If you wondered about Drake‘s ability post-2024 to still make the kind of history on the Billboard charts that he seemed to make routinely in the 15 years prior to that… well, wonder no longer.

On this week’s Billboard 200 (dated May 30), Drake debuts in the top three spots with his three simultaneously released new LPs — Iceman, Habibti and Maid of Honour, respectively — becoming the first artist to ever occupy Nos. 1-3 on the chart at the same time. Meanwhile, Iceman‘s “Janice STFU” opens at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the highest of his 42 debuts, also a Hot 100 record — breaking Drake out of a tie with Michael Jackson for most career No. 1s on the chart by a solo male with his 14.

Which of these records do we deem to be the most historically significant? And does this mean that Drake is officially as big again as he was before the drama of two years ago? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. Drake sets all kinds of history on the Billboard charts this week — including most entries in one week (42) and most No. 1 hits total (14) for a male solo artist on the Hot 100, and most simultaneous top spots (three) held on the Billboard 200. Which of the records he sets this week do you think is the most historically significant?  

Kyle Denis: I’d probably go with breaking the “most entries in one week” record; it’s a real testament to how intense his popularity is in the streaming era. Breaking Michael Jackson’s record for most Hot 100 No. 1 hits by a male soloist certainly sounds cool, but when you compare Drizzy’s No. 1s to the King of Pop’s, the difference in quality is so stark it’s laughable.  

Angel Diaz: The Billboard 200 record is the most impressive to me. It’s not every day that one of music’s top artists decides to drop three separate albums at once. That one is going to be hard to beat, unless someone like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé feels competitive enough to release four albums at the same time.  

Lyndsey Havens: Well, I’d argue that occupying the top three spots on the Billboard 200 holds the most weight, largely because it’s the kind of moment we’ll be able to point to as “when things changed.” Now that Drake has done it — regardless of why… — it becomes a conversation of who does it next? Who can do this? Who would and why? It created not only a new marker of success but a new conversation, too.

Michael Saponara: I’d have to go with having the most No. 1 hits of any soloists. It’s the toughest to accomplish, in my opinion, and saw him pass a legend in the King of Pop, albeit very different eras of music. I may also be impacted by seeing Michael over the holiday weekend. But it also points to an enduring legacy and more than a decade at the hitmaking summit, which we haven’t seen from a rapper before. The avalanche of entries for a week feels a tad hollow, since when A-listers put numbers on the boards, most seem to fall off within a couple of weeks. Still, what a comeback for Drake. 

Andrew Unterberger: Something about securing the top three on the Billboard 200 feels momentous — maybe because, when compared to having 42 Hot 100 entries simultaneously, having the top three feels like something that could have actually been achieved in earlier chart decades, even though there were plenty of logical contextual reasons why it hasn’t been. It just shows you how few artists on Drake’s level would’ve even considered a comeback approach like this, and makes it all the more impressive that he actually pulled it off.

2. Iceman is by far the best-performing of Drake’s three new sets, launching with 463,000 units (to 114,000 and 104,000 for Habibti and Maid of Honour, respectively), while also accounting for Drake’s 16 best-performing songs on the Hot 100 this week, including 12 of the overall top 13. Are you surprised that Iceman lands this far ahead of its sibling sets, or is it about what you expected? 

Kyle Denis: This is exactly what I expected. Not only was Iceman the only album title the public was aware of leading up to the triple album drop, but it was also the kind of album people have been asking Drake to make. I’m not surprised the album where he’s actually rapping — and addressing the past two years — blew Maid of Honour and Habibti out of the water. We just got 20 R&B songs from Drake last year. 

Angel Diaz: I’m not surprised because that was the album everyone was waiting on. I am surprised that the other two are as close as they are, though, because the online consensus is that Maid of Honour is the second best of the three; at least on my timeline anyway. 

Lyndsey Havens: It’s exactly what I expected, and shows the continued power of marketing and rollout — in 2026. Iceman got the full treatment, including social media-primed gimmicks like melting ice bricks to reveal release date and even a projection that made Toronto’s CN Tower appear to be covered in ice. It’s the album fans were expecting and awaiting — and given the rollout, could be argued as the most “intentional” set of the three. Plus, Iceman largely seems to be the album that fans listened to first — and as for whether or not that made them tune in for two more rounds? The numbers speak best to that.

Michael Saponara: Not at all. This has been the album people have been expecting and the one he’s done the legwork teasing for over a year. It’s also the mission statement, which finds him addressing more personal topics and responding to those in the industry who have crossed him since the Kendrick Lamar battle. I really enjoyed the album and believe it has the most quality depth of any project from him in a decade, and it’s Drake barring up with a rap-heavy project, which his core fans should embrace. 

Andrew Unterberger: I’m not surprised that it lands ahead, but the extent of it is pretty eye-opening to me. It shows you how successful Drake was with his Iceman-specific promo in the months (years?) leading up to the album that despite being released at the same time as two totally separate albums — at least one of which, Maid of Honour, was arguably much more accessible — it was so clearly the set that his fans immediately zeroed in on.

3. “Janice STFU” is the best-performing song across the three sets in its first week. Do you see it growing and enduring as the breakout hit from this Drake mega-era, or do you think other songs on the albums will ultimately pass it?  

Kyle Denis: I think “Janice STFU” will endure as the true breakout hit, but I wouldn’t be too shocked to see “Shabang” and “Ran to Atlanta” follow suit. If anything sticks around from the other two albums, I’m betting on “Hoe Phase” (from Maid of Honour) and either “Classic” or “Fortworth” (from Habibti). 

Angel Diaz: I think it being a spin on a Lykke Li track helps open it up to a different audience, and it’s also very catchy. I’ve often found myself singing “beep, beep, baby” randomly and folks are using it in their Instagram Reels and TikToks. I’m curious to see how long it lasts on top of the Hot 100.  

Lyndsey Havens: I think other songs certainly could pass it. And this is a bit of a copout answer, but I think the challenge of releasing three albums at once (around 2.5 hours of listening) is that the breakout hit could still be hiding somewhere. While it’s a quicker process, sometimes, for an artist and their team to intentionally nudge just one song to the front, in this case there’s still a bit of a race going on. Drake dropped 18 new music videos last week, four of which surpassed 10 million views (“Janice STFU” leads with 13 million as of now — but “Whisper My Name” isn’t far behind). All of this is to say, I wouldn’t count any song out just yet.

Michael Saponara: I’ve been trying to find the one song that would jump out and “Janice STFU” seems to be what fans have gravitated towards. I’m not surprised as I’ve found myself singing along to the addicting chorus, which interpolates Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers.” I think it’s going to stick around for a while. We’ll see what catches on at radio as I’ve heard “Shebang” and “Ran to Atlanta” while driving around this past week. 

Andrew Unterberger: Yeah, “Janice” feels like the song. It’s fun, it’s meme-y, it’s not as catchy as “Nokia” but it’s much less of a drag than “Slime You Out” or “Way 2 Sexy.” It’s one of those songs that isn’t necessarily an undeniable smash, but once it burrows its way into the culture, it stays there.

4. A week and a half in, which of the three sets do you remain most interested in? 

Kyle Denis: Iceman, without a question. But I’m also learning I’m much fonder of Maid of Honour than the average listener. 

Angel Diaz: Rap Twitter won’t stop talking about Iceman, but for me I think I’m leaning towards Maid of Honour, especially as the weather gets warmer. That’s when we’ll really see if any of these three projects have any legs. In the meantime, I’ve made a playlist combing the best from Maid and the best from Habibti to make a nice-sounding album. 

Lyndsey Havens: I’ve been loving the social media chatter over how to describe each album. I’m more into pop girlie Drake, and I think Maid of Honour delivers that side of him most, certainly through the more uptempo and bouncy production at least. 

Michael Saponara: Iceman, for sure, for a lot of the reasons I listed in my answer to question No. 2. It’s his most rap-heavy project since IYRTITL and there’s plenty of depth to the album, which is a problem I’ve had with Drake albums in the past being too top-heavy and reliant on a few hits. If I may make the comparison, Iceman has been the main course at dinner, while I’ve mixed in Habibti and Maid of Honour as a side of mashed potatoes and a palette cleanser for dessert. 

Andrew Unterberger: Honestly, Habibti might be the one I end up returning to the most. The album-closing run on that, where Drake actually seems to shed his bravado and sound legitimately lost and insecure and actually kinda frightened — that’s the only Drake across these three albums that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. Not surprising that that’s not where the hits are coming from, but I’m intrigued by it.

5. After a couple rough years for the rapper, does the historic chart performance of these sets in their opening frame establish to you that Drake is 100% back to his pre-2024 hitmaking status, or do you still need to see more from him before granting him that? 

Kyle Denis: Even at the height of the 2024 battle, I never one doubted Drake’s ability to maintain (or regain) his commercial footing. He operates at a level maybe two other pop stars do; that was never going to be undone by five or six songs. With that being said, I can’t judge much from the first week. It’s not exactly a shocker that three pseudo-surprise Drake albums flooded the charts. What’s more interesting to me is whether these songs stick around near the top of the Hot 100; Drake hasn’t had a song spend more than a single week at No. 1 since 2018. Can “Janice” end that streak? With all of this music and a relatively quiet hip-hop scene, can Drake replicate Scorpion’s three multi-week No. 1 singles? That’s what I’m keeping an eye out for.

Angel Diaz: I’m not ready to definitively answer that yet. He got some things off his chest on Iceman and provided some hits on those three projects, but there still isn’t a monster record on any of them. At least by Drake standards. Hopefully, he lets these projects breathe, though, and comes back undistracted. I think that’s when he’ll truly get back on track. 

Lyndsey Havens: …….I think it establishes that pre-2024 Drake was a special period in time.

This historic chart performance proves fans will always be ready and waiting for more Drake (apparently, three full albums worth), and in no world was he going to flop during debut week. But I’m curious to see what the next few months look like for Drake and where these albums fall within his longterm legacy.  

Michael Saponara: To me, this marks more of the start of another peak in a new era for Drake. I’d compare it more to LeBron James in his Los Angeles Lakers era in a later stage of his career as the 6 God approaches 40. It’s not quite the same commercial heights and dominance as the mid-2010s (think Miami Heat or Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron), but it’s still Hall of Fame worthy.

Andrew Unterberger: Not 100%, but close enough. We’ll have to see what kind of numbers he puts up when the rubbernecking curiosity of what he still might have to say about 2024 isn’t around anymore. But then again, will that ever go away? Will we ever not be super-curious what Drake has to say about the s–t going on in his life — and then what everyone else is gonna say about what he says? Maybe not.