Take a look at any list of really popular music, and you’ll probably see some songs “featuring” one artist or another.
The featured artist phenomenon is real — and increasingly common, as artists cross-pollenating their talents and fan bases by appearing on each other’s tracks.
Drake is featured on so many artists’ tracks, and to such well-deserved acclaim, that the term “The Drake Effect” has entered the lexicon to describe how his presence as a featured artist boosts listening.
Data publication FiveThirtyEight wondered: How significant is The Drake Effect, really?
Spotify data analyst and Spotify Insights contributor Jomar Perez worked with FiveThirtyEight‘s Allison McCann to answer this question. Here’s what they found.