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FYI

Drake Ruled In 2018

Drake is the most-streamed artist of the year globally on Spotify and Apple Music and tops

Drake Ruled In 2018

By FYI Staff

Drake is the most-streamed artist of the year globally on Spotify and Apple Music and tops Billboard magazine’s year-end charts. According to the trade publication, he’s also only the second Canadian artist to rank 1st on the year-end, following Alanis Morissette’s wildly successful year in 1996 with the album Jagged Little Pill.


Spotify announced Tuesday that the Toronto-born rapper earned 8.2 billion streams in 2018. He also has the year's most-streamed album and song with Scorpion and God's Plan.

Drake is also Spotify's most-streamed artist of all-time.

Apple released its Best of 2018 list Tuesday. Drake's Scorpion was the top album on the platform, while his hit God's Plan was the most popular single. The rapper's song Nice for What came in second and In My Feelings at No. 4.

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Following Drake on the 2018 Spotify list of top artists are Post Malone, XXXTentacion, J Balvin and Ed Sheeran, who was Spotify's most-streamed artist last year.

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Shhenseea, MOLIY, Skillibeng and Silent Addy
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Shhenseea, MOLIY, Skillibeng and Silent Addy

Awards

Here’s Why ‘Shake It to the Max’ Was Deemed Ineligible at the 2026 Grammys — And Why Its Label Calls the Decision ‘Devoid of Any Common Sense’

Representatives from the Recording Academy and gamma. CEO Larry Jackson comment on one of this year's most shocking Grammy snubs.

Few phrases define the year in music and culture like Moliy’s scintillating directive to “shake it to the max.” The Ghanaian singer’s sultry voice reverberated across the globe, blending her own Afropop inclinations with Jamaican dancehall-informed production, courtesy of Miami-based duo Silent Addy and Disco Neil. Originally released in December 2024, Moliy’s breakthrough global crossover hit ascended to world domination, peaking at No. 6 on the Global 200, thanks to a remix featuring dancehall superstars Shenseea and Skillibeng. Simply put, “Max” soundtracked a seismic moment in African and Caribbean music in 2025.

Given its blockbuster success, “Shake It to the Max” was widely expected to be a frontrunner in several categories at the 2026 Grammys. In fact, had the song earned a nomination for either best African music performance or best global music performance, many forecasters anticipated a victory. So, when “Shake It to the Max” failed to appear on the final list of 2026 Grammy nominees in any category earlier this month (Nov. 7), listeners across the world were left scratching their heads — none more than gamma. CEO Larry Jackson.

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