Drake had a torpid year to start but by year's end, he's found a way to patch things up. Billboard just announced that "God's Plan" will end the year in the insurmountable top spot on the Hot 100. Drake's prophetic song did enough to supplant Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" with a late stretch drive, with Bebe Rexha, Camila Cabello, and Post Malone slotting in 3rd-4th-5th to round out the winner's circle.
Even though Drake's Scorpion album is a divisive effort to many, his cumulative work this year landed him top honors as Billboard's Artist of the Year, in their year-end "stat-driven" poll. "In My Feelings" was the other Scorpion standout to rank high in the year-end polls, slotting in at 9 on the Hot 100. "In My Feelings" was understandably a bigger draw on social media, but even that couldn't make up the ground "God's Plan" would sustain over 12-months with a 6-month headstart, no easy feat.
We've since learned that "God's Plan" was indeed a marketing hoax from the start. Drake met with Shebib and their confidantes to discuss Scorpion's release strategy, several months ahead of schedule. The decision was then taken to give "God's Plan" budgetary allocation it so deserved, after passing a tough litmus test on social media with flying colors.