Billboard 200 - 2/4/23 --- SZA

[Gary]

The Contenders: HARDY, Trippie Redd & Måneskin Bring New Blood to Billboard 200
Plus, one of 2022's breakout rappers releases her debut EP, and a rock legend's death sends a classic album back up the charts.
www.billboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/sza-press-cr-Jacob-Webster-2022-billboard-1-1548.jpg?w=942&h=623&crop=1

BY ANDREW UNTERBERGER


WWelcome to The Contenders, a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming charts dated Feb. 4), SZA’s SOS remains in the driver’s seat on the Billboard 200 albums chart, but runs into new albums by country hitmaker HARDY, prolific rapper Trippie Redd and rock revivalists Måneskin.

HARDY, The Mockingbird & The Crow (Big Loud). Few country radio fixtures know as much about how to succeed in an era dominated by hip-hop- and streaming as Michael Wilson Hardy. The genre-blending singer-songwriter has collaborated with countless artists, released several mixtapes, and generally been as prolific as any popular rapper over the past half-decade – while remaining a steady chart presence, with Hot 100 top 40 hits in the past year alongside Breland and Dierks Bentley (“Beers on Me”) and Lainey Wilson (“Wait in the Truck.”)

The latter single can be found on HARDY’s 17-track The Mockingbird & The Crow set, released last Friday (Jan. 27), as part of the album’s country-oriented A-side – with its second half taking on a hard rock bent. The album appears to be selling well digitally, leading the iTunes albums chart for most of the week. If it does claim the Billboard 200’s No. 1 position, it would be the first country album to do so since Dangerous: The Double Album, the blockbuster 2021 chart-topper from Morgan Wallen – who, incidentally, is also featured on Mockingbird’s “Red.”

Trippie Redd, Mansion Musik (1400 Entertainment/10K Projects). One of the great volume shooters of hip-hop’s past five years, Trippie Redd returned from an unusually lengthy two-year album break last week with the 25-track Mansion Musik. The set consists entirely of previously unreleased material, and is predictably loaded with A-list guests, including Future, Lil Baby, Travis Scott, Lil Durk, and even the late Juice WRLD — who appears on “Knight Crawler,” which led Spotify’s most recent New Music Friday playlist. Each of Trippie’s past six full-length projects have reached the Billboard 200’s top five, and Mansion Musik should have a good chance to extend its streak to seven.

Måneskin, Rush (Epic/Sony). Italian fourpiece Måneskin parlayed a Eurovision win into global rock stardom in 2021 – boosted by TikTok-accelerated crossover success for a cover of The Four Seasons’ “Beggin’” and a series of incendiary live performances on U.S. television. About a year and a half later, the band has finally released its English-language debut album Rush, featuring their rock radio hit “Supermodel” and contributions from pop-rock super-writer-producers like Rami Yacoub, Mattman & Robin and Max Martin.

Måneskin are still relatively modest performers among big hitmakers when it comes to U.S. streaming, so their Billboard 200 performance will likely largely be dictated by sales. To that end, the quartet has released a variety of physical variants of Rush, with vinyl, CD and cassette versions, and a box set edition that collects all three formats, along with a poster and 64-page photobook. The group has also made old-fashioned record store promotional appearances during the album’s release week, including New York-area shops Rough Trade NYC and Looney Tunes.

IN THE MIX

Ice Spice, Like…? (10K Projects/Capitol): One of the most buzzed-about new rappers of 2022 arrives with her first EP, named after her “Like..?” mini-catchphrase. The six-track set includes Ice Spice‘s internet-conquering breakout tracks “Munch (Feelin’ U)” and “Bikini Bottom,” as well as the new, Lil Tjay-featuring “Gangsta Boo,” and the currently ascending TikTok favorite “In Ha Mood.”

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Déjà Vu (Atlantic): Following the death of ‘60s rock legend David Crosby, the enduring material he was involved with as part of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young have naturally surged in sales and streams. The biggest beneficiary so far appears to be CSNY’s 1970 classic Déjà Vu, featuring signature songs like “Teach Your Children,” “Our House” and “Helpless” — though the latter is one of several Déjà Vu tracks not currently available on Spotify, due to songwriter Neil Young’s continued protests of the streaming service.

[Gary]

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Spends Seventh Straight Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart
'SOS' is the first R&B album to spend its first seven weeks at No. 1 since Whitney Houston's 'Whitney' in 1987.

www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/sza-sos-7-weeks-number-one-billboard-200-chart-1235207654/
By Keith Caulfield

01/29/2023


SZA’s SOS racks up a seventh consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Feb. 4) – the entirety of its chart run. The last album by a woman with seven weeks at No. 1 was Taylor Swift’s Folklore, more than two years ago, as it notched its eighth and final week atop the list on the chart dated Oct. 31, 2020.


SOS earned 111,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 26 (down 7%), according to Luminate.

Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 chart: Trippie Redd logs his seventh top 10-charting effort with the No. 3 debut of Mansion Muzik, while HARDY clocks his first top 10 with the No. 4 arrival of The Mockingbird & The Crow.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Feb. 4, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 31. For all chart news, follow billboard and billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of SOS’ 111,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Jan. 26, SEA units comprise 109,500 (down 7%, equaling 148.87 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 1,000 (up 37%) and TEA units comprise 500 units (down 8%).

In the last year, only three albums have spent at least seven weeks at No. 1: SOS, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (13 nonconsecutive weeks) and the Encanto soundtrack (nine nonconsecutive weeks).

Here are a few statistics about SOS’ seven-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard 200:

SZA Meets Whitney in Chart History: SOS is the first R&B/hip-hop album by a woman, or R&B album by any act, to spend its first seven weeks at No. 1 since Whitney Houston’s Whitney in 1987. The latter debuted at No. 1 on the June 27, 1987-dated list and spent its first 11 weeks at No. 1 (its total run at No. 1). Whitney was the first R&B/hip-hop album by a woman, or R&B album by a woman, to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

R&B/hip-hop and R&B albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top R&B Albums charts, respectively.

Drake’s Views was the last R&B/hip-hop set to spend its first seven weeks at No. 1 — it spent its first nine weeks at No. 1 (May 21-July 16, 2016 charts).

Most Consecutive Weeks at No. 1 in Nearly a Year: The last album, regardless of genre classification, with seven weeks in a row at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 was the Encanto soundtrack, with eight straight weeks atop the list (Jan. 29-March 19, 2022-dated charts). The Encanto soundtrack spent a total of nine weeks at No. 1, as it logged one earlier frame at No. 1 on the Jan. 15, 2022 chart.

The last album by a woman with seven consecutive weeks at No. 1 was Adele’s 25, which spent its first seven weeks at No. 1 in late 2015 and early 2016 (Dec. 12, 2015-Jan. 23, 2016). 25 spent 10 total nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1.

Most Weeks at No. 1 for an Album by a Woman Since 2020: Taylor Swift’s Folklore was the last album by a woman to score seven weeks atop the list. The album topped the list for its first six weeks (Aug. 8-Sept. 12, 2020) and then returned for two more nonconsecutive weeks (Oct. 3 and Oct. 31, 2020).

‘SOS’ Is the First Album by a Woman With its First Seven Weeks at No. 1 Since 2016: Adele’s 25 was the last album by a woman to spend its first seven weeks on the chart at No. 1. The 25 album ruled the list in its first seven weeks (Dec. 12, 2015-Jan. 23, 2016) and then logged three more later frames at No. 1, for a total of 10 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. (The last album with its first seven weeks at No. 1 was Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album, which spent it first 10 weeks at No. 1 [its total run at No. 1] from the Jan. 23-March 27, 2021-dated charts.)

Only Three Women Have Had Albums With Seven Weeks at No. 1 in the Last 20 Years: In the last two decades – from February 2003 through the latest chart – only three women have spent at least seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Before SZA’s SOS, there was Swift’s Folklore (eight weeks, 2020), Adele’s 25 (10, 2015-16), Swift’s 1989 (11, 2014-15), Adele’s 21 (24, 2011-12) and Swift’s Fearless (11, 2008-09). Before Fearless, the last album by a woman with seven weeks at No. 1 was Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, with 12 weeks in 1995-96.

Most Weeks at No. 1 for an R&B/Hip-Hop Album Since Drake’s ‘Views’ in 2016: The last R&B/hip-hop album with seven weeks atop the list was Drake’s Views, which spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 (May 21-Oct. 8, 2016). Views was also the last R&B/hip-hop set to spend its first seven weeks at No. 1 (it spent its first nine weeks at No. 1: May 21-July 16, 2016).

SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman, or an R&B album by a woman, since Mariah Carey’s Music Box spent eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 in late 1993 and early 1994. SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 for an R&B album by any act since Usher’s Confessions ruled for nine nonconsecutive weeks in 2004.

At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Swift’s former No. 1 Midnights is a non-mover with 67,000 equivalent album units earned (down 8%). It has spent the entirety of its 14 weeks on the chart inside the top two. The last album by a woman to spend its first 14 weeks at either Nos. 1 or 2 was Swift’s own 1989, with its first 15 weeks in the top two (Nov. 15, 2014-Feb. 21, 2015).

Trippie Redd notches his seventh top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as Mansion Muzik debuts at No. 3 with 56,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 50,000 (equaling 68.1 million official on-demand streams of the set’s 25 tracks), album sales comprise 5,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000. Mansion Muzik is the hip-hop artist’s seventh consecutive top five-charting effort, stretching back to 2018’s Life’s a Trip, which debuted and peaked at No. 4 (Aug. 25, 2018-dated chart).

HARDY hits the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for the first time as his new double album The Mockingbird & The Crow arrives at No. 4 with 55,000 equivalent album units earned – easily his best week ever in terms of units. Of the starting sum, SEA units comprise 34,000 (equaling 44.68 million official on-demand streams of the set’s 17 tracks), album sales comprise 19,500 and TEA units comprise 1,500. The half-country/half-rock project includes guest turns from Jeremy McKinnon (of A Day To Remember), Lainey Wilson and Morgan Wallen.

The Mockingbird & The Crow marks the highest-debuting rock album since Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Return of the Dream Canteen entered at No. 3 (Oct. 29, 2022) and highest-bowing country album since Luke Combs’ Growin’ Up started at No. 2 (July 9, 2022).

Four former No. 1s are next on the Billboard 200, as Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains falls 3-5 (53,000 equivalent album units; down 4%), Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss dips 4-6 (46,000; down 4%), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti falls 6-7 (41,000; down 4%) and Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album descends 7-8 (nearly 41,000; down 2%).

Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak falls 8-9 with 32,000 equivalent album units (though up 2%) and Lil Baby’s former No. 1 It’s Only Me slips 9-10 with 28,000 (down 5%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

[Gary]

1. SZA 111,000 (sales 1000)
2. Taylor Swift 67,000
3. Trippie Redd 56,000 sales 5000
4. Hardy 55,000 (sales 19,500)
5. Metro Boomin 53,000
6. Drake/21 46,000
7. Bad Bunny 41,000
8. Morgan Wallen 41,000
9. Zach Bryan 32,000
10. Lil Baby 28,000

[Gary]

Weeks in the top 10

top 10 ARTIST
104 MORGAN WALLEN
38 BAD BUNNY
14 TAYLOR SWIFT
12 DRAKE & 21 SAVAGE
12 ZACH BRYAN
11 LIL BABY
8 METRO BOOMIN
7 SZA

[Gary]

Albums With Most Weeks in Top 10 on Billboard 200 Chart (March 24, 1956-onwards)
Weeks in Top 10, Artist, Title, Year First Reached Top 10
173, Original Cast, My Fair Lady, 1956
109, Soundtrack, The Sound of Music, 1965
106, Soundtrack, West Side Story, 1962
105, Original Cast, The Sound of Music, 1960
104, Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album, 2021
90, Soundtrack, South Pacific, 1958
87, Original Cast, Camelot, 1961
87, Soundtrack, Oklahoma!, 1956
85, Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter Paul and Mary, 1962
84, Adele, 21, 2011
84, Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A., 1984

[rnb]

sza is such a queen

[HamedM1 💔]

Another week, another fuck America for giving yet another week in the top 10 to M*rgan Wallen.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Given that The Highlights isn't in the top 10, that means that Starboy will rebound and After Hours re-enter the Billboard 200 in the on-going game of musical chairs.

[onebuffalo]

Jan 29, 2023 19:00:15 GMT -5 rnb said:

sza is such a queen

Now, if we can get Kill Bill to the top, that would be fantastic. I know Miley Cyrus will get another week at #1.

[areyoureadytojump]

Look at Rumours:

[Music Fan]

Jan 29, 2023 19:12:08 GMT -5 HamedM1 💔 said:

Another week, another f**k America for giving yet another week in the top 10 to M*rgan Wallen.

Well... guess you're gonna have to get prepared to seeing him at #1 soon... new album coming in March.

He'll maybe even have two top 10s :o

[Gary]

yep probably

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

I assume this will be mentioned if there's a Top Album Sales article this week. It might even get a standalone Chart Beat article given how unique this milestone is and who's involved. I guess HITS got its article in before Billboard:

TAYLOR MOVES THE NEEDLE YET AGAIN

[mms82]

I don't think Dangerous will break My Fair Lady's record, but honestly didn't think it would break Peter, Paul, and Mary's record either. Adele's 21 is really the only album that rivals it for size and longevity this century.

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Starboy "rebounded" back to the #12 position it had two weeks ago in the Billboard 200.

[Gary]

In the days of My Fair Lady - much smaller market place - tracking technology nonexistent and the album chart was 15-25 positions, so just charting at all usually meant top 10

This album may not get 173 weeks but seems to be a lock to top the 109 weeks of Sound Of Music which is the highest since the start of the modern day album chart in1963

[Gary]

HARDY, Maneskin, Wilco & More Shake Up Album Sales Chart’s Top 10
Plus: Debuts from the 'Halloween Ends' soundtrack and Trippie Redd's latest effort.


By Keith Caulfield
www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/hardy-maneskin-wilco-top-10-billboard-album-sales-chart-1235211697/
02/2/2023


HARDY nabs his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Feb. 4), as his latest effort The Mockingbird & The Crow flies in atop the tally. The set, a half-rock and half-country project, bows with 20,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 26, according to Luminate. HARDY previously notched one entry on the list, with the No. 8-peaking A Rock in 2020.

Also in the top 10, Maneskin’s new studio effort Rush! debuts at No. 3; Wilco’s 2022 album Cruel Country re-enters at No. 4 – hitting the top 10 for the first time – after its wide release on CD and vinyl; the soundtrack to Halloween Ends scares up a No. 7 entry following its vinyl release; and Trippie Redd’s new Mansion Musik opens at No. 9.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow billboard and billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of The Mockingbird & The Crow’s 20,000 sold, physical sales comprise 5,000 (4,000 CDs and 1,000 vinyl LPs) and digital album sales comprise 15,000. The album’s start also marks HARDY’s best sales week, surpassing the 5,000 sold in the debut frame of A Rock in 2020 (Sept. 19, 2020-dated chart).

As The Mockingbird & The Crow launches at No. 1 on Top Album Sales, it halts the chart-topping run of Taylor Swift’s Midnights, which spend its first 13 chart weeks at No. 1. On the new chart, it falls to No. 2 with 17,000 sold (down 21%). The set continues to be a hot-seller on vinyl, with 9,000 of its sales for the week on vinyl. In the latest tracking week, Midnights’ total U.S. vinyl sales crept past 1 million copies. Swift’s popularity on vinyl is well noted, and in 2022, one out of every 25 vinyl albums sold in the U.S. were by Swift.

Rock band Maneskin sees its new album Rush! bow at No. 3 on Top Album Sales with 11,000 copies sold. It’s the first charting entry for the act and its best sales week.

Wilco’s Cruel Country, which was released last May via digital retailers and streaming services, re-enters the chart at a new high of No. 4 after its release on CD and vinyl (7,000 sold across all formats; up from a negligible sales total the previous week). Cruel Country had previously topped out at No. 31 on July 2, 2022-dated list, following its limited CD release timed to Record Store Day 2022’s drop on June 18 last year. All told, Cruel Country is the eighth top 10-charting effort on Top Album Sales for Wilco, and it ties for the act’s highest-charting effort on the list. (A whopping five of the band’s eight top 10s all peaked at No. 4.)

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours falls 2-5 on Top Album Sales with 6,000 sold (down 20%) and Michael Jackson’s Thriller dips 5-6 with 5,000 sold (down 13%).

The soundtrack to the film Halloween Ends debuts at No. 7 on Top Album Sales following its vinyl release on Jan. 20. The set, across all formats, sold nearly 5,000 copies for the week. Halloween Ends is the highest charting soundtrack from the Halloween franchise on the 31-year-old chart, surpassing the No. 9 peak of Halloween Kills in 2021.

SZA’s Ctrl vaults 57-8 on Top Album Sales with nearly 5,000 sold – mostly from vinyl sales – after a replenishment of stock. Trippie Redd’s new Mansion Musik bows at No. 9 with nearly 5,000 sold (the rapper’s fourth top 10 effort), while Harry Styles’ former leader Harry’s House rises 11-10 with a little over 4,000 sold (down 7%).

In the week ending Jan. 26, there were 1.653 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 6.3% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.312 million (down 9.3%) and digital albums comprised 341,000 (down 7.6%).

There were 523,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Jan. 26 (down 2.8% week-over-week) and 782,000 vinyl albums sold (down 13.1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 2.330 (down 3% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 3.478 million (up 27.4%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 7.377 million (up 6.2% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 6.044 million (up 13.5%) and digital album sales total 1.333 (down 17.9%)

[imbuemyblue]

albums sales up 6%, we love to see it!