The buzziest rap beef of 2024 continues to light up Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as Drake’s “Push Ups” debuts at No. 2 on the list dated May 4. The song, released April 19 through OVO/Republic Records, is widely seen as a direct response to Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar’s collaboration “Like That,” on which the lattermost’s verse included rhymes that many interpreted as insults to Drake and J. Cole.
“Push Ups” first came to wide attention through demo leaks that surfaced online as early as April 13, with some speculating the track was a product of artificial intelligence. Following its official release, “Push Ups” earned 28.6 million official U.S. streams in the April 19 – 25 tracking week, according to Luminate. Thanks to the sum, “Push Ups” starts at No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs chart to secure Drake’s record-extending 24th leader on the list. He’s now tripled the No. 1 total of every other artist on that chart, with The Weeknd – who also receives some perceived sting in “Push Ups” – in second place, with eight champs.
While streams contribute most of the “Push Ups” activity, the song also sold 4,000 downloads in the tracking week, allowing for a No. 2 entrance on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales. It also generated significant radio airplay, with 5.4 million audience impressions in the same period. The early radio support prompts the track’s debuts on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 34) and Rhythmic Airplay (No. 36) charts.
Elsewhere, “Push Ups” also opens at No. 2 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. On both that ranking and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, “Push Ups” is second only to … “Like That,” which reigns for a fifth week on each list. While “Push Ups” beats “Like That” in the sales and streaming races, the latter’s huge airplay advantage – 22.4 million in audience impressions, nearly 17 million more than “Push Ups” – powers the latter across the finish line.
After “Push Ups” premiered, Drake dropped a second diss track, “Taylor Made Freestyle,” exclusively as an audio file on his X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram channels the same day. The track drew controversy for its use of artificial intelligence to imitate Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg’s voices. The former’s estate threatened to sue Drake on April 24, leading to the track’s removal the next day. As “Taylor Made Freestyle” was available only through social media channels and did not appear on streaming services, digital retailers or receive radio play, the song did not generate any activity to contribute to Billboard’s charts.
With “Like That” and “Push Ups” already in the chart archives, the next bout of the latest installment of the Drake – Lamar saga could arrive soon. On April 30, Lamar premiered a new song, “euphoria,” on his YouTube channel. The track, over six minutes long, takes several shots assumed to be at Drake, referencing the Canadian MC’s previous beefs with other rappers and alleging that Drake resorted to legal means to attempt to squash the “Like That” momentum, rapping: “Try cease and desist on the ‘Like That’ record/ Oh, what? You ain’t like that record.” Following the YouTube premiere, the song reached other streaming services and digital retailers hours later.
