
In early 2026, Drake remains the "unrivaled architect of the streaming era," holding a position that balances high-level commercial consistency with a new phase of industry resilience. Despite the seismic shifts caused by his high-profile feud with Kendrick Lamar in 2024, he has maintained his status as the most-streamed rapper on Spotify, crossing the massive threshold of 83 billion lifetime streams. His strategy has pivoted toward a "legacy-plus" model, where he continues to dominate the charts with projects like his 2025 release $ome $exy $ongs 4 U while simultaneously expanding his "OVO" ecosystem into sports, fashion, and even high-stakes global branding. He is no longer just a rapper; he is a permanent fixture of the Spotify infrastructure, with his "Monthly Listeners" consistently hovering around the 80 million mark, regardless of the critical narrative surrounding him.