drake ovo fest 2016

On the song “Mo Milly” by Birdman in 2009, Drake raps “Thank Me Later first week, I’m taking all bets/
Because a million copies isn’t really far-fetched,” referring to his highly-anticipated Thank Me Later debut album that arrived a year later. While it didn’t happen for his first three albums (Thank Me Later, Take Care, Nothing Was the Same), Drake has finally accomplished that feat.

Continue after the jump….

The OVO rapper’s new album VIEWS debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album charts, going platinum in its first week. Released exclusively on Apple Music and iTunes last Friday (Apr. 29), VIEWS sold 852,000 copies hard units through iTunes, breaking the one million mark with streams added making the final total 1.04 million according to Billboard.

“One million sold in one week. I am beyond grateful for this milestone. Thank you for listening. #VIEWS,” said the Canadian superstar in an Instagram post on Friday afternoon (May 6).

VIEWS becomes the first album to sell one million copies though one digital service (Apple Music), as the album was streamed 245.1 million times in the U.S. alone during opening week, shattering the previous streaming record held by Beyoncé’s LEMONADE last week. Drake joins Beyoncé and Justin Bieber as the only artists to have more that 100 million stream of a new album opening week.

Drake’s campaign continues next week as it was just announced on Friday that 29-year-old will appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 12, before hosting and performing on Saturday Night Live two days later on May 14.

Featuring guest appearances from Rihanna, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Future, Pimp C, dvsn, and more, VIEWS is now available on other digital platforms like Amazon, with physical copies also out now.

Previously: Drake to Host & Perform On ‘SNL’ Later This Month