Lil Wayne has surpassed Elvis Presley to earn the record for most Billboard Hot 100 hits for a male artist. And though he had to beat the King of Rock and Roll to earn it, the accolade is not as significant as it seems.
The Billboard Hot 100 chart is the US standard for the popularity of music singles, assessed by the amount of radio plays and sales a track gets in a week. But it only debuted in 1958, when Presley's career was well under way.
The only other artist to have more appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart is the overall record holder, the cast of Glee. Each weekly televised episode of the show presents an opportunity for the group to release several singles, something their competition cannot do.
Since 2009, Glee has had 204 singles on the list, more than double the amount of the fourth-ranked Godfather of Soul James Brown, who had 91 chart hits.
Celebration by the Game is the track that gave Lil Wayne his record-setting 109th chart appearance. It's the Game's song, with Lil Wayne appearing as a featured rapper alongside Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa.
Of his 109 'top 100' tracks, Lil Wayne is the lead for 47 of the songs and the featured performer in 67. His numerous appearances on the hot 100 list give more credit to the rapper's ability to rap with other people, not independently.
Then there is Elvis – the icon of American rock and roll.
Had the Billboard Hot 100 existed when Presley began his career, it's unlikely Lil Wayne would have surpassed him. Had it begun earlier, experts estimate Elvis would have put 31 more songs into the charts, including Hound Dog, Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel.
Though the record is of minor significance, it's part of an exciting week for the rapper, who celebrates his 30th birthday today.
TMZ released a video on Tuesday from Lil Wayne's deposition in his suit against Quincy Jones for the alleged unauthorized use of two of Lil Wayne's songs in a documentary about the rapper.
In the deposition, Lil Wayne claimed he couldn't remember most of the events he was asked about and said: "I don't know, but I do know that I performed at this bad ass bitch birthday recently. She was crazy, stupid thick." The video went viral almost instantly.
On Wednesday, he opened a skate park in his New Orleans hometown. Lil Wayne told the Associated Press he started skateboarding a year and a half ago.
