Drake isn’t keeping his opinions to himself when it comes to Billboard’s latest adjustments to the way streaming numbers are calculated for its music charts.
On Tuesday (Nov. 10), the Toronto rapper took to his Instagram Story to respond to news that YouTube streams will once again be included in Billboard’s charts starting in 2027. Drake shared a graphic detailing the decision, which also noted that YouTube had withdrawn its streaming data from Billboard earlier this year.
“Wtf this game so cooked,” he wrote.
Drake’s response came a day after Billboard revealed changes to how paid and ad-supported streams are calculated toward album sales equivalents on the Billboard 200 and its genre-specific album charts.
With the updated system, the ratio between paid and free streams will shift from 2.5-to-1 to 1.5-to-1, giving ad-supported streams greater influence when determining chart positions.
Under the new formula, 1,500 ad-supported streams will now equal one album unit, down from the previous requirement of 2,500. Paid streams will remain at 1,000 per album unit, while traditional album and track sales will not be affected.
The adjustments follow Billboard’s annual assessment of digital music consumption in partnership with its data provider, Luminate.
The announcement also led YouTube to reconsider its decision to stop sharing streaming data with Billboard. In a statement on Monday (Nov. 9), YouTube’s global head of music, Lyor Cohen, confirmed that the platform would begin submitting its streaming figures again next year.
“We are returning to the Billboard charts starting in 2027. Billboard’s new methodology better reflects how fans engage with music today across both subscription and ad-supported services,” Cohen said.
YouTube had previously withdrawn its data in January 2026 following disagreements over how Billboard weighed free streams against paid subscriptions.
The platform argued that the previous chart formula failed to accurately reflect how audiences consume music.
Although Drake didn’t seem impressed by the latest changes, several other figures in the music industry welcomed the decision. Audiomack executive Brian Zisook applauded the adjustment, noting that it could give genres with large audiences on free streaming platforms better chart representation.
“With this change, ad-supported consumption on DSPs will carry significantly more weight, leading to greater representation for hip-hop and Latin on the Billboard charts. Long overdue!” he said.
This isn’t the first time Drake has spoken out against Billboard’s chart rules.
In July 2025, after his single “What Did I Miss?” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, the rapper shared a message suggesting that changes to the chart rules wouldn’t prevent him from eventually claiming the top spot.
“Suppressor on the 1 spot. I’m taking that soon don’t worry one song or another. Rule changes and all,” Drake wrote at the time.
The revised streaming formula will officially take effect during the first tracking week of 2027, which runs from Jan. 1 through Jan. 7.
The Billboard 200 dated Jan. 16, 2027, will be the first album chart to include YouTube’s returning streaming data.
