We've officially kicked off the first day of the fourth month, and it feels like a good time to reflect on the music of 2021's first quarter. In truth, it hasn't exactly been the biggest year so far, with little in the way of high-profile releases -- yet. Still, that hasn't stopped the numbers from pouring in, and DJ Akademiks recently took a moment to share a tally of the top ten most-streamed rap artists of the past three months.
Lil Baby, MGK & More">Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Drake is leading the pack by a decent margin with a staggering 1.98 billion, unsurprising given that he actually released a new EP in Scary Hours 2. Following him is Juice WRLD, a streaming juggernaut even in death, with his existing projects driving his tally to 1.52. billion. Superstar Lil Baby sits in third with 1.50 billion, while the late Pop Smoke holds the fourth spot with 1.25 billion.
Lil Durk, who recently experienced the biggest year of his career in 2020, rode the wave into 2021 with 1.06 billion. In sixth place is DaBaby with 816 million, while Kanye West holds the line in seventh with 748 million. Moneybagg Yo, who sits on the verge of his new album (which may or may not be titled A Gangsta's Pain), enjoys eighth place with 644 million, while rapper turned rockstar Machine Gun Kelly slides into ninth with 608 million (he reacted to the good news with a devil emoji). Rounding out the list is NF, who locks down tenth place with 586 million.
It's fair to say that this list paints a reasonably accurate picture of the rap landscape at the moment, though it's certainly subject to change given how many heavy hitters have yet to drop. Expect this to change if and when the likes of J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar emerge with their respective projects. In the meantime, check out the full list below.