Drake secures his spot as Apple Music’s most-streamed artist of 2025, while Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us” takes the title as the platform’s most-streamed rap song for the second year in a row.
Apple Music announced on Tuesday that the Toronto rapper earned the streaming service’s top artist ranking, thanks to his February collaboration with PartyNextDoor “Some sexy Songs 4 U” and tracks from his upcoming “Iceman” album.
Lamar’s Drake-targeted track maintains its dominance in the hip-hop category, marking the first time any rap song has topped the genre for multiple years on Apple Music, the platform’s “’25 Replay” data shows.
Despite Rosé and Bruno Mars’ “APT,” “Not Like Us” still became the most played rap song in the world in 2025. It holds the number one spot in all genres.
The competing chart positions underscore the complex ramifications of hip-hop’s most publicized battle in recent years.
The conflict erupted in 2024, with multiple diss tracks exchanged between the artists, culminating in Not Like Us becoming a cultural phenomenon that transcended music. Kendrick Lamar’s songs won five Grammy Awards in February 2025, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year, the award show’s most prestigious honors.
The Compton rapper attributed his record of the year victory to “culture” during his acceptance speech. Drake eventually filed a legal response against the track, claiming he had been unfairly labeled a pedophile, damaging his reputation and putting his life in danger.
In October 2025, a federal judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, rejecting claims that the label knowingly promoted false claims about him on “Not Like Us.”
The Apple Music recognition caps off a banner year that saw both artists achieve major milestones. Several of Drake’s songs have been certified diamond by the RIAA, while Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album GNX sold more than 2 million copies within weeks of its release in November.
Drake’s streaming dominance comes as he prepares to release Iceman, his first full studio album since the height of his feud.
