Drake blocks himself on Rhythmic Airplay

Drake spent July 9 blocking himself from another radio No. 1. Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart showed “Janice STFU” holding at No. 1 while “2 Hard 4 the Radio” rose to No. 2, leaving the rapper with control of the chart’s top two positions. Forbes reported the update on Thursday, describing the one-slot separation as the latest case of one Drake single preventing another from reaching the summit. (forbes.com) The chart traffic reflects how much of Drake’s current run is being driven by radio as well as streaming. “Janice STFU” had already reached No. 1 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart in late June, and “2 Hard 4 the Radio” had separately become Drake’s 100th career entry on Billboard’s all-format Radio Songs chart earlier in the cycle. (billboard.com) ### How did Drake end up blocking himself? Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay ranking measures performance on U.S. rhythmic radio stations, and this week both of Drake’s promoted singles were clustered at the top. “Janice STFU” stayed in first place for a second week, while “2 Hard 4 the Radio” climbed into the runner-up spot. (forbes.com) Forbes framed that as Drake “blocking himself” because the only song standing between “2 Hard 4 the Radio” and No. 1 was another Drake song. The setup is unusual but not unprecedented for major pop and rap acts with multiple singles in heavy rotation at once. (headlineplanet.com) ### Why are these two songs competing at the same time? “Janice STFU” and “2 Hard 4 the Radio” were both sent to U.S. rhythmic contemporary radio on May 19 as dual singles from Drake’s album *Iceman*, according to chart-related coverage surfaced in search results. (forbes.com) That meant programmers were adding and testing two Drake records in the same format at the same time. That dual-single strategy helps explain the chart pileup. Instead of one track clearing the field before a follow-up arrives, both songs have been building audience at the same time, with “Janice STFU” getting there first and “2 Hard 4 the Radio” now chasing it. (forbes.com) ### Is this part of a bigger Drake chart run? “Janice STFU” has been one of Drake’s biggest 2026 records across multiple Billboard rankings. Billboard reported last month that the song debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, giving Drake his 14th career leader there and breaking a tie with Michael Jackson for the most Hot 100 No. 1s among solo male artists. (en.wikipedia.org) “2 Hard 4 the Radio” has had its own radio milestones. Forbes reported in June that the track made Drake the first artist to reach 100 career hits on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart, even before it threatened for the Rhythmic Airplay crown. (headlineplanet.com) ### What should readers watch next? The next Billboard chart update will show whether “2 Hard 4 the Radio” can keep gaining enough spins to replace “Janice STFU” at No. 1. Billboard’s charts page lists the weekly rankings, and Thursday’s report showed the gap had narrowed to a single position. (billboard.com) For now, the immediate fact is simple: Drake has two of the biggest songs at rhythmic radio, and his nearest competition for the top spot is himself. (forbes.com) (billboard.com) (forbes.com)