The controversial singer proved once again why she is one of the biggest female artists of all time. Specifically, Nicki Minaj surpassed soul singer Aretha Franklin‘s record for the most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a female artist.
Aretha Franklin is a music icon, signed to Columbia in 1961 and the label steered her career toward jazz, although she was not destined to follow that path. The Billboard chart held Franklin with a record for nearly 40 years, since June 18, 1977, which has lasted to this day.
Minaj has surpassed the successes of Franklin, of whom she says, “It’s no secret that she’s an icon, an icon among all icons.” Nicki Minaj has declared herself quite the fan of the soul singer. “I don’t know anybody that she hasn’t inspired”, she said after Franklin’s farewell.
Since first appearing on the Billboard Hot 100 chart via Lil Wayne’s “Knockout” in February 2010, it only took Nicki seven years to rise to the top spots. Currently, “Say So” with Doja Cat and “Trollz” with 6ix9ine are the most played hits on this list of major artists.
However, Nicki has had a very strong rival on this list. Someone with whom she does not usually get along well and has had many controversies over the years. Taylor Swift, the most followed pop singer on instagram despite not reaching the high positions as Nicki did get more entries from her. 165 posts as opposed to Nicki’s 119. What is clear is that it seems that hip hop reigns supreme on these lists.
Víctor Andrés