On the Charts: Eminem’s ‘Revival’ Opens at Number One
Eminem claimed his eighth Number One album as Revival topped the Billboard 200 in its debut week.
The rapper’s latest LP, his first album since 2013’s The Marshall Mathers LP 2, opened with 267,000 total copies in its first week of release, with 197,000 of that total culled from traditional album sales.
Although that total marked the third-best first-week tally for a hip-hop album in 2017 – behind Kendrick Lamar’s Damn. and Drake’s More Life – it was a significant drop from the first week sales for The Marshall Mathers LP 2, which opened with 792,000 copies four years ago, Billboard reports.
Every Eminem album since 2000’s The Marshall Mathers LP, as well as his Curtain Call greatest hits collection in 2005, has topped the Billboard 200. Eminem remains six Number Ones behind Jay-Z current Billboard 200 record of 14, although that tally does not include the rapper’s 8 Mile soundtrack, which also reached Number One in 2002.
Two more hip-hop releases entered the Top 10 this week, with G-Eazy tying his personal chart best of Number Three with The Beautiful & Damned, which sold 122,000 total copies in its first week of availability. Jeezy’s Pressure opened at Number Six, the rapper’s ninth Top 10 release.
Returnees occupied the rest of the Top 10, with Taylor Swift’s Reputation leading the final pre-Christmas sales rush at Number Two with another 133,000 copies, raising its grand total to over 1.8 million. Ed Sheeran’s Divide placed Number Four, ahead of Pentatonix’s A Pentatonix Christmas (Number Five) and Sam Smith’s The Thrill of It All (Number Seven).
Three country LPs closed out the Top 10: Last week’s winner Luke Bryan and his What Makes You Country at Number Eight, Garth Brooks’ The Anthology: Part I, The First Five Years at Number Nine and Chris Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 2 at Number 10.
Next week’s Top 10 should remain relatively the same, with only The Greatest Showman soundtrack and Travis Scott and Quavo’s joint Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho potentially making the upper tier.