The saga of Tekashi 6ix9ine continues as he returned to social media and the rap game with “GOOBA.” The rapper’s return to Instagram Live hit a record 2M simultaneous viewers with “GOOBA” surpassing Eminem‘s “Rap Devil” for the largest 24-hour debut for a rap video. Needless to say, 6ix9ine’s making it abundantly clear that he’s a star in his own right, whether or not anyone agrees with that.

During his Instagram Live, he made sure to give Drake a shout out for reasons unbeknownst to the rest of the world. But he wasn’t done just there because he returned to the ‘Gram where he compared the numbers “GOOBA” has to Drake’s “Toosie Slide” while still acknowledging that Drake is the GOAT. “DONT LET THEM CHEAT US OUT THE NUMBER 1 LOOK AT THE NUMBERS ! WE BEATING EVERYONE AND THEY MOTHER ON EVERYTHING ! They hate to see this shoutout to drake he’s the goat but this has to be seen,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rich The Kid fired back in their ongoing back-and-forth. After 6ix9ine’s location was revealed for the third time and his cars were seen being transported, Rich The Kid shared a video of his whip. “We ain’t ’bout to go back and forth,” he’s heard saying in the video. Though a fan later alleged that Rich The Kid was driving a rental after another picture was posted on the company’s IG Page of the rapper in the same car. However, Rich The Kid did compare net worths, at least according to Google Search, that revealed 6ix9ine’s net worth was $4M while his own was at $10M. “Speak up lil n***a,” he wrote in response. 

He terrorized us in Silence of the Lambs and has delivered moving performances in films like Bram Stoker's Dracula, Meet Joe Black, Beowulf, Chaplin, Noah, and dozens of other acclaimed films. The 82-year-old British actor has received nearly every coveted award possible and is celebrated around the world, so you can only imagine everyone's surprise when he showed up on TikTok busting out the moves to Drake's "Toosie Slide."

Frederick M. Brown / Stringer / Getty Images

This COVID-19 quarantine is just about over, but it's caused many people, including celebrities, to go a tad stir crazy. Anthony Hopkins is the last person anyone expected to show up on TikTok, but it's 2020 and we're in a pandemic and at this point, we can just about assume anything will happen. Hopkins shared his silly TikTok video to Twitter and sent a message to Drake that said, "#Drake I’m late to the party... but better late than never."

He then called out his famous friends Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone to complete the #ToosieSlideChallenge as well. In the video,  Anthony Hopkins even does impressions of Schwarzenegger and Stallone before shuffling a few more dance moves at the end. People responded kindly to the multifaceted entertainer's unlikely video, but no word yet on if the Terminator and Rocky have answered his challenge. Check it out below.

In the same way that we might only be able to tell if we’ve flattened the curve in hindsight, we will also have to look back in retrospect to find out if Drake’s already reached the peak of his career. There are arguments to be made about when exactly he reached that point musically. Was it on 2016’s Views?Nothing Was The Same? IYRTITL? Because it certainly wasn’t Scorpion. In the minds of some, Drake will, if he isn’t already, become the cultural and musical archetype of what a rapper can be in the fabric of American culture. He reached pop stardom with hip-hop as the vehicle. That’s not a jab or even an insinuation that Drake’s a culture vulture because, frankly, Drake’s dictated popular culture for the better part of the last 10 years. Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Jay-Z laid down the foundation for Drake to reach the type of mainstream success that he’s been able to attain. But as Drake reaches a point in his career where he’s broken records, collected plaques, and has dozens of trophies to his name, we’re left wondering what Dark Lane Demo Tapes actually contributes to his illustrious career. 

Entering the 2020s, Drake already had the bragging rights of claiming he has more hits than the Beatles and soon enough, he’ll have either tied or exceeded Madonna for most top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. But what does that truly mean at the end of the day when the music that’s being released is, at best, mid? Drake’s set a bar for himself over the years as both an artist and a brand. A consistent one, at that. His most recent efforts have thrived off of nostalgia. Care Package was exactly that — arriving just days before OVO Fest, he took the year off to celebrate the Toronto Raptors first Championship trophy and to bank off of previously released singles that were only available on YouTube or Soundcloud. And the people ate it up. A compilation album of loose songs sold more records in its first week than the majority of rappers sell in a month. But in an opinion-based sport where album sales and Billboard charts carry more weight than the music itself, Care Package marked Drake’s ninth consecutive number one album on the Billboard 200.

For Drake, it’s effortless. He drops music, the people, including his haters, find something to appreciate about it. Dark Lane Demo Tapes surely has the same effect on people. The “surprise” factor though seems more tactful than the OVO team leads on. Not necessarily because of the three-hour notice we all received, but simply based on the fact that there isn’t another rapper in the game, aside from Jay-Z, who is as calculated as Drake. There’s intention behind every step, every move, every word he raps in his music. So when he mentions that Noel and Oliver put together the project in a matter of days, it feels a little hard to believe. 

“War” closed out an otherwise quiet year from Drake as he dove into a new buzzing sound that had yet to seep into mainstream hip-hop, marking a stylistic shift. Then, he delivered one of the “time-stamp” type joints with the double-hitter of “When To Say When/Chicago Freestyle” that showcased his lyrical weight with nods to both Jay-Z and Eminem. But the loose records and leaks that formed Dark Lane Demo Tapes were lackluster, especially for Drake’s standards. Sure, there are notable moments, but just how memorable are they when a large portion of the project was comprised of leaks? Drake immortalizes pivotal moments of his life with his pen while scoring the soundtrack to ours. But in the wake of a global pandemic that’s claiming thousands of lives, will we look back with glee that, at the very least, we got a new album from Drake? Probably not. In all actuality, it wouldn’t be shocking if “Toosie Slide” triggers PTSD after the global pandemic ends. 

That’s the problem with Dark Lane Demo Tapes, though. Even a song like “Toosie Slide,” that’s essentially been constructed to have the same type of success as “God’s Plan,” isn’t firmly propped up atop the Billboard Hot 100. It’s a hit, and not even French Montana can take that away from him but this week, “Toosie Slide” slid down to number 3 on the charts with Travis Scott and Kid Cudi’s “The Scotts” claiming the top spot and fellow Torontonian The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” sitting at #2. Despite everything that has haunted his career from physical confrontations to getting exposed for keeping a ghostwriter on deck, the one thing that truly no other artist could hold against him was his numbers. There isn’t a single one of Drake’s contemporaries — whether in hip-hop or not — who can compete in terms of his Billboard numbers or album sales. “Toosie Slide,” specifically, felt far more contrived than any other Drake song. He’s typically creating the waves, or if he is riding it, it’s before the rest of the world catches up. But Drake is a 33-year-old father — TikTok isn’t supposed to be his main audience unless he recently decided to cater his music to Adonis’ play group. 

If numbers are truly an indication of anything in the rap game, it reflects the public’s general curiosity rather than their approval. However, there’s been a dip in streaming in the past few weeks, in spite of the global pandemic. By the end of March, the U.S. music industry hit a new all-time low in album sales with 1.52M album-equivalent units sold in the week ending on March 19th. Tory Lanez even admitted his “low” sales for New Toronto 3 was due to the decline in music consumption. However, the Drake brand is meant to be pandemic-proof. Solid enough to weather any economic, social or political storm. Dark Lane Tape Demos is expected to move 230K to 255K, but it’s in a tight race for the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 against country star Kenny Chesney’s new album who’s expected to move 220K to 235K– with nearly the entirety of those numbers coming from pure album sales. A country star ending Drake’s streak with nine consecutive #1 wouldn’t be the most unimaginable thing to happen in 2020 but if it were to happen, would that be a sign that Drake’s status as a chart-topping behemoth is beginning to deteriorate? 

With a vault that’s guarded by the precious lives of OVO shooters and engineers, the string of leaks over the past year took part of Drake’s artistic and entrepreneurial control away from him. He had his B-Rabbit moment when he turned weaknesses into strengths by adding “(LEAK 2020)” to the titles of Soundcloud drops. The highly-anticipated release of “Pain 1993” with Playboi Carti, the song that forever found itself surfacing on the web through low-quality recordings and short snippets, fell short of expectations in its final outcome even though the demand was high. Drake gave the people what they wanted. Still, regardless of how Drake plans on identifying this project, collaborations with artists like Young Thug, Future and Chris Brown will still resonate in some fashion with the public, even if it’s based on Spotify algorithms.

The lion’s share of the album is familiar ground for Drake — reminiscing on old flings from Houston, grandiose flexes that only he can relate to etc. Even so, there are flashes where he foreshadows the next move. Songs like “Deep Pockets,” “Landed” and “From Florida With Love” dive into this muddy, foggy whirlwind of production that takes animated derivatives of Soundcloud, lo-fi production while refining it for radio play. Largely due to 40’s trusted ear and Turkish-Swiss producer Oz’s contributions, there’s clearly parts of Drake that’s yearning to tread new grounds. Even on a song like “Landed,” Drake’s flow seemingly takes note from some of the young boys, namely OVO affiliate and possible signee, Smiley, though he’d argue that it was because of his Cartier pen. 

This project ultimately marks a chess move on Drake’s part. Dark Lane Demo Tapes is, after all, an easy money grab. Call me a conspiracy theorist if you will but given Drake’s meticulous nature, Dark Lane Demo Tapes feels like a way to lower expectations ahead of his next album. I mean, even as television production halts and touring plans put on hold, Dark Lane Demo Tapes is likely a means of generating income with B-Sides that demonstrate just how easily he makes a hit record. Quotable bars for days and earworms for hooks that I’ve only grown more fond of as the days pass.

Let’s not forget that the last time he graced fans with a surprise body of work, it was If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Shifting the trajectory of Drake’s career and his sound as a whole, it further pushed him closer to the realms of the GOATs. And there’s an argument to be made that the initial response to Views didn’t meet expectations because of how If You’re Reading This was received. Dark Lane Demo Tapes seemingly plots on a reverse effect; delivering mediocrity to hold fans over while safely locking away the gems for his next album.

Pockets of growth are scattered throughout a project that can otherwise be compared to the hip-hop equivalent of NBA Playoff reruns in the COVID-19 era. Drake pushed the boundaries of hip-hop as far as he can and those he’s influenced are still trying to find their foot in the game. Can anyone knock Drake from the top? Maybe not, but that’s with all things considered — he’s taken hip-hop to new heights, for better or for worse. Dark Lane Demo Tapes has a purpose in his catalog, though not in the way that it’s been sold. It moved 100K units within its first four days of its release which is expected of Drake. At the end of the day, the real accomplishment doesn’t necessarily trickle down to numbers. The world evolves, as does the game, and to keep up, one has to adapt. Drake’s done that over the past few years more so than he’s birthed any new style. He’s relied on others to help him accomplish that. The follow-up to Scorpion will ultimately dictate whether Drake remains a musical and cultural powerhouse in the decade to come.

It feels like forever since the last time Drake dropped a full-length project but, without much notice, the King of Toronto came through unannounced with a surprise mixtape called the Dark Lane Demo Tapes. 

On Thursday (April 30), it was rumored that Drake would be releasing something at the end of the day and those rumblings came true when Dark Lane Demo Tapes hit the internet. As expected, the new collection features a flurry of songs that the fans had been asking for, including his “Demons” collaboration with Fivio Foreign and Sosa Geek, his “Pain 1993” track with Playboi Carti, and an official release of “Desires” with Future. Elsewhere on the 14-track display, there are songs that nobody even knew about.

Another new collaboration with Chris Brown, titled “Not You Too,” is threatening to become another sleeper hit after the success of “No Guidance” last year. In addition to that, a fresh link-up between Drake, Future, and Young Thug called “D4L” took the world by storm.

There is definitely a lot to unpack with this mixtape, but Drake is already looking toward his future. The superstar recording artist announced that his next album will be released in the summer, teasing a new track with Roddy Ricch shortly after the arrival of the Dark Lane Demo Tapes.

Have a listen to the new project below and let us know what you think.

Drake‘s “Toosie Slide” challenge is still making the rounds around the world, as all ages and genders attempt to do the little dance moves that Drake shared in his visuals to go along with the new single. While some, like Charlamagne Tha God, have said that Drake opting to create a dance challenge is beneath him, that hasn’t stopped everyone from taking part and in turn helping the song’s growth on the charts too (and TikTok, of course). And in this particular instance, it’s actually creating a domino effect of charitable actions. 

The Masaka Kids, who are a group of orphans in Uganda, put together their own video for the viral dance challenge, and Drake reached out to them to help share it. The share not only resulted in the orphans going viral, but sparked a series of donations to the organization. Not only that, their Instagram page has also spurred new growth, with a reported 120,000 new followers because of this video alone.

The kids were reportedly extremely happy with Drake’s share, as the founder of the organization told TMZ that they cried tears of joy when they found it. We could all use some positive vibes right now.

Check out their full “Toosie Slide” dance rendition below. 

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Once again, The Weeknd is a double champion, standing tall at #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200.

Drake made a huge splash on the Billboard Hot 100 with the release of “Toosie Slide,” his brand new dance single that has absolutely taken over on social media. While the buzz was large enough to remain within the Top Five in its second week out, The Weeknd regains his position at the top with “Blinding Lights.”

“Wow! back on top + number 1 album for a whole month? Going to really cherish this moment,” said The Weeknd on Instagram.

In addition to his hit single being crowned the week’s most popular song again, his album After Hours has been at the top of the charts for an entire month. Ironically, he becomes the first artist since Drake to notch four consecutive weeks at #1 with Scorpion. 

“Big shout out to the fans. Can’t wait to see you all once we get through these bizarre times,” continues the artist.

Drake’s “Toosie Slide” clocks in at the second position while Roddy Ricch keeps his momentum high at #3. Dua Lipa and Doja Cat round out the Top Five with appearances from Harry Styles, Post Malone, and others in the top ten spots.

Are you surprised to see The Weeknd back on top?

Charlamagne Tha God isn’t about to bust out the “Toosie Slide” on TikTok anytime soon.

During a recent episode of his Brilliant Idiots podcast with Andrew Schulz, the radio host and hip-hop commentator went off about Drake‘s new single, stating that he does not respect the intent behind the release.

“I think it’s wack, and I think it’s beneath Drake,” said Charla about the song. “I think that when you’re the biggest artist in the world, when you’re the biggest rapper in the world, I don’t like to see you chasing trends. Why be a surfer when you’re a fucking wave? I just didn’t respect it.”

Mike Windle/Getty Images

“Toosie Slide” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to a viral dance craze but Charlamagne Tha God thinks that Drake didn’t need to stoop to such a level to get himself another hit.

“The shit might still work but it just don’t seem organic,” added the host. “A lot of times with those TikTok dances, it’s just organic. It’s a song people like and somebody does something to it and it goes. It felt too forced. Too corporate. Too industry. I just feel like Drake has built himself up in such a way that he don’t have to do that shit.”

Do you agree with Charla’s critique of the new Drake single? Check out his comments below at the 1:43:30 mark.

Drake‘s plans to blow up on TikTok with a carefully crafted dance challenge song have gone even better than he could have expected. Sources say Drizzy’s “Toosie Slide,” a track that serves as an instruction manual for simplistic moves that was created specifically to inspire a viral dance craze on TikTok, has officially set a new record on the popular app. TMZ reports that TikTok insiders have calculated that the #ToosieSlide managed to rack up one billion views in just two days. These stats make the #ToosieSlide challenge the “fastest music trend” to develop on the app, having now received up to three billion views in total. These sources clarified that these views were added up from all the content using the #ToosieSlide hashtag across the app, not just from Drake’s original post where he first teased the song.

Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Coachella

The same sources indicate that Kylie Jenner’s #RiseandShine trend was the very first hashtag to garner one billion views back in October, but it took longer than a mere two days for this to happen. Considering “Toosie Slide” was initially developed for the sole purpose of going viral on TikTok, it should come as no surprise that Drake’s “Cha-Cha Slide”-resembling tune broke this massive record. We’re sure Drizzy’s just thrilled about the news.

If you’ve been keeping your ear to social media, particularly the vast expanse of the TikTok wilderness, you’ve likely become acquainted with Drake‘s new single “Toosie Slide.” A slow-burning track that doubles as an instruction manual, a spiritual successor the “Safety Dance” by the Men Without Hats, whatever you might think of it, one reality is clear: it’s already become a phenomenon of sorts. Even the most casual listener might find themselves knowing the words without ever having properly registered them.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

And while the jury is still out on whether “Toosie Slide” will stand alongside Drizzy’s biggest singles of his career (it’s already off to a great start), it’s clear he’s willing to push this one to the finish line and then some. Even though he already came through with a low-key yet well-shot music video upon the track’s release, Drake appears on the verge of doubling down with an elaborate animated version that finds him taking to the clouds.

The clip itself was done by Quentin Deronzier, who included major nods to Drizzy’s OVO jet and affiliation with Virgil Abloh — it’s as of yet unclear as to whether Deronzier is sitting on a full version, thus offering up an alternate video to the original, but either way it’s got the Champagne Papi sign of approval. Check it out for yourself below, and sound off — should Drake implement this aesthetic moving forward? 

Drake has done it again, though it isn’t surprising. The TikTok-ready single, “Toosie Slide” has reigned supreme this week on the Billboard Hot 100 after debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. This marks several historical feats in Drizzy’s career as he claims his seventh chart-topper. Additionally, he’s now the first male act in history to claim three #1 debuts. Mariah Carey did have a similar run in 1995-1997 with three #1 debuts in the span of those years.

 Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Drake has also clocked in 50 weeks in total at the top of the chart, making him the fifth artist and the first male solo act to reach this feat. Drizzy sits behind Mariah Carey, Rihanna, The Beatles, and Boyz II Men. “Toosie Slide” followed “God’s Plan” and “Nice For What” in Drake’s catalog for #1 debuts on the Billboard Hot 100. The rapper moved 25K in the first week with “Toosie Slide” with 55.5 million U.S. streams. 

With Drake reclaiming his throne on the Billboard Hot 100, The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” slides down to number 2 followed by Roddy Ricch‘s “The Box” which is still holding on strong to a spot in the top 5. Dua Lipa slides down to number four and of course, Drake and Future‘s “Life Is Good” is still going strong on the charts at number 5.

“God’s Plan” and “Nice For What” maintained their position at number one weeks after its release. Do you think “Toosie Slide” will have the same type of commercial impact? Sound off in the comments.