It's another big week for JAY-Z, unsurprisingly or nah, as the OG still has the #1 album in America with 4:44. The album sits directly in front of next-generation rapper, Kendrick Lamar, who snagged the #2 spot-- in fact, the top five spots on the Billboard 200 this week all belong to hip-hop artists, as you'll see in more detail below. It is, officially, the new rock after all. Khalid, Bruno Mars, Drake, 2 Chainz and Post Malone all fall in the top 15, making it an overall very strong week for rap-related releases. Without too many other new releases, SZA, Migos, and The Weeknd all hold down territory in the top 25.
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1) JAY-Z — 4:44: JAY-Z is still nestled at #1. Of course, the recently-released 4:44 album has been garnering positive reviews from peers, critics, and fans alike. This week Hov claims 86,529 TAEU and 60,737 sales, giving the album its second week in a row at the top spot.
2) Kendrick Lamar — DAMN.: Kendrick Lamar is back to claim the #2 spot with his latest album DAMN. As Kendrick continues to tour sold-out arenas alongside Travis Scott, D.R.A.M., and YG, he continues to find success on the charts as well. This week Kung Fu Kenny logs 55,588 TAEU and 17,839 sales.
3) French Montana — Jungle Rules: As "Unforgettable" continues to climb the charts, French Montana's new album is positioned nicely in the #3 spot for its relatively strong debut. With 52,066 TAEU and 16,089 sales, French's first-week numbers place him not so far behind Kendrick Lamar.
4) DJ Khaled — Grateful: DJ Khaled's jam-packed, star-studded new album Grateful sits at #4. With Nas, JAY-Z, Beyonce, Drake, Rihanna, and so many more in tow, the Miami mogul puts 43,026 TAEU and 5,613 sales on the board.
5) 21 Savage — Issa Album: After debuting last week at #2, 21 Savage's debut album lands at #5 this time around, rounding out a pretty dope top 5 albums belonging to our hip-hop favorites. With 39,881 TAEU and 6,275 sales, it's not a bad place to be for the young ATLien. We'll have to see how his sales keep up in the long term.
6) Khalid — American Teen: At just 19 years of age, Khalid has been able to capture a huge market with his American Teen release. This week the album is at #9 - that's a couple spots up from #13 last week, despite being on the charts for 20 weeks. Khalid moved another 27,784 TAEU and 3,552 in pure sales.
7) Bruno Mars — 24K Magic: Coming in at the #10 spot is Bruno Mars with 24K Magic. The pop star actually lands one spot higher than last week as he counts 27,651 TAEU an 11,113 sales.
8) Drake — More Life: Following closely behind Bruno Mars, Drizzy locks in at #11. More Life continues to thrive with 27,440 TAEU and 1,050 sales counted towards its success.
9) 2 Chainz — Pretty Girls Like Trap Music: 2 Chainz lands the #13 spot with his newest album Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, which debuted at #2 five weeks ago. The record tallies 25,221 TAEU and 4,614 sales this time around, while the rapper shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to the inventive promotion of the LP.
10) Post Malone — Stoney: Post Malone's debut album, Stoney, is still doing it's thing on the charts. The record has been bouncing around the top 20 since it's release 32 weeks back, settling at #14 this week. This time, the album counts 24,934 TAEU and 1,650 sales.
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Let's run through what's popping off on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. "Despacito" and "Wild Thoughts" stay firmly in their respective #1 and #2 spots, while DJ Khaled's "I'm The One" and Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like" swap #3 and #4 spots, putting Bruno back in the top 3. They're kept company by French Montana's big hit "Unforgettable" at #5. Kendrick Lamar's "HUMBLE." drops down slightly, from #6 to #11. Post Malone, Childish Gambino, Lil Uzi Vert, and Future also all have tracks in the top 20. Calvin Harris' summery "Feels" is climbing thanks in part to its features by Pharrell and Big Sean, while French Montana's "A Lie" and Khalid's "Young Dumb & Broke" make their first appearances higher up in the Hot 100.