The addition of a couple new hip hop albums shakes up the pecking order this week on the Billboard 200 chart. Travis Scott scores his first #1 album with Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, while Isaiah Rashad comes in at #17 with The Sun's Tirade, his first full-length LP. Drake is back in the top 3 with VIEWS, Bryson Tiller celebrates 50 weeks on the chart with TRAPSOUL, and Frank Ocean barely holds onto top 10 placement during Blonde's third week out.
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1) Travis Scott – Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight: Scoring his first #1 album is Travis Scott with Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight. The newest record from Scott features vocals from a host of stars that includes Kendrick Lamar, Andre 3000, & Young Thug, as well as production from the likes of Mike Dean, Cardo, Boi-1da, and TM88. The long wait for the Rodeo follow up created enough buzz to generate 87,972 TAEU and 52,577 pure sales for the Texas native.
2) Drake – VIEWS: Drake is up one spot from last week, coming in at #3 with VIEWS. The singer/MC is currently dominating on tour with Future, bringing out unannounced special guests at virtually every stop, and it's translating to success on the charts as well. This time around, he does 60,458 TAEU and 9,483 in sales.
3) Various Artists – Suicide Squad: The Album: With appearances from Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, and many more, the Suicide Squad soundtrack has been able to stick in the top 10 since its release five weeks ago. Claiming 55,377 TAEU and 22,174 in pure sales, the record comes in at #4 this week.
4) Rihanna – ANTI: At #8 it's Rihanna with ANTI, her eighth studio album. This record has been on the charts now for 33 weeks, and it's still hanging out in the top 10, a massive feat. ANTI clocks 30,144 TAEU and 6,107 in pure sales during this sale cycle.
5) Beyonce — LEMONADE: Beyonce's latest record has been bouncing around the top 20 since its release 20 weeks ago. It found its way back into the top 10 recently, spending last week at #7, and this week holds down the #9 spot with 29,991 TAEU and 20,981 in pure sales.
6) Frank Ocean – Blonde: Frank's latest LP debuted at #1 before hitting #5 last week. This time he's at #10 with the long-awaited LP Blonde. The record moves 28,586 TAEU and 15,621 in pure sales in its third week since release.
7) DJ Khaled – Major Key: Major Key is a star-studded affair that features the likes of Nas, Jay Z, Future, Kendrick Lamar, and about four million other rappers. The record also debuted at #1 when it was released six weeks ago, and has since slipped into the #16 spot. With 19,800 TAEU and 4,300 pure sales, Khaled is proving that you can win, even when *they* don't want you to.
8) Isaiah Rashad – The Sun’s Tirade: Top Dawg's Isaiah Rashad released The Sun's Tirade this week, and it comes in at #17 on the Billboard 200. This is the first LP from the Chattanooga MC, who moves 19,481 TAEU and 11,166 pure sales with a really solid debut.
9) Bryson Tiller – Trapsoul: Can you believe it has now been 50 weeks since Bryson Tiller released Trapsoul, the genre-defying LP that has catapulted him into superstardom? The record peaked at #8, but hasn't slipped to far in the year since. It shows up in the #20 spot this time around. With 16,659 TAEU and 4,782 in pure sales, the Louisville star is clearly doing something right.
10) Kanye West – The Life of Pablo: The Saint Pablo Tour is underway, and Kanye West is floating on stages across America playing tracks from his latest LP and more. The Life of Pablo, the sort of polarizing LP we've come to expect from Kanye in this decade clocks 16,562 TAEU and no sales this time around.
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Once again The Chainsmokers hold down the #1 spot with "Closer," with Twenty One Pilots and then Major Lazer/MØ/Justin Bieber coming in directly behind them. D.R.A.M.'s infectious hit "Broccoli" featuring Lil Yachty continues to climb the charts, reaching the highest position it has been in this week at #14. Kendrick has a couple of new features that placed on the chart this week: "The Greatest" with Sia and "Goosebumps" with Travis Scott. Additionally, Kanye West's "Fade" shows up for the first time on the Billboard Hot 100.