IS THE DRAKE STIMULUS PACKAGE DEAD

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]The Drake stimulus package is still alive. Whether it's giving out a feature or whether it's an album placement, Drake has had the ability to change artists lives overnight for over a decade. Although some media members have said things like this, Drake has given us so much music that I don't know if he has another gear.

[00:00:17]>> You know what I'm saying? Like we know we know Kendrick has another gear. He shows us that with every project. Drake has given us so much. I don't know if he has another gear. So therefore, I'm not looking forward to anything.

[00:00:28]>> Let me ask y a question. Are we still in the Drake era or this?

[00:00:31]>> Drake, don't shoot at me now that you ice cold.

[00:00:36]I'm not doing a back and forth with a corpse.

[00:00:40]>> It is very clear that Drake's career is alive and well. And not only is his career thriving, it's his ability to create and shed a spotlight on others to enhance their careers and take them to newer heights. But before we get into any of the details, we have to define what the Drake stimulus package actually is. For years, Drake was able to help artists find Billboard success. But what does that success actually look like? We can look at artists such as Two Chains, 21 Savage, ASAP Rocky, or even his now enemy Rick Ross. The three highest charting songs that Rick Ross has on the Billboard Hot 100 have one thing in common. It is that Drake is on the song.

[00:01:20]And then we can look at Atlanta artists like the Migos, Lil Baby, Gunner, Young Thug, Future, 21 Savage. It would be disingenuous of me to say that Drake only helped them. This was a two-way street. He also benefited from working with them. But when it comes down to Billboard success and mainstream staying power, those artists greatly benefited from working with Drake. I mean, this is the perfect example of the stimulus package. Drake is able to inject these artists into the mainstream, which is important for multiple reasons. We can start at the micro level and work our way up to the macro level. At the micro level, just for the artist, being in the mainstream creates more revenue and more sustainability. It requires the label to invest in someone who has motion, who is in front of people and who people want to see more of. We can expand out past the individual artist and then talk about how making money enables them to put money in their family's pockets and not just their family, put money back in the streets, right? And a part of putting money back in the streets, I know people always want to go to the negative, but there's a lot of positive that comes with that. I don't know how old some of you are, but there used to be things called a street team. And a street team would be gorilla marketing.

[00:02:28]When I was a kid, I would pass out flyers for Hot 97 and get paid. When dipet was popping in Harlem, I was passing out dipset shirts and bandanas all over Harlem. And we were getting paid as kids. Then if you zoom out even more, hip-hop does not become mainstream unless it shows that it can be profitable. But why is that important?

[00:02:47]Again, it's the idea of representation.

[00:02:50]When you turned on your TV this year or last year and saw Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, or Beyonce performing at the Super Bowl, do you know how many millions of people are influenced?

[00:02:59]Millions of children are influenced and seeing someone like them portrayed on the biggest stage in sports. That is important and that's something you cannot even measure. So when I talk about putting artists on the Billboard charts, that's one way to look at it.

[00:03:11]But when you look at all the multiaceted ways that that improves the lives of not one person but thousands or millions of people, you will understand why hip-hop being mainstream helps everyone. If you go back to the origins of hip-hop, some of the earliest songs or people are describing the things that are going on in the neighborhoods, right? How do you fix a lot of those problems? A lot of them are socioeconomic. And when you have the ability to lift people out of poverty because you make more money, it is immeasurable how important it is. I'm going to restress the importance of the Drake stimulus package. I'm going to put this graphic up on the screen so you can see because I believe in presenting facts, right? So, I'm just going to look at 32 artists. 18 of these artists have never charted before working with Drake, right? Six of them have had multiple assists. That means multiple hits reach the top 10 or top 20. And six of them have also been on multiart songs. So, I'm talking about multiple collaborations. When you look at these 32 artists, their career has elevated immensely because they have worked with Drake. And then you can look at the assist per year of how often and how frequent he works with someone. So, I'm going to dispel a lot of rumors right now. Let's start with rumor number one.

[00:04:21]Drake never put anybody on. With as many people that have many things to say about Party Next Door, Party Nextdoor had a monster year last year. In fact, it was the best year of his career. And a lot of that came with working with Drake on their song on their album Some Sexy Songs for you. Party Next Door got his first number one album and multiple top 10 hits and multiple top 21 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Now, if you want to only look at the numbers and say, "Yeah, this is Drake's impact." That's great. But it also goes beyond just what you can see on the numbers. It also goes with relationships. As we know, Party Next Door is a prolific writer and has worked with some of the best in the game. Don't you think that the relationship that Drake has had with artists like Rihanna have helped Party Next Door get in some of those rooms?

[00:05:06]Absolutely. Could Party have done it himself? He probably could have. But don't you think being backed by one of the biggest or if not the biggest artist in the world has made navigating a lot of these deals and these relationships easier? I believe so. Now, trust me, I'm going to show you why the Simulus package isn't dead yet. But if you don't believe me, I want you to listen to a few artists so you can hear how they describe the impact because it's much better to get this firsthand evidence rather than just listen to it than I had 6 months ago with a whole another demographic, you know, of people listening to my music. Definitely going to capitalize off that. Shout out to Drake.

[00:05:42]>> 6 months ago, he put me in front of a whole new audience that had never heard my music and I'm going to capitalize off of that. Let's listen to someone else.

[00:05:51]Most people got a big homie who sold platinum artist. I mean that sold platinum records that have other platinum artists and gave him that stamp and that cosign and you know help push them. We came out when I came out was me.

[00:06:03]>> I didn't I didn't have no you know I didn't have no big homie to be like you know yo this how we going to do this or you going to open up at this show. I'm the only person that put on for me when I ain't have nobody was Drake. I'm talking about Drake was the first person to put on like before anybody. He didn't want to sign me. He didn't want It was like, "Yo, that's raw talent, yo. Like, you got to shine. Yo, I'm I'mma see to it." Not only is the stimulus package putting someone on the biggest stages, it's also speaking belief into them. But enough about the past. You want to talk about the present. Does Drake still have it? And you better believe that the answer is yes. Let's start by looking at Molly Santana, who was featured on his new album Iceman on the track Ran to Atlanta, which is obviously a play on Kendrick Lamar's song Not Like Us. Now, Molly Santana, ironically, is from Los Angeles. But let's look at the data here. Molly Santana's monthly listeners jumped from 568,000 all the way up to 10 million in less than a week. Okay, I want you to think about that. 500,000 monthly listeners have now shot to 10 million. And those monthly listeners are now fans. they will stay with you and grow over time.

[00:07:14]This is amazing growth and this is what happens when you're just on one record for about 45 seconds. She's a dope artist. If you look at her look, you can tell that she's already influencing people. So, what Drake is doing is now just shining the biggest spotlight that you can get in hip-hop on her and helping her elevate to the next level.

[00:07:30]My bad. Y'all want to talk about the charts because this is the new Drake, right? By the time you watch this video, Molly Santana will either have A, her first number one single ever, or B, her first number two single ever, depending on where things land. But there is no doubt about it. There is no way to twist this fact or misconrue it. The Drake stimulus package is alive. Once you get on that record, you're going to the moon. I can hear some people talking already. You're getting ready to say something. Don't worry, I got you.

[00:07:57]You're about to say, "But what about the artist on his label? What about OVO?

[00:08:01]What are they doing?" Let's talk about one of their newest signes, Pimmy. And we'll get to the other new signes, too.

[00:08:07]Less than 300,000 monthly listeners on Spotify again. And after working with Drake, that number shot to about 5 and a half million. Her Instagram followers 100xed within a few days. Pimmy put out an EP that was fire and is performing well, and she's finding her footing in the industry. There's no doubt about it.

[00:08:26]And we're also not only going to talk about what happens with the artists.

[00:08:29]There are a number of producers who also shot to the moon because they worked with Drake. Let's look at two of them.

[00:08:35]Three names, Overcast, Carrie, and Pilo, right? These are Bay Area producers. And Carrie's also an artist. He signed actually to Chub's label, and he's making noise right now. He makes some dope music. Really melodic R&B. Now, listen, I'm from New York City. What I know about the Bay Area is minimal. I'm the probably the biggest Steph Curry fan in the world. So, there goes that. But when it comes to the music, I know Mac Dre. I know the sound when I hear it, right? I understand it. But learning about the culture now because these artists are working with Drake or these producers are working for Drake. If it's highlighting something to me, who's someone who's actively listening to music and trying to learn about the industry as I create content about it, imagine what it is to the people who have never heard of it. So, these artists have now been featured on Complex this week with Jordan Rose, been covered by a bunch of magazines, radio stations, talking about what it was like to produce the record and how it's making impacts across the entire country and even the world. been like, "Oh, like Drake hasn't done anything for the Bay."

[00:09:30]But you're obviously from the Bay and you produced with him before, >> literally. Yeah.

[00:09:36]>> What are your thoughts when you to those comments?

[00:09:39]>> I think the Bay Area, we're very protective, >> you know what I mean? Like we want to protect the [ __ ] out of like, >> you know what I mean? Y'all y'all [ __ ] can't, you know what I mean? And I think sometimes that like gets us in trouble >> and sometimes it helps us cuz then [ __ ] like, you know, I'm not going to So, as all of this shows you, it's not just a producer getting shine. It's not just an artist getting shine or a Billboard hit. It goes much deeper than that. And what I want to show you is what Drake is doing as an artist just rapping or singing or being melodic is one thing, but what he's doing as an ANR and putting his ear to the streets and seeing who's bubbling and shining a light on them to take them to the next level, that is what's even more powerful. But again, if you don't want to take my word from it, there are experts that you can point to and listen to who might display a similar message.

[00:10:27]>> And made of honor is more life >> in the sense of >> okay, >> let me let me take >> broadest possible pallet, >> right? Influences from a bunch of different places, >> underground, producers, sounds, guests.

[00:10:44]I do think it's very notable that throughout all three of these albums, Drake is doing again reminding us what we've loved most about him. He's playing talent scout outside of Future and Sexy Red, though she's on the bubble and 21 Savage who has one line repeated over and over again. No verse. Y >> every other guest and a large number of the producers on here are relatively up and coming or underground. And that is something that Drake has again always, I think, prided himself on. And when you saw what Kendrick was doing on GNX by putting on a couple smaller guys, I think took that as a challenge to be like, "No, no, I'm the ANR of our time."

[00:11:25]Like, I'm I have the eye. This is just me showing you that it's a little bit deeper than rap. When people use the word stimulus package, they usually talk only about Billboard, but they also don't talk about what it means outside of music. For example, Drake is responsible for up to 5% of Toronto's economy, right? When it comes to tourists, the restaurants they want to go to, the sites that they want to see, even driving past his home, which is available on Google Maps, he means something to the city and to the country as a whole. When you hear the song National Treasure, yes, it's a catchy title, but it also means something because he in fact is a national treasure. And I know what you're going to say in the comments. Oh, you're a Drake Glazer. Listen, I'm from an era where we don't even throw words like that around. But if that's what y'all say these days, call it what you want.

[00:12:08]I'm just calling it giving you the factual information. When I go on YouTube and I look at videos, it's like hate after hate after hate after hate after hate, regurgitating the same lie.

[00:12:18]I'm presenting to you factual information. Not only does Drake stimulate the economy, it's also important to understand is what happens when the stimulus is gone. And the example we're going to talk about here is DJ Khaled. You remember DJ Khaled announced he has two Drake singles on the album or two Drake songs and Drake commented it must be Drake Bell and that relationship has never been the same since. And what effect has that had on Khaled? He put out a bunch of records that did absolutely nothing. They went like double concrete terrible. And I also think it affected Khaled's marketing budget cuz remember as I told you in the beginning of the video, when you can go to the label and say, "Hey, I have a feature from the biggest rapper."

[00:12:58]That allows the label to say, "Okay, here's more marketing money because we know the song is going to perform well."

[00:13:02]But when you don't have a record that you promised, why would the label continue to invest heavily in you? It's just business. You see, the Drake stimulus is alive. And the absence of the Drake stimulus is a is felt all throughout the industry in hiphop as a whole. And that's what we saw over the last 2 years. But you can rest easy now.

[00:13:21]Iceman is here. A lot of people will be crying, whining, and complaining. And don't worry, I have a video for all of them who have hated over the past 2 years. And I say hate specifically because it was if it was just opinion, I would have nothing to say. If it was just people saying, "Hey, here's my critique." I would have nothing to say.

[00:13:39]But it has just crossed such a line that I have to say something because it's just false information and allegations being perpetuated throughout the internet and it's caused mass group think. So for those of you that stuck around to the end of the video, thank you. For those of you who can think for your own and take in factual information or take in my opinion and debate me in a respectful way, I want to thank you as well because I'm not here for you to agree with me. I'm here to present information and hear what you think. So make sure you leave a comment below.

[00:14:06]Make sure you like the video, subscribe to the channel, and hype it to get into the algorithm. I go by the name Jay Robuck, and on this channel, we don't just talk about music, we talk about the business of music. I want to thank you all again, and until the next video, salute.