Seven years ago, Drake’s 8x Platinum dancehall album “Views” was released. The Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records project featured guest appearances from Rihanna, PartyNextDoor, Pimp C, Dvsn, Wizkid, Kyla, Future, and Rihanna.
Views, which also has funk, pop, R&B and Afrobeats influence has surpassed eight billion streams on Spotify which makes it the most successful dancehall album on the platform. In the first week the album earned more than 1 million sales and streams equivalent units to land at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard chart where it would go on to spend 13 non-concecutive at the top. The album is certified 6x Platinum in the US and has sold 7 million units worldwide.
The singles from the album were successful by all metrics as “Work” featuring Rihanna which is now certified 9x Platinum. Work proceeded “One Dance,” featuring Wizkid and they both topped the Billboard Hot 100 giving Drake back to back chart topping singles from the album.
Wizkid became the first Nigerian artist to (chart on and) top the US Billboard Hot 100.
“One Dance,” is one of only three Diamond selling dancehall songs and is the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by 80s dancehall producer pioneers Steely & Clevie’s Estate along with sound system Selector Ephraim Barrett who died in 2020.
Read more on the lawsuit here.
After being named Billboard’s 2016 Song of the Summer “Once Dance” quickly sold 2 million copies in the US by December. It was the best-performing single worldwide of 2016 and is one of the best-selling digital singles of all-time.
Even Popcaan got an early international buzz from Drake’s sojourn into dancehall; with the popularity of “Once Dance” he debuted a dub-plate remix at at Red Bull’s Culture Clash 2016 in the U.K. to eventually win the clash.
