Drake’s ‘Some Sexy Songs 4 U’ Faces Underwhelming Sales Amid Kendrick Lamar Rivalry
Drake’s latest album, Some Sexy Songs 4 U, is set to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, but the numbers suggest it’s not the dominant commercial force that fans may have expected. A collaborative effort with PARTYNEXTDOOR, the project is projected to move around 250,000 equivalent units in its first week, according to HITS Daily Double. While this will earn Drake his 14th number-one album—tying him with JAY-Z—it also marks one of the lower first-week sales figures of his career.
The album’s numbers place it ahead of previous Drake releases like So Far Gone (73,000), Care Package (109,000), Honestly, Nevermind (204,000), and Dark Lane Demo Tapes (223,000). However, the sales fall short compared to Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, which opened with 319,000 units last November following the rappers’ highly publicized feud. The narrative surrounding the release is now shifting toward another perceived loss for Drake in their ongoing rivalry.
Some fans have defended the sales figures, pointing out that Some Sexy Songs 4 U was released independently through OVO Sound and Santa Anna rather than Universal Music Group, meaning it lacked the marketing push of previous Drake projects. Still, the album will dethrone GNX, which had returned to number one following Kendrick’s Super Bowl halftime show and a resurgence in physical sales.
Despite the mixed sales reception, Drake’s streaming power remains undeniable. On Spotify, the album racked up 56.6 million first-day streams—the second-biggest debut of the year, only trailing The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow. Over on Apple Music, the project broke the all-time record for the biggest single-day streams for an R&B album. Additionally, Drake briefly surpassed Kendrick for the most single-day Spotify streams by a rapper in 2025, with a total of 92.4 million.
Lyrically, Some Sexy Songs 4 U appears to contain subtle references to his battle with Kendrick, as well as a jab at Joe Budden, with whom Drake has had a turbulent history. While fans were excited for the project’s release, the sales figures have fueled debate over whether Drake is losing ground in his longtime dominance of hip-hop.
With this album now out, attention will turn to what’s next for Drake. Whether he follows up with another solo release or lets this project serve as a bridge to a larger comeback remains to be seen.
