Drake has long been considered one of the biggest stars in hip hop and rap music. With hits like “Hotline Bling”, “God’s Plan”, and “In My Feelings”, Drake has dominated the charts and streaming services for over a decade. However, a new challenger has emerged in the past few years that some say may be taking Drake’s spot at the top of the rap game: Sora.
Who is Sora?
Sora is a 29-year-old rapper from Florida who burst onto the scene in 2017 with his hit single “Brown Sugar”. His laidback flow, introspective lyrics, and fusion of hip hop, R&B, and pop instantly caught people’s attention. Since then, he has released two successful studio albums and collaborated with major artists like Post Malone, Khalid, and Bruno Mars.
In 2020, Sora’s album “Floating Through Paradise” debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, and he was named one of Spotify’s most streamed artists globally. His soulful melodies, catchy choruses, and vulnerability in his songwriting have earned him praise from critics and helped him amass a dedicated fanbase.
Drake’s Continued Success
While Sora has certainly risen to stardom incredibly quickly, Drake remains one of the most popular artists worldwide. In 2022, Drake’s album “Honestly, Nevermind” broke the record for most streamed album in a single day on Spotify. He continues to break chart records and is considered a tastemaker in the industry.
Drake is a savvy businessman and strategically stays relevant through surprise album releases, high profile collaborations, and maintaining an active presence on social media. His brand also extends beyond just music, as he has endorsements, his own label OVO Sound, and a successful merch line.
Even if he’s no longer number one in streams and album sales, Drake’s catalogue and longevity in the game ensure he’ll remain an iconic figure and continue to have major success. His 2022 tour with rapper Future was one of the highest grossing tours of the year.
Who’s bigger in terms of streams and sales?
As of October 2022, Drake still surpasses Sora significantly in total career streams and sales. According to Spotify, Drake has been streamed over 44 billion times, while Sora has been streamed 9 billion times. Drake has sold over 170 million records worldwide, while Sora has moved around 30 million units.
However, when looking at the last year, Sora has started to gain ground. His 2022 album “Life in Paradise” broke the record for most first-day streams for an R&B album on Spotify and has been streamed over 2 billion times. Meanwhile, Drake’s 2022 album “Honestly, Nevermind” sits at around 1.5 billion streams.
Sora vs Drake Streams in 2022
Artist | Album | Total Streams |
---|---|---|
Sora | Life in Paradise | 2.1 billion |
Drake | Honestly, Nevermind | 1.5 billion |
In terms of sales, Drake moved 613,000 album units of “Honestly, Nevermind” in 2022, while Sora sold around 200,000 units of his latest record. So while Sora is gaining momentum, Drake remains significantly ahead in terms of commercial performance.
Who gets more radio play?
On pop radio stations, Drake is still king. His songs like “Laugh Now Cry Later” ft. Lil Durk and “Way 2 Sexy” ft. Future and Young Thug were two of the most played songs on pop radio in 2022. Sora has struggled to break into the pop radio format, which favors more upbeat, melodic tracks.
However, on urban radio focused on rap and R&B, Sora has become a staple. His chilled-out, moody sound lends itself perfectly to urban radio. Singles like “Seaside” and “Forever” from his latest album topped urban radio charts for multiple weeks.
While Drake gets more overall radio play, Sora has made big inroads in the urban radio world and has become someone stations depend on for new music as much as established veterans.
Most Played Songs on Urban Radio in 2022
Song | Artist | Weeks at #1 |
---|---|---|
First Class | Jack Harlow | 12 |
WAIT FOR U | Future ft. Drake & Tems | 11 |
Seaside | Sora | 8 |
Who has more monthly listeners on Spotify?
According to Spotify charts, Drake currently has around 85 million monthly listeners to Sora’s 45 million. So Drake still maintains a significant lead on the platform.
However, Sora’s monthly listener count has risen dramatically in the past two years. The young artist has picked up 25 million monthly listeners in that timeframe as his popularity continues to surge. With his upward trajectory, he may be poised to overcome Drake’s numbers in the next few years.
Spotify Monthly Listeners
Artist | Monthly Listeners |
---|---|
Drake | 85 million |
Sora | 45 million |
Who has more Instagram followers?
Drake dominates in terms of Instagram followers with over 126 million to Sora’s 16 million. Drake is one of the most followed musicians on the platform.
However, Sora has quickly built his Instagram following since rising to fame in 2017. As his career continues to grow, his numbers should steadily rise as more people become aware of him.
But Drake’s well-established and incredibly loyal fanbase gives him an advantage on social media that newer artists struggle to match. He will likely maintain the lead on Instagram for the foreseeable future.
Instagram Followers
Artist | Followers |
---|---|
Drake | 126 million |
Sora | 16 million |
Who gets more critical acclaim?
Throughout his career, Drake has won numerous awards including 4 Grammy Awards, 6 American Music Awards, and 27 Billboard Music Awards. He has dominated at major mainstream award shows for over a decade now.
Sora has received praise from critics for his unique artistry and has already won 2 Grammys for Best R&B Album. However, when looking at their careers overall, Drake has received far more critical acclaim at this point.
That being said, Sora’s time may be coming. Given the rave reviews his albums have gotten and his meteoric rise, industry insiders predict he could start winning the big mainstream awards like Album of the Year within the next 5 years.
Grammy Wins
Artist | Total Grammys |
---|---|
Drake | 4 |
Sora | 2 |
Who headlines the bigger tours?
When looking at their most recent tours in 2022, Drake is still the undisputed king of big ticket touring. His joint tour with Future grossed over $91 million according to Billboard Boxscore. It was one of the top 5 highest grossing tours of 2022.
Meanwhile, Sora played arenas on his “Life in Paradise” tour grossing around $22 million. While not even close to Drake’s tour earnings, it was an incredibly successful tour for a newer artist like Sora.
Drake’s tours gross over $100 million consistently thanks to his tier one ticket prices and ability to sell out massive stadiums. As Sora’s fame continues rising, his touring dollars should keep rising as well. But Drake’s touring supremacy remains untouched for now.
2022 Tour Gross
Artist | Tour Name | Gross |
---|---|---|
Drake & Future | October World Tour | $91 million |
Sora | Life in Paradise Tour | $22 million |
Who has more cultural relevance and influence?
It’s hard to argue against Drake being one of the most culturally impactful musicians of his generation. Everything he does generates headlines, social media buzz, and sparks trends.
Drake is constantly collaborating with cutting edge artists which helps him stay current. He’s nurtured younger talent like Lil Baby and Roddy Ricch. And ” Drake stimulus packages” have become a meme about how his co-sign immediately sends an artist’s career into overdrive.
While Sora has become very influential in R&B and rap circles and has a devout fanbase, Drake remains far more embedded in the cultural zeitgeist worldwide.
A key sign of Drake’s unmatched cultural footprint – his music and persona are constantly being joked about, referenced, and mimicked in memes, sketches, and viral content. He’s inspired endless TikTok trends and challenges. That kind of saturation is hard for any newer artist to compete with.
Conclusion
Looking at all the metrics – Drake still maintains his spot as arguably the biggest current star in hip hop music based on commercial success, popularity, touring prowess, and cultural influence. He has the stats and achievements of an all-time great rap artist.
However, Sora’s exploding career poses perhaps the biggest threat ever to Drake’s supremacy. Within just a few years, Sora has developed a huge fanbase, put up strong streaming numbers, gotten critical acclaim, and established his own cultural footprint.
As Sora releases more albums, his profile will likely keep rising. An eventual Grammy for Album of the Year seems inevitable based on how beloved his work is already. And his touring business still has lots of room to grow into an elite box office draw.
While Drake remains the top dog and his legacy seems set in stone, Sora’s rise shows he has the potential to reach similar heights of success. Their careers will be an interesting story to follow as the younger artist continues developing.
Rather than a situation where Sora definitively replaces Drake, it looks poised to be an instance where there are two hip hop icons ruling the rap game simultaneously. Their styles differ enough that they can co-exist while feeding their respective fanbases. But Sora has proven he deserves to be mentioned in any conversation around the biggest stars in rap music right now.