On the Charts: Jay-Z’s ‘4:44’ Number One Again
Jay-Z notched his second consecutive week atop the Billboard 200 as the rapper’s 4:44 sold 87,000 total copies in its second week of chart eligibility.
4:44 easily held onto Number One in a week where the album faced very little competition in terms of new releases: French Montana‘s Jungle Rules was the lone new release this week to crack the Top 10, finishing at Number Three and 52,000 total copies, of which only 16,000 were traditional sales, Billboard reports.
The rest of the Top 10 was all returnees, with Kendrick Lamar’s Damn. leading the way at Number Two; since Lamar’s latest LP was released in mid-April, 14 weeks ago, Damn. hasn’t dropped lower than Number Three on the Billboard 200.
All five albums in the Top Five were hip-hop releases as DJ Khaled’s Grateful claimed Number Four and 21 Savage’s Issa Album dropped to Number Five.
Ed Sheeran’s Divide, Imagine Dragons’ Evolve and the Moana soundtrack grabbed Numbers Six, Seven and Eight, respectively. The week’s only other surprise was the return of Khalid’s American Teen, which crept back into the Top 10 at Number Nine, where it peaked upon its release in March. Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic rounded out the Top 10.
4:44’s time atop the Billboard 200 throne should end next week as Lana Del Rey’s Lust for Life, Meek Mill’s Wins & Losses, Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy, the Descendants 2 soundtrack and renewed interest in the Linkin Park catalog following the death of singer Chester Bennington should shake up next week’s charts.