Scoreboard: Drake, Fall Out Boy

This week on Scoreboard Drake and Fall Out Boy have a Super week as they take #1 on Billboard charts

Billboard Artist Top 10

For the magazine dated February 3, 2018

See the full chart at http://www.billboard.com/charts/artist-100

When it comes to the Super Bowl and music, it’s all about the halftime performer and for this year’s Eagles/Patriots matchup Justin Timberlake got the coveted gig. The buzz surrounding @justintimberlake’s return to the Super Bowl takes him up to #10 on this week’s Billboard Artist 100, but two other artists have a bigger surge into the top 10 this week. Taking #3 is Drake, who was last in the top 3 in April 2017. @champagnepapi also puts two singles into the top 10 of the Hot 100, including the new #1 “God’s Plan.” At #1 on the Artist 100 and the Billboard 200 is veteran rock band Fall Out Boy, whose seventh album Mania (stylized as M A  N   I    A) becomes the band’s fourth #1 album.

Justin Timberlake left behind a signed copy of his new album at a Minnesota Target on the eve of the Super Bowl

Another Victory Lap for Drake

No artist has made it look easier on the Billboard charts since 2009 than Drake. According to Billboard, he has now clocked 159 songs and guest appearances on the Hot 100, most among solo artists in the chart’s history. “God’s Plan” is @champagnepapi’s fourth #1 on the Hot 100 and his first #1 with no other artists sharing the bill. “Diplomatic Immunity,” which starts at #7 on the Hot 100 also makes Drake the rapper with most career top 10 hits, passing Jay-Z (with 22).

So is @champagnepapi going to make 2018 his year? He already finished as Billboard’s #3 artist of both 2016 and 2017, but the two new singles do not preview a new album. Instead, they came out as part of the Scary Hours (EP), which Drake dropped as a surprise on January 19th. On “God’s Plan,” Drake congratulates himself on his success (“might go down as G.O.D.”), though he keeps the heat on the haters who are wishing “bad things” on him. On the other hand, “Diplomatic Immunity” provides gossip fodder as @champagnepapi talks about how in 2017 he “lost a J. Lo.” The two were seen cuddling on social media in 2016, but Lopez told Ellen DeGeneres that it was nothing serious. Papi’s comeback is the biggest surprise drop of 2018 so far, let’s see if his singles are a sign of more hits (and more gossip) to come.

Back at #1 @champagnepapi reminds everybody who’s the LeBron of rap

Fall Out Boy Gets Manic

Ever since breaking through in 2005, Fall Out Boy delivered a theatrical version of punk rock. Over the years, Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, and company came to be known for long, ridiculous titles (such as 2007’s “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race“) and goofy, heroic anthems (such as 2015’s “Centuries“). The new album, Mania, offers more of the same as the band is content to jest while the world spins out of control. There are enough random references to make the new album a fun ride. First single “Young And Menace” is not only manic with electronic drops, but also includes a repeated reference to Britney Spears‘s “Oops!…I Did It Again.” Second single “Champion” is an upbeat underdog anthem for the “people who don’t believe in champions.” If you’re looking for the ridiculous title, you will be rewarded “HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T,” an insecure pop ditty complete with whistles.

So has anything changed for @falloutboy since 2005? The answer is yes. The band switches from punk to dance to pop to dancehall-reggaeton (“Sunshine Riptide” ft. Nigeria’s Burna Boy), keeping energy high throughout Mania. The album’s highlight comes in on “Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)” which references the infamous Wilson volleyball from the Tom Hanks film Cast Away and borrows from The Addams Family on the chorus with the line “I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color.” Check out the music video below and see for yourself how the boys from Illinois are still keeping it irreverent: