Drake’s Scary Hours EP (January 19, 2018) featured two tracks: “God’s Plan” and “Diplomatic Immunity.” “God’s Plan” became one of the decade’s biggest songs, spending 11 weeks at #1 on Billboard Hot 100 and breaking streaming records.
”God’s Plan” Phenomenon
The song’s simple hook — “God’s plan” — became ubiquitous. Drake’s bars about loyalty, success, and paranoia felt personal. The song debuted at #1, becoming Drake’s fourth chart-topper.
The Music Video
Directed by Karena Evans, the “God’s Plan” video showed Drake giving away the $996,631.90 budget to Miami residents — paying for groceries, college tuition, and giving cash. The philanthropy stunt went viral, earning widespread praise.
Streaming Records
“God’s Plan” set multiple streaming records, including most streams in a single week on Spotify (132.4 million). It validated Drake’s dominance in the streaming era.
Grammy Win
The song won Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the 2019 Grammys. Drake’s acceptance speech (where he said “you’ve already won if you have people singing your songs”) was cut short, sparking controversy.
Sources:
- Billboard Record: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8097851/drake-gods-plan-number-one-hot-100
- Spotify Record: https://newsroom.spotify.com/