billboard charts

Kanye West Is Pumped That ‘Donda 2’ Isn’t Eligible For ‘Billboard’ Chart Placement: ‘Big Win’

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Earlier this week, Billboard reported that Kanye West’s new album Donda 2 is not currently eligible to appear on their charts. So, while Ye’s past nine solo albums have topped the Billboard 200, Donda 2, at least for the time being, won’t even get the chance to. Billboard explained, “[T]he album is being sold with a device that can be used for other means besides the playing of the album. As such, the Stem [Player]/Donda package would fall within Billboard‘s latest merch bundle policy, where albums sold with merchandise are not chart-eligible.”

Some may see that as a bad thing, but West, who has long had a unique perspective, does not.

In fact, he celebrated the news on Instagram yesterday. Sharing a screenshot of a post about Donda 2‘s chart ineligibility, Ye wrote, “Big win for the kid We can no longer be counted or judged We won we won we won we won We make my own systems We set our own value aaaand yesterdays price is not todays price baaaaabeeeee!!!!!”

Meanwhile, Ye is fresh off yesterday’s release of another new video for “Eazy” which, like the previous “Eazy” video, depicts Pete Davidson getting beaten up.

Read our hands-on review of the Stem Player here.

‘Encanto’ Highlight ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Continues To Dominate, Staying At No. 1 For A Fifth Week

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While it mostly traditional pop or hip-hop songs that hang out near the top of the charts, things have been different lately as standout Encanto hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” has enjoyed a sustained run atop the Billboard Hot 100. It spent a fourth frame at No. 1 last week, and now it once again occupies that spot for a fifth time on the new chart dated March 5.

Billboard notes the song’s success this week is due to a significant uptick in radio airplay impressions (7.9 million of them, a 23-percent increase from the previous week) despite declines in streams and downloads.

A fifth week on top extends the song’s record for most weeks at No. 1 for a song from a Disney movie. In fact, it now has more weeks at No. 1 than the next two-biggest Disney songs combined: Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting’s “All For Love” from The Three Musketeers spent three weeks at No. 1 while “A Whole New World” from Aladdin logged a week on top.

Meanwhile, Gayle is having a moment, as her viral hit “ABCDEFU” has hit a new high on the Hot 100, rising from No. 4 last week to No. 3 today.

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

Classic Eminem And Dr. Dre Albums Are Back In The Top 10 After The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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This year’s hip-hop-focused Super Bowl Halftime Show — featuring Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and 50 Cent — was generally well-received. It also managed to renew interest in some of the performers’ music, as the new Billboard 200 chart indicates: On the chart dated February 26 (which accounts for listening activity from February 11 to 17, while the Super Bowl was on the 13th), albums by Eminem and Dr. Dre have returned to the top 10 for the first time in years.

Eminem’s Curtain Call: The Hits (a former No. 1 on the chart) had a major rise, as it ascended to No. 8 this week, up from No. 126 the previous week. That’s thanks to about 31,000 equivalent album units earned, an increase of 256 percent. Meanwhile, Dr. Dre’s 2001 rose from No. 108 to No. 9 with about 30,500 units (a 220-percent increase). Its previous peak was at No. 2 on the chart dated December 4, 1999.

This is the first time Curtain Call has found itself in the top 10 since the chart dated March 11, 2006, when it was No. 8. The last time 2001 was in the top 10 was on the May 13, 2000, when it ranked No. 9.

Those albums were well-represented during the halftime show: Eminem performed “Lose Yourself,” while three 2001 songs — “The Next Episode,” “Forgot About Dre,” and “Still D.R.E.,” made the setlist.

Elsewhere on the chart, the smash hit Encanto soundtrack is once again No. 1, for a sixth total week. That ties it with Adele’s 30 for the third-most weeks spent at No. 1 in the last five years (since January 2017). Ahead of those LPs are Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (ten weeks) and Taylor Swift’s Folklore (eight weeks).

‘Encanto’ Hit ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Stays At No. 1 On The Hot 100 For A Third Week

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“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the biggest success story of the Encanto soundtrack, became the biggest-ever hit from a Disney animated movie, in terms of chart performance, when it spent a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last week. Now, it’s just running up the score: On the new Hot 100 chart dated February 19, “Bruno” is on top for a third week.

In late January, Lin-Manuel Miranda (who wrote all the Encanto songs) appeared on The Tonight Show and was asked if he could have predicted the success of “Bruno.” He responded, “No, mainly because group numbers never get the same kind of love that the ballads get or the comedy songs get. But I did know it was catchy, because when I was first writing it, I would catch my kids singing it just from overhearing me writing it.”

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby’s new single, “Do We Have A Problem?,” scored a big debut, making its first appearance on the chart at No. 2. That makes it the 20th top-ten song for Minaj and the ninth for Baby.

Outside of the top ten, King Von and 21 Savage’s “Don’t Play That” debuted at No. 40, giving Von his first top-40 hit.

Adele’s ‘Easy On Me’ Stays On Top Of The ‘Billboard’ Hot 100 Chart For A Ninth Week

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Adele’s “Easy On Me” has made staying at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart look easy, as the tune has done it for a while now. The song’s successful run continues this week, too: On the new Hot 100 dated January 22, “Easy On Me” is No. 1 for the ninth total week. “Easy On Me” is nearly Adele’s longest-running No. 1 song ever in the US, as it’s just a hair behind “Hello,” which topped the chart for ten weeks in 2015 and 2016.

Gunna had the highest-charting debut of the week with “Pushin P,” as the Future and Young Thug collaboration places at No. 7. The track is now Gunna’s third top-10 hit, Future’s fifth, and Thug’s sixth. Meanwhile, Gayle’s TikTok-boosted hit “ABCDEFU” enters the top 10 for the first time at No. 9.

“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Disney’s Encanto, also achieves a new peak at No. 4, which ties it for the second-highest Hot 100 placement ever for a song from a Disney animated film. It’s tied with Elton John’s Lion King classic “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” and Vanessa Williams’ “Colors Of The Wind” from Pocahontas. The only song ahead of it is Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle’s Aladdin staple “A Whole New World,” which topped the chart for a week in March 1993.

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

Gunna’s ‘DS4EVER’ Edges Out The Weeknd For The Top Spot On The ‘Billboard’ 200

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Gunna has already been atop the Billboard 200 once before in his career with 2020’s Wunna. But now he’s officially a two-time chart-topper as DS4EVER is the new No. 1 album in on the Billboard 200 chart. The album — which features appearances from Young Thug, 21 Savage, Kodak Black, Drake, Future, Roddy Rich, and more — clocked 150,300 units sold in its first week to top the chart dated January 22, while de-throning the soundtrack to Disney’s Encanto.

It was a close race to the top this week, as The Weeknd’s Dawn FM came in at No. 2 with 148,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending January 13. Dawn FM, with features from Tyler The Creator, Lil Wayne, Quincy Jones, and Jim Carey, might have seemed the clubhouse favorite to most, with its elaborate rollout and The Weeknd’s high-profile appearances, but the runner-up spot will have to suffice for now. The aforementioned Encanto soundtrack dropped down to No. 3, despite boasting its highest weekly tally of units sold with 95,700. Adele’s 30 and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album round out the rest of the top five.

But for Gunna, this marks a steady history of success on the Billboard 200. Beyond the No. 1 status of DS4EVER and Wunna, in 2018, the Atlanta rapper’s Drip Season 3 mixtape peaked at No. 55, and his collaboration with Lil Baby, Drip Harder, reached No. 4. His 2019 debut studio album, Drip Or Drown 2 topped out at No. 3.

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

An ‘Encanto’ Tune Has Landed Lin-Manuel Miranda His First Top-Ten Song On The ‘Billboard’ Hot 100 Chart

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On last week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and other vintage holiday tunes were still dominating the top ten spots. On the new chart dated January 15, though, we’re back to non-Christmas programming, as holiday tunes are out of the top ten and Adele’s “Easy On Me” is back to No. 1 for an eighth total week.

Perhaps the top-ten song that stands out most, though, is “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from the new Disney movie Encanto. The track — which is credited to Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz, and Encanto Cast — jumped from No. 50 last week up to No. 5 this week, making it the first top-five song from a Disney movie since Frozen‘s “Let It Go.” Aside from those two, other Disney songs to crack the top five include Vanessa Williams’ “Colors Of The Wind” from Pocahontas, Elton John’s “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” from Tarzan, and Peabo Bryson and Regina Bell’s “A Whole New World” from Aladdin.

Furthermore, “Bruno” is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first top-ten hit, as he wrote the song (and all the others from the movie). The song is also the first top-ten track for all of the credited artists. Also, speaking of Elton John, his and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” rose to No. 7 this week, making it his first top-ten hit in the US since “Candle In The Wind”/”Something About The Way You Look Tonight” in 1997.

It’s a big week for Encanto, as it was revealed yesterday that the movie’s soundtrack is No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

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

Seven Years After Its Release, J. Cole’s ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’ Is Still On The ‘Billboard’ 200

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On December 9th, 2014, J. Cole’s monumental 2014 Forest Hills Drive was released and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Suffice it to say, a lot has happened in the time since for Cole, who frequently finds himself in the mix of a lot of people’s contemporary rap Mt. Rushmore debates. Cole has claimed 15 Grammy nominations (yielding one win) and all six of his albums have hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, but none can match the unfathomable success of 2014 Forest Hills Drive, which has now been on the charts for a whopping 367 straight weeks (as HipHopDX points out).

In fact, it’s actually still in the top 100, currently clocking in at No. 80, humorously down a spot from No. 79 last week. It’s a certified triple-Platinum album — with no features, naturally. Both “No Role Modelz” and “Wet Dreamz” are Platinum songs on their own and the album is Cole’s undisputed crown jewel. This all comes on the heels of Cole’s latest album, The Off-Season, getting Platinum status as of last week — with features from 21 Savage, 6lack, Lil Baby, Bas, and Morray.

When the 64th Grammy Awards ceremony takes place on January 31st, 2022, Cole will be in the running for four awards: Best Rap Album (for The Off-Season, of course), Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song (for “My Life” featuring 21 Savage and Morray), and Best Melodic Rap Performance (for “Pride Is The Devil” featuring Lil Baby). We’ll see if this time his Grammy success will stack up to his Billboard dominance.

Adele Continues To Command The Hot 100 Chart As ‘Easy On Me’ Is No. 1 For A Seventh Week

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We’re firmly in the midst of the holiday season, but this year, December is doubling as Adele season. It was revealed yesterday that 30 is on top of the Billboard 200 chart for the third straight week, and now the album’s hit single “Easy On Me” remains on top, too, as it’s No. 1 on the new Hot 100 chart dated December 18 for a seventh week.

It’s possible the song won’t stay on top for much longer, though. Over the past few weeks, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is Now” has been making its now-annual climb back up the Hot 100. It was No. 3 on last week’s chart, and now it’s up to No. 2. If the song does make it to No. 1 on the chart dated December 25 (the final Hot 100 of 2021), it would have topped the chart in three consecutive years and become the only song to ever go No. 1 in four separate years.

As far as Christmas music, Carey’s hit isn’t alone in the top 10. Returning to the space from last week are Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” at No. 3, Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” at No. 5, and Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” at No. 6. Andy Williams’ “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” is new to the top 10 this week at No. 10, rounding out the five holiday songs in the region this week.

Historical precedent says it wouldn’t be surprising to see next week’s Hot 100 flooded with Christmas music: On the chart dated December 26, 2020, six of the top 10 songs were holiday tunes. The next week, that number jumped up to nine.

Drake, Dua Lipa, And BTS Top The ‘Billboard’ Year-End Charts For 2021

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The flood of year-end music round-ups has started over the past few days, as websites (like Uproxx) have shared their year-end lists and Spotify Wrapped has made the rounds. Now Billboard has chimed in with their year-end charts, and some expected figures have found themselves atop the ranks.

Drake was 2021’s top artist and following him on the list are, in order, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, and Morgan Wallen. As for Top New Artists, Rodrigo tops that list and is followed by The Kid Laroi, Giveon, Pooh Shiesty, and 24kGoldn. There’s also a lists of top artists that are duos or groups, and that’s led by BTS, as well as Glass Animals, Dan + Shay, Fleetwood Mac, and AJR.

When it comes to Billboard 200 albums, Morgan Wallen reigns supreme with Dangerous: The Double Album, ahead of Rodrigo’s Sour, Pop Smoke’s Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, Swift’s Evermore, and Drake’s Certified Lover Boy. Meanwhile, Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” leads the Hot 100 Songs chart, followed by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Save Your Tears,” The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” 24kGoldn and Iann Dior’s “Mood,” and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U.”

Check out all of the year-end charts here and below.

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