Over last weekend, Ben Shapiro, a commentator known for his political barbs, unexpectedly became a number one artist, as he climbed to the pinnacle of the U.S. iTunes charts, surpassing music giants such as Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, and Nicki Minaj.
His collaboration on the track ” Facts” with Tom MacDonald, a rapper known for his independent music career, secured the top position in the hip-hop/rap category. As of press time, the tune has now accrued 11.5 million hits on YouTube since dropping a week ago.
“Facts” is laced with bold lyrics like, “Let’s look at the stats, I’ve got the facts. My money like Lizzo, my pockets are fat.” Celebrating this musical achievement, Shapiro expressed his gratitude on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, thanking God, Tom MacDonald, and his parents for their support, and for funding his 15 years of classical violin lessons, humorously crediting them for his unexpected rise to the top of the rap scene in America.
Interestingly, the song has sparked mutual admiration between Shapiro and Nicki Minaj on social media, with both artists acknowledging each other’s work as they anticipate their entries on the Billboard charts the following week. Shapiro’s collaboration on “Facts” is an overt expression of conservative ideologies, with both him and MacDonald sharing their political perspectives. Within the lyrics, Shapiro directly addresses Minaj, suggesting she could “take some notes” and learn from the track.
MacDonald, with nearly 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube, has videos reaching as many as 42 million views.
First expressing her befuddlement on X at the success of the song, Minaj later showed support for Shapiro’s musical venture, describing “Facts” as “not bad” and lauding the duo for their achievement in topping the iTunes chart. She continued her commendation of Shapiro, hinting at the impactful message of the song in a subsequent tweet.
Shapiro, in turn, has not held back in his praise for Minaj, labeling her the “Queen of Rap” and expressing his delight at sharing the chart’s summit with her tune “Big Foot.”
In his political commentary show on Daily Wire, Shapiro has popularized the phrase “facts don’t care about your feelings,” and he wears a sweatshirt with those words in the video.
