What an absolutely bonkers week for music releases. While it's exciting for us listeners who get to consume a variety of new tunes, the artists that dropped projects might be feeling a tad competitive. On our radar, we have Lil Uzi Vert's Eternal Atake, Megan Thee Stallion's Suga and Jhene Aiko's Chilombo to consider.
This week saw two major projects' release dates being announced on short notice, a move that could either be risky or favourable in terms of album sales. Amid a highly-publicized legal dispute with her record label, Megan Thee Stallion revealed on Wednesday (Mar. 4) that her debut album, Suga, would be arriving on Friday. According to Hits Daily Double, Suga is projected to move 35-40k album-equivalent units, which would mark Meg's biggest debut to date.
Jhene Aiko had a high chance of securing a No. 1 album before Uzi swept in with the surprise release of his long-awaited sophomore album. Chilombo is projected to pull in 95-120k album-equivalent units, which could have beat out the K-pop group NCT 127's Neo Zone - The 2nd Album (70-80k). However, Eternal Atake is heading for 275-325k, which is a wildly impressive debut when you consider that he announced the project would be releasing that day mere minutes before it appeared on streaming services. With these numbers, Uzi looks like a safe bet to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
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Uzi's sales aren't just huge in the context of this week, but also when you consider album performances in 2020 so far. Eternal Atake may surpass Eminem's Music To Be Murdered By, which currently holds the title for second-biggest debut week of the year with 279k equivalent units (BTS' Map of the Soul: 7 sits at No. 1 with 422k). If Uzi lands in the upper region of his estimated range, he could achieve a major milestone in his career and potentially send a message about album promotion tactics.