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.
Read More: 21 Savage “American Dream” Review
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.