuring Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj, while also falling 14-18 with (pre-beef collaboration) “R.I.C.O.” feat. Drake, and 31-39 with “Jump Out the Face” featuring Future. Two Meek Mill songs also fall completely off of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs; “Lord Knows” (No. 37 the previous week), and “Bad For You” feat. Minaj (No. 40).

Drake, however had a big week on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, with a total of eight tracks on list -- four of them debuts. Here’s how he did:

“Back to Back” — The track leads the pack, coming in at No. 8 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, No. 6 on Hot Rap Songs, and No. 21 on the Hot 100. The track was Drake’s second release aimed at Meek, following the rappers accusations that Drake doesn’t write his own raps.

It sold 122,000 digital downloads, enough for a No. 1 entrance on Rap Digital Songs -- his first to debut atop the chart as a lead act (and fourth overall). Streaming also helps to launch the track into the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs top 10, logging 4.5 million weekly streams during the most recent tracking period. Spotify takes the bulk of clicks, accounting for 43 percent of the overall activity.

“R.I.C.O.” (Meek Mill featuring Drake) — As earlier noted, the pair's pre-beef collaborative track dips from its peak of No. 14 to No. 18 in its sixth week on the chart.

“Energy” — From Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late album, the song holds steady at No. 19 in its its 22nd week on the chart. It's up four percent in streams for the week (to 3.1 million). It peaked at No. 9 on the March 7-dated chart.

“Hotline Bling” — New (non-beef) single “Hotline Bling” debuts at No. 20 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (with the majority of its points stemming from 41,000 downloads). On “Hotline,” Drake offers his take on D.R.A.M.’s “Cha Cha” with a sampled reworking. Meanwhile, D.R.A.M continues climbing with the track, barely missing the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 50-rank threshold (rising five percent to 963,000 streams).

"Hotline" also dials up a start at No. 16 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 66 on the Hot 100. 

“Charged Up” — Drake’s first diss track allegedly directed at Meek arrives at No. 21 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (and No. 5 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 78 on the Hot 100), following its commercial release. Originally released on July 25, via his Beats 1 OVO Sound radio show on Apple Music, the influx of streaming and sales boost its arrival on the chart. Streaming reached 1.1 million domestic clicks, while digital download sales started at 47,000.

“Where Ya At” (Future featuring Drake) — Future's single slips 21-24 in its third frame on the list. 

“100” — The July 31 release of a music video for The Game’s “100” featuring Drake causes it to re-enter Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at No. 25 (after having charted for two weeks in July – reaching No. 42). The song collected over 3 million streams, a 174 percent increase from the prior week. Vevo views account for 53 percent of its total streams.

"100" also debuts on the Hot 100 at No. 90.

“Right Hand” — Rounding out Drake’s debuts on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is another non-beef track “Right Hand,” which starts at No. 29. Also premiered through the Beats 1 OVO Sound show, the song shifted 27,000 downloads in its opening week.

By Amaya Mendizabal, Miami