As the world is upended, some things remain unchanged, chief among them men doing the least. Drake’s “Toosie Slide,” a song shamelessly created to be the next big TikTok hit, has debuted on top of the Billboard Hot 100. It replaces the Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which in turn replaced Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” — two other TikTok hits. In fact, the top ten of the April 18 chart might as well be taken right from TikTok’s analytics, with songs like Future (and Drake)’s “Life Is Good” and Doja Cat’s “Say So” rounding it out.
But sorry, let’s get back to Drake for a second, who, as Billboard informs us, has just set some records. “Toosie Slide” is his third No. 1 debut after “God’s Plan” and “Nice for What” in 2018, a feat only matched by Mariah Carey with “Fantasy” and “One Sweet Day” in 1995 and “Honey” in 1997. It’s his seventh career No. 1 hit, his first being for Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?” on November 20, 2010. The only other artist with seven No. 1s since November 20, 2010 is … Rihanna. The song is also his 50th total week at No. 1, which ties Boyz II Men and only sits behind Mariah Carey, Rihanna, and the Beatles. He also now has 37 top-ten hits, one behind Madonna’s record of 38. And over on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where he also debuted at No. 1, he ties Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder with 20 No. 1s. That’s not to mention records he already holds, like most charted songs on the Hot 100 (which he set with “Oprah’s Bank Account” by Lil Yachty and DaBaby, his 208th entry as of March 23, dethroning none other than the Glee cast). So there you have it: Drake, an artist who now charts toe-to-toe with Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, hit No. 1 again thanks to a song that explains a dance.