Okay, I now see why Drake has had so many hits, and why you can't compare his totals to old time acts like the Beatles.

The Billboard Hot 100 is no longer just for singles. It is now for any track, and the biggest part of what determines the chart is streaming services. So when Drake puts an album out, every track on the album is eligible for the Hot 100. So when any big act like that drops a new album loads of people are checking it out and it gets most of all of the songs on that album on to the charts. Sometimes even way up in the top 10 like has happened lately with some acts.

Imagine if that was the system back in the 60s. The Beatles would have had at least twice as many hits as they did have. Every song on Sgt. Pepper, Revolver, Rubber Soul, The White Album etc, would have made the Hot 100. Most of the songs on their albums were never released on singles back then. Things like "Michelle" would have been number one.

So you can't compare the Hot 100 across eras because they have changed the entire chart into something different in recent years.

Thanks for the info. I wondered that recently when Taylor Swift had, I think, the whole top 10 for herself, remembering previous records like the Beatles full top 5.

As I've been working on the 90s artist list there are a few artists who I think should be somewhere on here.

Dr. Dre - 237

Red Hot Chili Peppers - 258

Lauryn Hill/Fugees - 262

TLC - 270

Top 300, all time?

For like 125 years of music?

I'll play along. Which 4 acts should be dropped to make room for these all time greats?

300 artists and 125 years (which is 12 decades)

300/12 = 25

I don't think having 4 more artists who's careers peaked in the 90s (there are currently about 8-9 '90s artists on the list by my count) is unreasonable

Anyway the bottom four artists on the list are Blondie, Nas, Hall & Oates and Ed Sheeran. I think Blondie should stay on there since I think they have pretty similar (if not better) credentials compared to Talking Heads so maybe Tennessee Ernie Ford instead (he's the next one up). I'll say the two hip hop artists I suggested adding are both clearly more popular than Nas (I'm comparing them because they are all in the same subgenre of rock) and probably more influential (Dre's definitely more influential imo) and do similarly impact wise.

Dr. Dre and RHCP will go on. The other two are short in my view.

Here is what I sent to Lew:

Lew, 2 changes for the "300 Greatest Popular Artists" list, new entries.

250. Dr. Dre
284. Red Hot Chili Peppers

So Sidney Bechet and Blind Lemon Jefferson drop off.

I see them as the top two artists that I mentioned so I'm cool with that.

Hard to believe she did this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC5hXBt5RIs