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Drake bests Aretha Franklin, Wonder to set Billboard record

Earns 21st No. 1 hit on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart
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Drake poses in the press room with his awards at the Billboard Music Awards on Wednesday, May 1, 2019, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (File photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

NEW YORK — Earning his 21st No. 1 hit on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, Drake has bested a record previously held by icons Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.

Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later,” featuring rapper Lil Durk, reached the No. 1 spot on the chart this week. Wonder and Franklin, who died in 2018, each have had 20 songs top the chart.

Of Drake’s 21 No. 1 hits on the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, 12 include him in the leading role, including “God’s Plan,” “In My Feelings,” “Hotline Bling,” “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and “Best I Ever Had,” his first major hit released in 2009. Nine of his No. 1 successes are songs he co-starred on, including “Work” with Rihanna, “Moment 4 Life” with Nicki Minaj, “Fall for Your Type” with Jamie Foxx and “I Invented Sex” with Trey Songz.

Earlier this year, 34-year-old Drake made Billboard chart history when he set a new record for most songs on the Hot 100 chart — Billboard’s main songs chart that includes all music genres.

By The Associated Press