Chart Beat Podcast: Is It 'God's Plan' for Drake to Be No. 1 Long-Term on the Hot 100?

2/8/2018 by Gary Trust , Trevor Anderson

Michael Campanella/Getty Images

Drake performs at the Ericsson Globe Arena during the Boy Meets World Tour on March 4, 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden.

A look at the potential further domination of the streaming giant. Plus, Yael & Dave Penn of Hit Songs Deconstructed begin a two-part look at the trends that defined 2017's biggest hits.

Welcome to the Billboard Chart Beat Podcast, where each week co-hosts Gary Trust and Trevor Anderson, from the Billboard charts department, discuss why what's on the charts … is on the charts, while also looking at current chart action in a historical context for even greater insights.

This week, Gary and Trevor predict that Drake could be in for a long run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "God's Plan." In its first two weeks on the chart, both at the summit, the song has logged two of the five-biggest streaming weeks of all time, even gaining to 83.3 million U.S. clicks, according to Nielsen Music, in its second frame.

With airplay kicking in rapidly, and its official video likely on the way, is the song an early contender for one of 2018's biggest year-end hits?

Plus, Yael and Dave Penn of Hit Songs Deconstructed return to the podcast for the first of a two-part look back at the songwriting and production characteristics that defined some of 2017's biggest hits.

Among the key trends of top 10 Hot 100 hits in 2017? As Yael analyzes, more featured artists and songwriters (as well as different labels) in the top 10, amid hip-hop's increased chart command.

"There were seven primary genres in the top 10 of the Hot 100 in 2017," Dave notes. "Hip-hop/rap, pop, R&B/soul, dance club/electronic, rock, Latin and country. The big gainer, by far, increasing in prominence to 33 percent of songs in 2017, was hip-hop. It beat out pop as the most popular primary genre for the first time."

Meanwhile, thanks to Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road," Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" and J Balvin and Willy William's "Mi Gente," country and Latin returned to the top 10 in 2017, Latin "due in part to [those songs'] high-profile featured artists Justin Bieber and Beyoncé."

Enjoy the entire latest Chart Beat Podcast and check back for more upcoming episodes with artists, label executives, radio programmers and personalities, songwriters, producers and more. And, to receive every episode automatically in your inbox, subscribe to (and rate) the Billboard Chart Beat Podcast on iTunes!