On the Charts: Lana Del Rey Edges Tyler, the Creator, Meek Mill for Number One
Technical issues that delayed the arrival of the Billboard 200 couldn’t keep Lana Del Rey from opening at Number One as the singer’s Lust for Life claimed the top spot with 107,000 total copies.
Lust for Life marked the second Number One LP for Del Rey, who previously topped the Billboard 200 with 2014’s Ultraviolence. The singer’s last album, Honeymoon, peaked at Number Two in 2015, although it sold more copies (116,000) in its debut week than Del Rey’s latest, Billboard reports.
While the Billboard 200’s Top 10 is usually revealed on Sunday, an unnamed “top-tier data provider” that “encountered technical issues” delayed this week’s chart. While Del Rey was the favorite to finish first, the singer was expected to face a stiff competition via new releases by Tyler, the Creator and Meek Mill.
When the final totals were tabulated, the results showed just how close the race for Number One was: Tyler, the Creator‘s Flower Boy finished the week at 106,000 total copies, a mere 1,000 off Del Rey’s total. While the Odd Future rapper barely missed out on his first Number One, finishing Number Two also marked a career Billboard 200 high for the rapper.
One spot and 4,000 copies behind Tyler, the Creator was Meek Mill‘s Wins & Losses was one spot and 4,000 copies behind Tyler, the Creator, opening at Number Three and 102,000 total copies. Two more debuts landed in the Top 10: The Descendants 2 soundtrack at Number Six and Romeo Santos’ Golden at Number 10.
Outside the race for Number One, the biggest news on this week’s Billboard 200 was the resurgence of Linkin Park‘s new LP One More Light and 2000’s Hybrid Theory following the death of Chester Bennington. One More Light moved to Number Four and Hybrid Theory jumped to Number Eight in the first full sales week since Bennington’s July 20th death.
All the debuts pushed Kendrick Lamar’s Damn. out of the Top Three for the first time since its release 15 weeks ago, with the rapper finishing the week at Number Five. After two straight weeks at Number One, Jay-Z’s 4:44 dropped to Number Seven, while DJ Khaled’s Grateful closed out the Top 10 at Number Nine.