Billboard 200

Chlöe’s ‘In Pieces’ Debuts On The ‘Billboard’ 200, Marking A First For Her As A Solo Artist

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Chlöe released In Pieces, her debut solo album on March 31 after building anticipation with singles such as “Pray It Away” or “How Does It Feel” featuring Chris Brown.

After the album’s arrival, fans were treated to the video for “Cheatback” featuring Future. They’re also still waiting on an official video for “Told Ya” featuring Missy Elliott.

All of that culminated in In Pieces debuting at No. 119 on the Billboard 200 albums chart dated April 15. As noted by Chart Data, it marks Chlöe’s first time charting on the Billboard 200 as a solo artist.

Chloe X Halle peaked at No. 16 and No. 139 for Ungodly Hour and The Kids Are Alright, respectively.

Chlöe referenced her musical beginnings with her sister, Halle Bailey, while addressing the criticism she has endured in the wake of In Pieces.

“The thing is, the same people who say that weren’t fans of Halle and [me] when we had our Ungodly Hour album out, The Kids Are Alright, so, it’s a bunch of people who are just putting in their two cents now just to really say things,” she said during an appearance on Atlanta’s Majic 107.5 radio station. “Because Sis and I, we’ve been underground for a minute, and the same people who talk, they weren’t around then or giving us our props then. It’s like, now they want to talk trash for some reason.”
Missy Elliott is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA’s “SOS” Spends 10th Week At No.1 On Billboard 200

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SZA’s second studio album, SOS, has reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the 10th non-consecutive week. Adele was the last female singer to do so with her 2015 album, 25. Before that, the last R&B album to spend its first seven weeks atop the chart was Whitney Houston’s Whitney.

SZA dropped the album back on December 9, 2022. It debuted immediately on the Billboard 200 with 318,000 equivalent album units sold. The album features appearances from Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Behind the scenes, she also worked with Babyface, Jeff Bhasker, Benny Blanco, Rodney Jerkins, DJ Dahi, Gabriel Hardeman, Ant Clemons, and Lizzo. It was promoted with by three singles, “Good Days”, “I Hate U”, and “Shirt.”

SZA At The Grammys

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) SZA speaks onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

The feat comes after SZA was named Billboard’s Woman Of The Year, earlier this month. “Right now, I just have extreme gratitude because I swear to God, I never thought I’d be No. 1 for even a week, let alone seven,” she said at the time.

“SZA is a force,” Terrence “Punch” Henderson told Billboard. “To go seven consecutive weeks at No. 1 is legendary. She’s a true generational artist, a cultural reset, if you will. For her album SOS to blend so many different genres together in a cohesive frame shows her genius and versatility. Then you have the voice, the words, the pain, the growth, the relapsing, the delivery, the stories, etc. … a true masterpiece.”

Fans of SOS will be able to catch SZA on tour throughout the spring as she recently embarked on The SOS Tour. She’ll be making stops in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York City, Atlanta, and more through the end of March. In total, SZA will be making 19 stops across the United States and Canada. Omar Apollo serves as the opener. “Last night was the first night of my very first arena tour ever,” she wrote on Instagram after her show in Columbus last week. “I don’t have words. But thank you. So much.”

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SZA’s ‘SOS’ Is On Adele’s Heels After Its Ninth Week At No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart

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SZA continues to surprise herself with the overwhelming success of SOS, her long-awaited sophomore album from December. It became her first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard 200 that month and has steadily broken records in the ensuing weeks.

Last month, SOS became the first album since Adele’s 30 (December 2021 to January 2022) to spend each of its first five weeks at No. 1. SZA began February by celebrating a seventh total week, citing that she, Adele and Taylor Swift are “the only female artists to have an album spend at least seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this century.”

By February 12, SOS logged its eighth nonconsecutive week and became the first album to tally that mark since Swift’s Folklore, and now, SZA is on Adele’s heels for yet another historic feat.

Per Billboard on Sunday, February 19, SOS sits at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated February 25, for a ninth total week.

“The last set by a female artist to spend at least nine weeks at No. 1 was Adele’s 25, which ruled for 10 nonconsecutive weeks between Dec. 12, 2015, and March 12, 2016,” Billboard‘s Keith Caulfield noted.

He later added:

“In the last 10 years, only three albums by women have spent at least nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200: SOS, Adele’s 25 (10 in 2015-16) and Taylor Swift’s 1989 (11, 2014-15). The last R&B/hip-hop album with at least eight weeks atop the list was Drake’s Views, which [spent] 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 (May 21-Oct. 8, 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 self-titled debut spent 11 weeks, all consecutively, at No. 1 in 1991.”

SZA appeared as a presenter at the 2023 Grammys on February 5, and she’s likely to be there as a nominee next year.

“Last night was the first time I had a great time at an award show! (Prolly cause I ain’t have to do sh*t but cheer my friends on + announce ppl I Stan lmao),” SZA wrote on Instagram afterward. “My team also surprised me w a GANG OF PLATINUM and gold plaques for SOS [crying emoji] can’t believe the album is already eligible for double platinum. LOVE TO EVERYBODY THAT GOT ME HERE AND CONTINUES TO LIVE ME UP. I love you.”

After initial concerns that people wouldn’t like SOS, SZA has apparently settled into the rhythm of repetitive record-breaking. “Honestly I’m bored and could go for some aliens,” she tweeted last week. “Speaking for me only.”

In actuality, she’s preparing to take her blockbuster album on the road. Her SOS Tour is scheduled to begin tomorrow, February 21 in Columbus, Ohio. Omar Apollo will serve as her opener.

Omar Apollo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Is No. 1 On The ‘Billboard’ 200 For The Seventh Week, Accomplishing Several Remarkable Feats

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SZA’s sophomore album SOS proves to be the gift that keeps on giving. Today (January 30), the album is No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated Februrary 4, for a seventh total week.

With this latest feat, SOS becomes the first R&B/hip-hop album by a woman to top the Billboard 200 for seven weeks, since Whitney Houston’s 1987 album, Whitney, which spent 11 weeks on top upon its release.

SOS has spent the most weeks at No. 1 for any album by a woman since 2020, the last being Taylor Swift’s Folklore. It has also spent the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 within the span of a year for any album across all genres since the soundtrack to Disney’s 2021 film, Encanto.

Upon receiving the news, SZA took to her Instagram story to express her gratitude in a spiritual manner.

“7 is yemayas number,” she said. “I’m so thankful to everyone and God thank you.”

On this week’s top 10 is Swift’s Midnights, which placed at No. 2, now having spent its first 14 weeks in the top two. Trippie Redd’s Mansion Musik makes its debut at No. 3, and country-rock star Hardy’s The Mockingbird & The Crow arrives at No. 4, and Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains is now sitting at No. 5.

Drake & 21 Savage’s Her Loss, which temporarily dethroned Swift’s Midnights upon its release last November, is now at No. 6, pushing Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti to No. 7. Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album has fallen to No. 8, and “Something In The Orange” singer Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak album is now at No. 9. Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me, which became his third album to debut at No. 1 upon its release last year, is now sitting at No. 10.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

SZA Is No. 1 For A Sixth Week With ‘SOS,’ An R&B Feat That Hasn’t Happened In Nearly 20 Years

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On December 9, 2022, SZA released SOS, her latest album. Since it was chart-eligible, the LP has not known what it’s like to be anything but No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It debuted in the top spot of the chart, and that’s where it remains on the latest rank: Billboard announced today (January 23) that on the new chart dated January 28, SOS is No. 1 for a sixth total week.

That’s the most weeks at No. 1 on the chart among R&B and hip-hop albums since Drake’s Views logged 13 non-consecutive weeks in 2016. Narrow the scope to just R&B albums and SOS has the most chart-topping weeks since Usher’s Confessions was No. 1 for nine total weeks in 2004.

Furthermore, this is a notable moment for women artists. In the last decade plus, the only women with albums to spend at least six weeks at No. 1 are Adele, Taylor Swift, and now SZA. The last album by a woman besides those three to have at least six No. 1 weeks was Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed A Dream in 2009 and 2010. When it comes specifically to women in R&B, SOS has the most weeks at No. 1 since Mariah Carey’s Daydream, which had six non-consecutive weeks on top in late 1995 and early 1996.

Kendrick Lamar’s “DAMN” Reaches 300 Weeks On Billboard 200

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Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 album, DAMN, has spent 300 Weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, according to Chart Data. The album has never left the chart since its release.

Lamar dropped the project back in April 2017. It features production credits from James Blake, Steve Lacy, BadBadNotGood, Greg Kurstin, The Alchemist, and 9th Wonder, among others. As for guest vocals, Rihanna, Zacari, and U2 are all featured on the album.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JULY 24: Rapper Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during day three of Rolling Loud Miami 2022 at Hard Rock Stadium on July 24, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)

DAMN debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with 603,000 album-equivalent units earned in its first week. It finished the year ranked as the number-one album on the Billboard 200 for 2017. Its popularity continued through the following year when it remained the thirteenth most popular album for 2018. The Recording Industry Association of America has since certified the album triple platinum.

The most popular tracks from DAMN include “Humble,” “DNA,” and “Love.”

The success of DAMN follows in line with the rest of Kendrick Lamar’s commercially successful work. His project, good kid, m.A.A.d city., recently became the first hip-hop studio album to spend 10 years on the Billboard chart. Additionally, his latest release, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, topped the Billboard 200 chart, opening with 295,000 album-equivalent units. The album also landed Lamar a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

Fans of Lamar will be able to catch him at Governor’s Ball, later this year. The iconic New York festival announced its full lineup for 2023, earlier this month. Other artists include Lil Nas X, Rina Sawayama, Pusha T, Lil Uzi Vert, Snail Mail, and more.

Revisit Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN below.

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SZA’s “SOS” Reaches Historic Milestone On Billboard 200

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SZA has become the first female R&B singer to have their album spend its first four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in nearly 30 years. Her new project, SOS, is the first to do so since Janet Jackson’s janet in 1993.

The milestone was reached after SOS sold 125,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending January 5.

Outside of just R&B, SOS is also the first album by a woman to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 in a year, since Adele’s 30 was on top for its first six weeks.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 13: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) SZA poses on day 1 of Lovebox festival at Gunnersbury Park on July 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Burak Cingi/Redferns)

SZA released SOS back on December 9, 2022. The project features guest appearances from Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard. It debuted with 318,000 equivalent album units sold. The project is SZA’s first album since 2017’s Ctrl.

One collaboration on the album that stood out for SZA was her work with Lizzo on “F2F.” While she’s not credited with a feature, Lizzo earned a writing credit on the track.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, SZA said of her time with Lizzo: “We just have so much fun together. And I feel like she gets me. She’s another person who has hella music tastes and doesn’t fit in anybody’s box of anything. She makes it seem like she doesn’t even care like she just does whatever she wants. And I just love being with her, just as a friend and hanging out. So whenever she comes to a studio, I just feel like, ‘Let’s drop into some bullshit.’”

Check out SZA’s Billboard 200 feat below.

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‘SOS’ Logged A Fourth-Straight No. 1 Week On The ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart And SZA Is Beside Herself

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Last week, SZA kept the SOS train rolling by dropping a different version of the album, including revamped singles “PSA” and “Open Arms.” She also cleared up the phantom rumor that she had beef with Taylor Swift, and ironically enough, SOS now has something in common with Swift’s Midnights: breaking records previously held by Adele.

SOS sits atop the Billboard 200 chart dated January 14, its fourth-straight week at No. 1 since debuting there on December 19. According to Billboard, SZA’s sophomore offering is “the first album by a woman to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 in a year, since Adele’s 30 ruled for its first six weeks (December 4, 2021 through January 8, 2022-dated charts) and is the first album by a woman to have four consecutive weeks at No. 1 since 30‘s six week-run at No. 1.”

When Swift’s Midnights debuted at No. 1 in late October, it moved the most first-week equivalent album units since Adele’s 30 in 2015. (Midnights remains at No. 2 on this week’s chart.)

SOS is also the first R&B album by a woman to have four weeks at No. 1 since February of 2008, when Alicia Keys’ As I Am notched a fourth and final nonconsecutive week atop the list (Feb. 16, 2008),” Billboard additionally relayed. “More strikingly, SOS is the first R&B album by a woman to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 in nearly 30 years, since Janet Jackson’s Janet. ruled for its first six frames (June 5-July 10, 1993).”

The feat is not lost on SZA.

“I don’t have sh*t to say but thank you to God my ancestors my family my team and ALL OF YOU THAT RIDE FOR ME ! ESPECIALLY CAMP [tent emoji]!!” SZA captioned an Instagram post on Sunday, January 8. “Y’all my family too [white heart emoji] we have so much more to come.”

She also tweeted, “4 weeks at number one is INSANE. Thank you God and thank you everyone for riding for me.”

As for what’s still to come, SZA’s teased “Kill Bill” video should drop any day now. Her SOS Tour is slated to kick off on February 21 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, with Omar Apollo serving as the opener.

SZA’s “SOS” Album Takes Billboard’s Number One Spot For Third Week

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Since SZA dropped her highly-anticipated album SOS last month, the Grammy-winning singer has continued to see it reach new heights. 

Earlier this week, Billboard reported that the new album was number one on the Billboard 200 chart for the third week in a row, making it clear that fans are still loving the 23-track project.

HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 05: SZA performs on stage during the Astroworld Fest 2021 at NRG Park on November 5, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Omar Vega/FilmMagic)

Songs like “Kill Bill,” “Smoking on my Ex Pack,” and “Ghost in the Machine” were a few clear standouts on SOS. Last week, SZA’s label Top Dawg Entertainment dropped a music video teaser for “Kill Bill,” showing the St. Louis native on a motorcycle and swinging a sword in the Quentin Tarantino-themed visual.

SZA also announced her upcoming tour late last year. Stopping in Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Dallas, and Inglewood, the North American tour also includes Toronto and Vancouver.

READ MORE: SZA Details “S.O.S.” Cover Art Being Inspired By Princess Diana

On ideas that she has to offer fans on the tour, which kicks off in February, the “Supermodel” singer told Rolling Stone, “I just wanna give them the craziest experience they could ever have and play whatever they want. Whether it’s unreleased songs that they thought they heard on the internet, or their favorite album cuts or f**king deep cuts from 2012, I don’t care. I just wanna give them what they deserve and make it beautiful.”

“That’s my biggest goal, and I’m really excited and there’s nothing I enjoy more than being on stage and performing,” SZA continued. “It’s way different than this whole like, putting out shit on streaming and then watching people yell about it on Twitter. It’s way more human and it really makes it all worthwhile.”

According to Chart Data on Twitter, SOS is also currently number one on the US iTunes chart. 

What has been your favorite song from the album? Let us know your pick in the comments below.

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SZA’s ‘SOS’ Claims A Third Week At No. 1 And Joins Beyoncé In The Record Books

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SZA is starting 2023 on top: SOS, her highly anticipated and highly successful sophomore album, dropped on December 9, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart dated December 24, and she hasn’t relinquished the position.

According to Billboard, SOS has logged its third consecutive week at No. 1 on the chart dated January 7, with 128,000 equivalent album US units earned during the week ending on December 29. The publication additionally relayed, “SOS is the first R&B album by a woman to spend three weeks at No. 1 since Beyoncé’s self-titled effort also spent its first three weeks atop the list in 2013. (R&B albums are defined as those that have hit Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart.)”

Last week, SZA teased a video for “Kill Bill” to reward her fans for making the track her first career No. 1 on Billboard‘s Streaming Songs chart and second career Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart No. 1.

Elsewhere on this week’s Billboard 200 chart, Taylor Swift’s Midnights remains at No. 2 for a fourth-straight week. The album had previously spent five weeks at No. 1, including a record-breaking debut. Michael Bublé’s Christmas comes in at No. 3, with Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains (No. 4) and Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song (No. 5) rounding out the top 5.