[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by Severian

Dude, let's not call him that. Please. Let's just not go there. He wants us to think he is the biggest artist in the world, but even if that title holds for the immediate present, it still comes with a shit ton of asterisks.

Did you read the comments in that story you posted about the statistics of VIEWS sales? From what I read, there was nobody commenting that didn't agree with the premise of the story: that Drake's actual popularity and influence have been overstuffed, by someone or something, and that the sales don't hold up to close scrutiny. Not a single person said, "No way, Drake's the best!" In fact everyone seemed to agree that they didn't know anyone who talked about the album! One comment in particular struck me... it was something along the lines of, "I've heard more people playing and talking about Chace the Rapper's Coloring Book by far."

I actually just read an atypically intersting Business Insider article about lil Chano, in which his rise was documented, and HE was more or less referred to as the biggest artist in hip hop right now.

Drake has the benefit of being a rather faceless and absolute pop "artist." He drops really safe singles that appeal to the kinds of people who buy a lot of singles. That is, non-hardcore music fans. Whatever the 2010s version of "whatever's on the radio" people would be.

Drake is like Justin Bieber and Chris Brown. He's more likely to inspire total loathing than devotion. But the songs he drops are safe and (to quote Meek Mill, which I never thought I'd do) "buttery soft" enough to appeal to the masses. Among keen eared listeners who really value the craft, he's a joke. But he's a joke who puts his grating voice on catchy shit, so even the critics can't help but approve of his singles (if not his albums).

funny i always feel the same way about Kanye, that is actual popularity and influence is less than his media footprint