It's hard to quantify buzz, but by almost any measure, Drake is the biggest rapper in the world. Take the just-released data from Spotify, the one-time industry leader when it came to digital streaming (that has debatably been passed by Apple Music, the behemoth with which Drake has partnered). In their annual list of the most popular artists, albums and songs--first reported in the United Kingdom by Independent--Drake comes in atop the Global Artists list, making him the most listened-to act in the world. He was followed, in order, by Ed Sheeran, The Weeknd, Maroon 5 and Kanye West. (No women made the overall list; the top five female artists were Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Ellie Goulding.)

"See You Again," the de facto Paul  Walker tribute from Furious 7 that paired Wiz Khalifa with the Australian singer Charlie Puth. (Drake's massive summer hit, "Hotline Bling," was released exclusively to Apple Music.) If You're Reading This It's Too Late, the rapper's surprise February mixtape, was the second-highest-charting album on Spotify, behind his fellow Torontonian, The Weeknd, who scored the top spot with his breakthrough hit Beauty Behind the Madness. Drake has long been teasing his forthcoming studio album, Views From the 6, which will serve as the followup to 2013's Nothing Was the Same. Though details on the nascent record are scant, he's kept himself in the headlines with all that charting music and with his ongoing partnership with the Toronto Raptors.

 

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