21 Savage "American Dream" First Week Sales Are Here

BYGabriel Bras Nevares4.5K Views
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2022 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 2
INDIO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 16: 21 Savage performs at the Sahara Tent at 2022 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival weekend 1 - day 2 on April 16, 2022 in Indio, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella)
The Slaughter Gang head honcho's recently released studio album is right up there with "i am > i was" for his biggest solo debut.

21 Savage is back like he never left on his new album american dream, at least when it comes to his newest solo effort's first-week sales. Moreover, new reports online indicate that the project sold 131K album-equivalent units in its first week, landing it at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. As such, fans may notice that these are the exact same sales numbers that his previous solo studio LP, i am > i was, sold in its first week over five years ago. Perhaps listeners and the media will portray this as a disappointment, but it's more indicative of 21's consistency quality and exposure-wise since 2018.

Furthermore, it's nonetheless great to see that this album connected with a lot of people, both casual fans and die-hards alike. If you've been on hip-hop Twitter at all for the past couple of years, you know that some listeners have strong 21 Savage fatigue. This is because of his prolific features, collaborative full-lengths, and a firm adherence to the style that he's most known for. But the "née-nah" MC still proves on this album that he can evolve, and we'll see whether any track from it becomes a particular hit.

21 Savage's american dream Sells 131K First Week

On that last point, it feels like american dream is much more of an album experience, similar to i am > i was. At least that tracklist had the massive hit "a lot," whereas this new album doesn't have that stellar standout commercially and critically... yet. After all, cuts like "redrum" could easily gain more steam as the year draws on, as the current era's focus on virality means that release dates don't matter when determining the hottest tracks today. Either way, 21 Savage should be very proud of what he and his team accomplished here, and these numbers show the fruits of their labor.

Meanwhile, with the Slaughter Gang boss' biopic on the horizon (if it wasn't just a rollout facade), this is another factor that could extend american dream's shelf life. No matter what you think about these numbers, one thing is for sure. It's great to have hip-hop succeeding and impressing early in 2024, and setting up that momentum for the rest of the year. On that note, log back into HNHH for the latest news and updates on 21 Savage.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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