Drake's VIEWS became the most recent album to achieve the rare feat of selling 1 million copies in one week, an accomplishment it shares with only 20 other albums (recorded by Neilsen Soundscan), and even fewer hip-hop releases. Today, we've decided to look back at the small selection of rap and R&B that has reached this milestone.
If you were following music during the release of any of these albums, if nothing else, you'll remember the spectacle of their arrival. Click through the gallery to see the specific stats of each album. Note that Drake's LP is the first of these releases to include streams in its numbers.
Whitney Houston- The Bodyguard OST
Whitney Houston/Various Artists- OST (1992)
Units sold in week of January 9, 1993: 1,061,000 (Week 5)
RIAA certification to date: Diamond (17x Platinum)
The Bodyguard soundtrack was the very first album to sell more than one million units in a one week span, as verified by Nielsen Soundscan, a system implemented in 1991. However, it was only in its fourth week that it broke the previously held record by Guns N Roses' Use Your Illusion II, selling 831,000 in one week, and in its 5th week, broke the million mark with 1,061,000 units. It spent 20 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart; a record held until 2012 when Adele's 21 eclipsed the record at 24 non-consecutive weeks.
Eminem- The Marshall Mathers LP
Eminem- The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
Units sold in week of May 3, 2000: 1,760,000 (Week 1)
RIAA certification to date: Diamond (10x Platinum)
With its first week sales, The Marshall Mathers LP became not only the fastest selling studio album for a rapper, but a solo artist, until the record was overtaken by Adele (a familiar story at this point) in 2015, when she sold 2.43 million units of her third studio album, 25. At the time, it beat out Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle for the record.
Eminem- The Eminem Show
Eminem- The Eminem Show (2002)
Units sold in week of June 15, 2002: 1,322,000 (Week 2)
RIAA certification to date: Diamond (10x Platinum)
The Eminem Show was Eminem's second consecutive album to sell one million copies in a week, making him the third act to do so (The Backstreet Boys and NSync each accomplished this feat), and fourth overall (Taylor Swift has now done this THREE times). It sold one million copies in its second week rather than its first, as some copies were sold prematurely and only allowed for a day and a half of sales in its first.
Usher - Confessions
Usher- Confessions (2004)
Units sold in week of March 23, 2004: 1,096,000 (Week 1)
RIAA certification to date: Diamond (10x Platinum)
Usher's fourth studio album gave him the highest ever first week sales for an R&B artist, and became his first album to go number one on the Billboard 200. It spent 9 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the charts, holding the record for the 00s, until Taylor Swift took over with 11 non-consecutive weeks of her sophomore album, Fearless.
50 Cent- The Massacre
50 Cent- The Massacre (2005)
Units sold in week of March 3, 2005: 1,140,000 (Week 1)
RIAA certification to date: 5x Platinum
50 Cent's The Massacre had the second largest opening week for a rap album, falling behind only Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP. Though it proved to give 50 his biggest initial numbers, it is still his second best-selling album, following his debut Get Rich Or Die Tryin, which has been certified 6 times platinum by the RIAA next to The Massacre's 5.
Lil Wayne- Tha Carter III
Lil Wayne- Tha Carter III (2008)
Units sold in week of June 10, 2008: 1,005,545 (Week 1)
RIAA certification to date: 3x Platinum
Lil Wayne's Carter III was the best-selling album of 2008, selling approximately 2.88 million copies from June to December. It was his first #1 on the Billboard albums chart, but would not be his last, with both Tha Carter IV and I Am Not A Human Being later sharing the same honor. C4 came dangerously close to becoming Wayne's second album to break the million mark in one week, peaking at 964,000.
Drake- Views
Drake- VIEWS (2016)
Units sold in week of April 29, 2016: 1,040,000 million (852,000 excluding streams) (Week 1)
RIAA certification to date: N/A
Drake's VIEWS is the first rap album to eclipse one million units in a week in the streaming era, breaking the record for most album streams in a single week at 245.1 million, besting Justin Bieber's Purpose. While Billboard has shared its numbers, the RIAA has yet to certify the album as platinum. Will it reach diamond status like many of the other albums on this list? Let us know in the comments below.