Much has been made over the lack of any number-one rap albums through the entire first half of 2023. Now another one of the strongest contenders has fallen short. Young Thug's newest album Business Is Business was initially expected to sell 110k copies in its first week. That was enough to compete with Morgan Wallen's One Thing At A Time which has now ruled the chart for 15 weeks. An updated projection dropped the album down to around 87k and it ultimately ended up selling 89k.
Business Is Business became the second rap album to debut at number two this year after Lil Durk's Almost Healed. Both records were held off by Morgan Wallen whose massive new country album has been at the top spot for over half the year so far. Wallen has also had a stranglehold on the top spot of the Hot 100. Just like the Billboard 200, the Hot 100 hasn't been topped by any rap music so far this year. Drake's song "Search & Rescue" debuted at number two but was held off the top spot by Morgan Wallen's mega-hit "Last Night."
Young Thug Debuts At Number 2
Many comparisons have been made between Young Thug's new album and Gunna's that preceded it by a week. While Gunna debuted at #3 the two albums sold very similar figures in their first week. While Gunna has a song debut in the top 20 of the Hot 100 it's yet to be seen if Thugger has similar individual song success. The best candidate is likely the track "Oh U Went" featuring Drake. Drake was already spotted filming a music video for the song last week.
Sales aren't the only way that Young Thug and Gunna's albums are being compared. Many are also debating over the quality of the albums with the aim to determine which one is better. Joe Budden chimed in last week when he said he preferred Gunna's new album not only to Young Thug's but also Lil Durk's. What do you think of Young Thug's first-week sales? Let us know in the comment section below.
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