Drake, Taylor Swift, Juice WRLD, Kanye West, and Bad Bunny named as Spotify’s most-streamed U.S artists of 2021

Taking fourth place is Kanye West, otherwise known as ‘YE’. Despite the controversy, his name gets mentioned in, The multiple grammy-winning rapper, producer, father, and former presidential candidate remains one figure in hip hop that can not be sidelined. Kanye West’s 10th studio album DONDA [which we witnessed one of the iconic rollouts for, and arguably the best we’ll see in years] has received 33.4 million streams since its release. In addition, the build-up, production and dedication of the album to the rapper’s late mother, another major catalyst to the numeric success of DONDA was the brief feud Kanye had with fellow rapper Drake. The two released their albums in the same week. But, of course, beef fuels comparison. Comparison fuels competition. Competition fuels streams and numbers.

Two years after his tragic passing at 21, singer/ rapper juice WRLD’s mournful and energetic songs on love, heartbreak and emotions remain cherished among the Gen-Z audience that witnessed the birth of trap music and emo rap. Whether it’s ‘Goodbye and good riddance’, ‘Death race for love’, or posthumous album, ‘Legends never die’, in these albums, are millions of fans seeking closure and answers to a feeling the singer based his artistic career on, Love.

Taylor Swift will go down in history as one of the most iconic singers in human history. I’m talking about the kind that will inspire biopics long after she’s gone. At age 31, the singer is still breaking records, cracking charts as she evolves in sound and extension, telling her story the way she wants it said. After the release of her Alternative albums, Folklore & Evermore, In a bid to own her masters, The genre-bending singer began releasing re-recorded versions of her entire catalogue. Considering these projects’ success, alongside grammy nominations and scoring 10th number 1 album on billboard 200 with ‘Red Taylor’s version’ attests her run is still very on!

Although Drake stacked up in fourth place globally, in the United States, the certified lover boy takes the top spot. Drake’s 2021 success can partially be attributed to his September release Certified Lover Boy. With features from Tems, 21 Savage, Jay-Z, Lil Baby, Young Thug, Future, and more artists, the 21-track album cracked Number 1 on Billboard 200. Upon release, it broke records on Spotify and Apple Music and scored the all-time record for the most U.S Top 10 singles from one project. ‘Certified Lover Boy’ also earned a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

Israel Olorunnisola is a freelance creative. When he is not writing about Film, Music, TV or Pop culture he is telling stories on Wattpad.

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