Drake Is Competing With Taylor Swift For Hot 100 Supremacy

Typically, when Taylor Swift releases a new song or album, every other well-known musician gets out of the way. She’s the biggest talent in the music industry in most regards, and there’s simply no one left who can compete with her—well, almost.

If there’s one star who can give Swift a run for her money, it’s Drake. The rapper hadn’t announced anything new prior to this afternoon, so there was no reason to believe that he and Swift would be competing for a placement on the charts next week...but now that’s exactly what’s happening.

Midway through Friday (April 19), Drake dropped a new song. “Push Ups” arrived on streaming platforms and digital download stores on the first day of a new tracking week, and it’s bound to be a huge commercial success.

If this were any regular Drake track, he might not be able to stand out from the release of Swift’s new album The Tortured Poets Department and its many songs, which will surely dominate the Billboard charts next week. But “Push Ups” is not just another tune from the Canadian powerhouse.

“Push Ups” is a diss track—the latest in an ongoing battle between some of hip-hop’s biggest names. The tune is a response to “Like That” from Metro Boomin, Future, and Kendrick Lamar. That single, taken from Future and Boomin’s first collaborative album We Don’t Trust You, is sitting at No. 1 on the Hot 100 right now for the third consecutive frame.

Lines performed by Lamar in “Like That” were interpreted to be aimed at Drake, and the continuation of their beef is partially what helped send the single right to No. 1 on the Hot 100. The drama, which has unfolded in the media ever since, and which has brought other stars like J. Cole and Rick Ross into the fray, has kept the track atop the tally.

Now that the biggest solo male musician in the world has officially responded, it seems like “Push Ups” will be huge, in the same way that “Like That” was. In another week, it might be a certain new No. 1 on the Hot 100, as millions of people are tuned into this ongoing feud, and the entertainment press is sure to cover it extensively.

Drake is up against Swift, who will send perhaps as many as 31 new songs to the Hot 100 in a little more than a week. Her single “Fortnight” with Post Malone was predicted to open at No. 1, or perhaps another tune from the same album. Now that Drake has entered the race, Swift may not rule the ranking, or she may miss out on other massive showings of popularity.

Both “Fortnight” (as well as the other songs from The Tortured Poets Department) and “Push Ups” should impact the Hot 100 that will be unveiled on Tuesday, April 30. Until then, a furious race for supremacy on that competitive chart is sure to play out.