Drake, Post Malone and XXXTentacion are most-streamed artists of 2018 on Spotify

Three North American rappers – Drake, Post Malone and XXXTentacion – have been named as the most streamed artists of the year on Spotify.

Canadian rapper Drake topped the list of total global streams, with his tracks being played 8.2bn times. He had 2018’s most streamed album and track, with Scorpion and God’s Plan respectively. Another track, In My Feelings, which sparked a hugely popular viral dance challenge on social media, was the fifth most streamed.

Twenty-three-year-old Post Malone had two tracks in the Top five, with Rockstar and Psycho at No 3 and No 4, with his album Beerbongs & Bentleys reaching No 2 in the album list. XXXTentacion, who was killed in June aged 20 in a shooting at a motorcycle dealership in Florida, was the third-most streamed artist in the world, with his track Sad! the second-most streamed track, and his album ? rounding out the Top three.

The three artists were also among the five most-streamed artists in the UK, with God’s Plan again the most streamed track.

The data shows how – at least on the streaming service, which skews towards a younger demographic – rap has consolidated itself as the world’s biggest genre. It also marks a shift away from UK artist successes in 2017, when Ed Sheeran was the most popular artist overall, and Coldplay the most popular group. But Sheeran remains massively popular, becoming the fifth most streamed artist globally in 2018, and fourth in the UK. Coldplay remain the fifth most popular band, behind Imagine Dragons, BTS, Maroon 5 and Migos.

The biggest British success story in the list, however, is pop singer Dua Lipa, whose global profile continued to rise following her breakthrough in 2017. Her self-titled album was the fourth most popular globally, and she was the second-most streamed female artist, behind Ariana Grande. Her collaboration with Scottish producer Calvin Harris, One Kiss, came second to God’s Plan in the most streamed tracks in the UK.