Despite its title, Drake’s “2 Hard 4 the Radio” is proving to be a major success on radio. The song becomes the first newly released track from his trio of recent albums to reach Billboard’s all-format Radio Songs chart and helps him become the first artist in history to record 100 career entries on the ranking.
The track debuts at No. 50 on the chart dated June 6 after earning 9.4 million audience impressions between May 22 and 28, representing a 50% increase from the previous week.
The song appears on Drake’s album ICEMAN, which remains atop the Billboard 200 for a second consecutive week. One week earlier, fueled by ICEMAN, HABIBTI, and MAID OF HONOUR, Drake became the first artist ever to simultaneously occupy the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 positions on the Billboard 200.
Prior to this, one track from both ICEMAN and MAID OF HONOUR, released last year, had already reached the Radio Songs chart. “What Did I Miss?” from ICEMAN peaked at No. 27 in August, while “Which One,” featuring Central Cee from MAID OF HONOUR, climbed to No. 34 in October.
With the arrival of “2 Hard 4 the Radio,” Drake increases his career total to 100 entries on Radio Songs. He first appeared on the chart more than 17 years ago when “Best I Ever Had” debuted on May 23, 2009. The song became the first of his three No. 1 hits and 24 top 10 entries on the ranking. He later topped the chart as a featured artist on Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?” in 2011 and with “One Dance,” featuring WizKid and Kyla, in 2016.
As Drake adds another milestone to his career achievements, here is a look at the artists with the most appearances on the Radio Songs chart since its launch, as of the chart dated Dec. 8, 1990:
- 100, Drake
- 82, Chris Brown
- 82, Lil Wayne
- 63, Nicki Minaj
- 59, Kenny Chesney
- 56, Jay-Z
- 55, Taylor Swift
- 54, Tim McGraw
- 52, Rihanna
Drake also owns the record for the most career entries on the Billboard Hot 100 with 402 and leads two of the three component charts that contribute to the Hot 100: Streaming Songs with 309 entries and Radio Songs with 100. On the Digital Song Sales chart, he ranks third with 160 appearances, trailing only the Glee Cast with 237 and Taylor Swift with 190.
“2 Hard 4 the Radio” debuted at No. 9 on the Hot 100 chart dated May 30 as one of nine new top 10 entries for Drake, extending his record to 90 career top 10 hits. Meanwhile, “Janice STFU,” also from ICEMAN, has remained at No. 1 during its first two weeks on the chart.
R&B and hip-hop radio formats continue to drive momentum for Drake’s latest releases. In its second week, “2 Hard 4 the Radio” jumped from No. 31 to No. 19 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, while “Janice STFU” entered the ranking at No. 22.