Drizzy's Scorpion Spins Dizzying Stream Counts

By FYI Staff

There sure is a real sting in the tale of this Scorpion. Drake released his fifth album on Thursday night, and it is busy smashing streaming records. Drizzy broke his single-day streaming record on Apple Music, with more than 170 million streams in its first 24 hours, the company told The Verge, nearly double the previous record, set by More Life, with 89.9 million streams in its first day.

Scorpion's tally is reportedly the largest single-day streaming total for an album on any streaming service to date.

Spotify estimated that on Friday, June 29, the album was streamed at a rate of approx 10 million times an hour.  MBW estimated the number of Spotify streams on Friday at 132 million times, a figure calculated by using chart-eligible stream counts reported by SpotifyCharts.com. The Verge speculates that Scorpion "has a strong chance of reaching 1 billion streams in its first week."

The streaming activity was boosted by extensive exposure of the release on major media outlets, many exploring the new songs for clues to Drake's personal life and his current state of mind. Grabbing the most attention was the track "Emotionless," and its apparent revelation that, as had been rumoured, Drake has a son.

Reviews quickly flooded in, though not all were unanimous raves. The Guardian's Alexis Petridis awarded three of five stars, writing that "veering from  swaggering soul to eerie electronica, this mega-album is bloated, rambling – yet frequently gorgeous and funny." NME also handed out a three of five stars rating, with scribe Luke Britton stating that "Drake finds himself at this moment in time in that precarious position at the very top of the rap/pop summit, where it’s so easy for you to stumble and lose your footing."

NOW gave it 4 of 5 stars, with Nick Flanagan calling it "a masterful summation of his strengths as a rapper and singer." The LA Times critic Mikael Wood chimed in, noting that  "on Scorpion Drake is tired and tiring — but as beautiful an artist as ever." In its mixed review, Time says "a  long-frustrating inability to self-edit mars Scorpion, too." In a very positive review, Billboard's Juan Vidal commented that "Drake’s frustration and fatigue have been something of a through-line in his art. Scorpion sees him energized and perhaps more self-aware than ever." CP's David Friend termed the record "a confessional the likes we've never heard from him before." 

Last week, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced dozens of new platinum and multi-platinum sales awards for Drake songs, officially making him the top certified singles artist ever with 142 million certified units. Source: Forbes