Drake, Post Malone, Eminem Named Among Most Streamed Artists of the 2010s
Drake topped the list, compiled by ChartData, with an enormous 36.3 billion streams.
Drake, Post Malone, Eminem and Future are among a handful of artists that have been recognized as the most streamed artists of the 2010s.
The official statistics reflect how hip-hop has become the dominant music over the last 10 years. According to ChartData, four of the top five most-streamed artists are rappers, with Drake topping the list at 36.3 billion streams, significantly outscoring the runner-up’s numbers by a wide margin.
Post Malone came in second place with 18.9 billion, followed by Eminem, with 17.8 billion; Ariana Grande, 13.9 billion; and Future, 13.9 billion. At number six is The Weeknd, with 13.6 billion streams; followed by Taylor Swift (seventh), 13.3 billion; while XXXTentacion (eighth), 13 billion, Ed Sheeran (ninth), 12.9 billion; and Rihanna (tenth), 12.8 billion, rounded off the list.
Most streamed artists of the 2010s decade (US audio & video; via Nielsen)
#1 @Drake 36.3B
#2 @PostMalone 18.9B
#3 @Eminem 17.8B
#4 @ArianaGrande 13.9B
#5 @1future 13.9B
#6 @theweeknd 13.6B
#7 @taylorswift13 13.3B
#8 XXXTentacion 13B
#9 @edsheeran 12.9B
#10 @rihanna 12.8B— chart data (@chartdata) January 10, 2021
Rap and hip-hop, overall, didn’t just become the most favored genre of the decade, but also of 2020. Other honorable mentions include Juice WRLD, who was one of the most streamed on Spotify in 2020, and Lil Baby, who’s LP My Turn became the most-streamed album of 2020.
Scroll down to see the list of the top 10 most streamed artists of the 2010s.
Elsewhere, Lil Nas X‘s “Old Town Road” is now the most certified song in RIAA history. The 21-year-old’s remix with Billy Ray Cyrus was certified 14x platinum in the United States, earning 14 million equivalent song units in just a little over two years since its independent release. Nas X announced the milestone on social media, sharing a meme (in true Nas X fashion) in celebration.
“Old Town Road” was first released independently in December 2018, then entered the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2019 after it found popularity on TikTok. It was re-released by Columbia Records that same month and the remix with Cyrus dropped in early April.
The song, which samples Nine Inch Nails‘ “34 Ghosts IV,” went on to set numerous records throughout the year, including becoming the longest running No. 1 and the fastest selling diamond record of all time. Nas X and Cyrus were nominated for three awards at the 2020 Grammys, receiving a nod for Record of the Year and winning Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video.
