2017's officially halfway over. Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber's "Despacito" is the number one song in the country for the eighth week in a row, Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. was just announced as the bestselling album of the first six months of 2017, and Jay-Z's kinda-surprise-released new album 4:44 dominated the conversation this weekend. If you had told me on January 1st that in six months, the first Spanish language song since "Macarena" would be topping the charts, Kendrick would be the most commercially successful rapper, and Twitter would be going crazy over a new Jay album, I'd have thought you were nuts. Let's see if the next six months hold as many surprises.
All three Drake tracks that appeared in our top ten list last week are back, making them the only holdovers this time around. Desiigner, PartyNextDoor, and Future are all in second with two appearances apiece. New tracks barely missing the cut include CyHi The Prynce and ScHoolboy Q's "Movin Around" (#11), Tyler, The Creator and Frank Ocean's "911/Mr. Lonely" (#12), Kodak Black and NBA Youngboy's "Water" #13, and Rick Ross and Anthony Hamilton's "Glory of War" (#14).
10. Wiz Khalifa Feat. Desiigner - X 4 X
Pittsburgh, Philly, and Brooklyn connect on this DP Beats-produced standout from Wiz's new Bong Rips EP. It's an unlikely collab, but an 89% user rating, one that clearly works well in most peoples' eyes. "X 4 X" (Xanny for Xanny) debuts at #10.
9. Meek Mill Feat. The-Dream - YBA
It's been two years and many ups and downs since Meek Mill's last album, Dreams Worth More Than Money, and soon, he'll be sharing an aptly-titled follow-up, Wins & Losses. The first taste we've gotten is "YBA" (Young Black America), which features The-Dream and flips the same sample as Jay-Z's iconic "Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)." The new track debuts at #9.
8. Jay-Z Feat. Gloria Carter - Smile
As previously mentioned, Jay-Z ruled this past weekend with his thirteenth studio album, 4:44. It was a short one, clocking in at just ten tracks and 37 minutes, and No I.D. handled all of the subtle, soul-sampling production, and after the bloated excess of MCHG, that seems to be just what Jay needed. This highlight, "Smile," debuts at #8.
7. Future Feat. YG - Extra Luv
Over the past week, Future dropped two new tracks out of the blue, and one of them, the YG-assisted "Extra Luv," appears to have been added to February's self-titled album as a bonus track. This one debuts at #7.
6. Drake - Signs
This was the only solo Drizzy track of the three that dropped last week, but released in collaboration with Louis Vuitton, it was also the one that garnered the lowest user rating, currently sitting at 66%. "Signs" also drops the most out of any of the tracks on its second week out, falling five spots from #1 to #6.
5. Metro Boomin Feat. Drake & Offset - No Complaints
Directly following "Signs" is the Drake track from last week that received the highest user approval, now sitting at an even 90%. "No Complaints," the first track we've heard from Metro Boomin's upcoming album Boominati, is down three places from last week, from #2 to #5.
4. Desiigner Feat. Gucci Mane - Liife
Desiigner's second entry of the week is "Liife," his latest in a string of singles that have been shared since last year's debut tape, New English. It also has the honor of being the second-highest rated track of the week, clocking in at 91% approval. "Liife" debuts at #4.
3. Quavo Feat. PartyNextDoor - Team
Canadian producer Murda Beatz has a fruitful history with both PND and Migos, so it came as no surprise that the first collaboration between the two was produced by him. "Team" was a leak that's no longer online, but you can bet that when an official version surfaces, it'll be worth the wait. "Team" debuts at #3.
2. Future Feat. Chris Brown - PIE
The second of Future's two new tracks also came accompanied by a music video, like "Extra Luv," "PIE" has been retroactively added to his second album of 2017. The Chris Brown-assisted track is also the week's highest-rated at 92%. It makes its debut at #2.
1. PartyNextDoor Feat. Drake - Freak In You (Remix)
This remix of PND's Colours 2 highlight "Freak In You" dropped last week, and unlike the other two Drake songs that also surfaced around that time, it actually rose a couple of places the second time around. In its second week out, the "Freak In You" remix is up three spots from #4 to #1.