billboard charts

SZA’s ‘SOS’ Owns No. 1 For A Second Consecutive Week Despite Her Fear Nobody Would Like It

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SZA can exhale. During an interview with Rolling Stone last week, she shared that she “never thought in a million years that people would like” SOS, her sophomore album, before its highly hyped December 9 arrival. Well, SOS became her first career No. 1 album last week with 318,000 first-week equivalent album units, per Billboard, and Barack Obama probably contributed to those numbers.

SZA held firm at No. 1 on the new Billboard 200 chart dated December 31 for a second consecutive week. According to the publication’s Luminate data source, SOS netted 180,000 equivalent US album units in the week ending on December 22.

Tracks “Kill Bill” and “Nobody Gets Me” also debuted at Nos. 3 and 10, respectively, on last week’s Billboard Hot 100. “Blind” came in at No. 12, with “Low” at No. 17, “Love Language” at No. 21, “Seek & Destroy” at No. 24, “Snooze” at No. 29, and “Used” featuring Don Toliver at No. 30. Elsewhere on the Billboard charts, “Kill Bill” notched SZA her first career No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart and second career No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

This week’s Billboard 200 top five is rounded out by Taylor Swift’s Midnights (No. 2), RM’s Indigo (No. 3), Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains (No. 4), and Michael Bublé’s Christmas (No. 5). Drake and 21 Savage’s record-setting Her Loss collaborative album fell out of the top five to No. 6.

SZA will take SOS on the road with opener Omar Apollo for her first-ever arena tour beginning February 21, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio.

SZA Has Landed Her First No. 1 Album As ‘SOS’ Debuts On Top Of The ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart

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SZA wrapped up 2022 with one of the year’s highlight albums, the long-anticipated SOS. In a recent interview, SZA revealed she wasn’t sure how the album would be received, saying, “I never thought in a million years that people would like it. My dad’s visiting right now, with my mom. Everybody came down to make sure I didn’t lose my mind if the album went bad once it came out. And now we’re just hanging out, ’cause it didn’t go badly!”

Indeed, people have enjoyed the LP and now the charts are reflecting that: On the new Billboard 200 chart dated December 24, SOS is No. 1, making it SZA’s first chart-topping album of her career. To claim the spot, it overtook Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains, which debuted at No. 1 last week. Previously, 2017’s Ctrl topped out at No. 3 while SZA’s 2014 Z EP peaked at No. 39.

Star power played at least some part in the album’s success: People were really excited about Phoebe Bridgers featuring on “Ghost In The Machine” and the album also features appearances from Travis Scott, Don Toliver, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. It was almost busier than that, as SZA wanted to get Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Drake, Finneas, Frank Ocean, Halsey, Harry Styles, Kacey Musgraves, Kendrick Lamar, Olivia Rodrigo, Rosalía, Tyler The Creator, and others on the album, too.

Bad Bunny’s ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ Now Has The Most Total Weeks At No. 1 In Over Five Years

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Bad Bunny’s latest album, Un Verano Sin Ti, has performed tremendously on the charts since it was released back in early May. Just last week, it became the biggest album of the year so far by passing the Encanto soundtrack for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with 10. Now, the journey continues: On the new Billboard 200 dated September 24, Un Verano Sin Ti is once again No. 1, for the eleventh total week.

This is now the most total weeks at No. 1 in over five years, when Drake’s Views had 13 non-consecutive No. 1 weeks on charts dated between May 21, 2016 and October 8, 2016. Un Verano Sin Ti is No. 1 thanks to 97,000 equivalent album units earned (down 3 percent from last week). That total consists primarily of streaming equivalent albums units, 94,000 of them, equaling 131.66 million on-demand official streams of the LP’s tracks.

Meanwhile, Nav had a strong debut, unable to top Bad Bunny but still entering the chart at No. 2 with Demons Protected By Angels, while Ozzy Osbourne’s Patient Number 9 debuts at No. 3 and Kane Brown’s Different Man premieres at No. 5. YoungBoy Never Broke Again also had a big leap, rising from No. 71 all the way to No. 6 this week after its first complete charting week.

The Famously Profane Eminem Achieves ‘Billboard’ Christian Chart Glory With His First No. 1 Song

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Eminem is a notably explicit rapper with some of the most controversial lyrics in mainstream music history. In fact, his words (and the marketing practices of the entertainment industry more broadly) were once the topic of a congressional hearing in 2001, with one representative saying, “When you hear the words about raping your mother or killing your mother, I think that the industry should be embarrassed that that’s award-winning entertainment.”

Back then, it may have seemed unlikely that Em would ever top any Christian music charts, but here in 2022, that’s just what he’s done. On Billboard‘s latest Hot Christian Songs chart, DJ Khaled’s “Use This Gospel (Remix)” featuring Kanye West and Eminem debuts at No. 1. This gives Em and Khaled their first leaders on that chart and Ye his fifth.

The “Use This Gospel” remix has multiple lines in which Em expresses his love for God, including, “Bible at my side like a rifle with a God-given gift / Every single day I thank God for / That’s why I pay so much homage / Praises to Jesus,” and, “So my Savior, I call on / To rescue me from these depths of despair / So these demons better step like a stair / Because He is my shepherd / I’m armed with Jesus, my weapon is prayer.”

So, while a lot of Eminem’s past material may not have been gospel-chart-worthy, his latest is, despite how odd that may read as a headline.

Nicki Minaj Reacts To ‘Super Freaky Girl’ Debuting At No. 1 And Making History For Female Rappers

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Nicki Minaj has found herself in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart a handful of times now. Her first time was with her featured appearance on Doja Cat’s “Say So” in 2020, then with her Tekashi 69 collaboration “Trollz” later that year. Just yesterday, she landed her third No. 1, doing it unaccompanied this time with “Super Freaky Girl,” which debuted in the top spot. This has Minaj excited, so she took to social media to celebrate.

Sharing an Instagram post noting the various things the song’s No. 1 debut means, Minaj wrote, “You did it barbz. You did it. I love you so much. like so so SO much. Thank you.” She shared a more concise version of that message on Twitter, writing simply, “You did it [teary eyed emoji].”

As for what “Super Freaky Girl” has done, it’s the first song by a solo female rapper to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill did with “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998. It also makes Minaj the first female lead artist to debut at No. 1 in 2022, and the first female rapper with multiple songs to debut on top. Aside from the Hot 100, “Super Freaky Girl” is also No. 1 on a number of other charts, including Streaming Songs, Hip-Hop/R&B Songs, Digital Song Sales, R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs Sales, and Rap Streaming Songs.

Beyoncé’s ‘Break My Soul’ Stays At No. 1 On The Hot 100 Chart For A Second Week

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Beyoncé is still enjoying her Renaissance moment. While Bad Bunny just knocked the album off the No. 1 spot (down to No. 3) on the Billboard 200 chart, lead single “Break My Soul” is still on top: On the new Hot 100 chart dated August 20, “Break My Soul” is No. 1 for the second consecutive and total week.

Elsewhere on the Hot 100, it was a big week for Snoop Dogg, whose Benny Blanco and BTS collaboration “Bad Decisions” debuts at No. 10. This makes Snoop just the third artist, after Jay-Z and Mariah Carey, with a top-10 hit in each of the past four decades (’90s, ’00s, ’10s, and ’20s).

Also doing well in the current frame is Drake, whose DJ Khaled and Lil Baby collaboration “Staying Alive” debuts at No. 5. That’s now his 30th top-five song, which surpasses The Beatles for the most ever. It’s also his 59th top-10 song (which extends his record) and his 100th top-20 song, making him the first artist to reach the latter milestone.

Meanwhile, Beyoncé is getting ready to push another Renaissance highlight to the forefront: Last week, she teased an upcoming video for album-opener “I’m That Girl,” although it’s not yet clear when that video is set to drop.

Bad Bunny Regains The Top Spot On The ‘Billboard’ 200 Chart After Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Debuted At No. 1

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On the Billboard 200 chart dated August 6, Bad Bunny’s album Un Verano Sin Ti extended its total weeks at No. 1 to seven. Then, Beyoncé happened: On the rank dated August 13, Renaissance dethroned Bad Bunny to take over the top spot. Now, it appears at least some of the hype surrounding the Beyoncé album has died down. At the very least, it subsided enough for Bad Bunny to reclaim the top spot: On the new Billboard 200 dated August 20, Un Verano Sin Ti is back at No. 1 for an eighth total week, with Renaissance slipping down to No. 3.

Bad Bunny is on top again thanks to 108,800 equivalent album units earned for the album, up 4 percent from last week. This is the third stint at No. 1 for Un Verano Sin Ti: It debuted on top on the May 21 chart, then left No. 1 for three weeks. Then, it returned to No. 1 again before falling to No. 2 for the next two weeks. After that, it enjoyed its first multi-week run, spending five weeks at No. 1 before being dethroned by Beyoncé and then returning to the top this week. This makes Un Verano Sin Ti the first album with four distinct runs at No. 1 since Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour also had four stays in 2021.

Meanwhile, debuting at No. 2 on this week’s chart is YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s The Last Slimeto, while Eminem’s new best-of compilation, Curtain Call 2, premieres at No. 6.

Beyoncé’s ‘Break My Soul’ Rises To No. 1 On The Hot 100 And Becomes Her First Solo Chart-Topper In Years

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Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance has been an absolute event. The instant-classic album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and now Beyoncé is on top of the singles chart, too: On the new Hot 100 dated August 13, “Break My Soul” is No. 1 for the first time.

The song, up from No. 6 on last week’s chart, is Beyoncé’s eighth No. 1 solo single and first without a featured artist since “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” in 2008. (Worth noting is that the Beyoncé-featuring remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” was No. 1 in 2020, while Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé’s duet version of “Perfect” topped the charts in 2017.) It is now Beyoncé’s third No. 1 without a featured artist, following “Single Ladies” and 2006’s “Irreplaceable.”

“Break My Soul” is just the second 2022 song by a solo female artist to go No. 1, after Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” which was on top for the previous two weeks.

This is the 43rd total week Beyoncé has had a No. 1 song, which is the seventh-most of all time. She’s currently behind Mariah Carey (87 weeks), Rihanna (60), The Beatles (59), Drake (54), Boyz II Men (50), and Usher (47).

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

Beyoncé’s ‘Break My Soul’ Rises To No. 1 On The Hot 100 And Becomes Her First Solo Chart-Topper In Years

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Beyonce 2022
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Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance has been an absolute event. The instant-classic album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and now Beyoncé is on top of the singles chart, too: On the new Hot 100 dated August 13, “Break My Soul” is No. 1 for the first time.

The song, up from No. 6 on last week’s chart, is Beyoncé’s eighth No. 1 solo single and first without a featured artist since “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” in 2008. (Worth noting is that the Beyoncé-featuring remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” was No. 1 in 2020, while Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé’s duet version of “Perfect” topped the charts in 2017.) It is now Beyoncé’s third No. 1 without a featured artist, following “Single Ladies” and 2006’s “Irreplaceable.”

“Break My Soul” is just the second 2022 song by a solo female artist to go No. 1, after Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” which was on top for the previous two weeks.

This is the 43rd total week Beyoncé has had a No. 1 song, which is the seventh-most of all time. She’s currently behind Mariah Carey (87 weeks), Rihanna (60), The Beatles (59), Drake (54), Boyz II Men (50), and Usher (47).

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

Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Debuts At No. 1 With 2022’s Second-Biggest Week

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When Beyoncé released Renaissance, it immediately became the talk of the music world for reasons both good and bad. It’s an album that people haven’t been able to stop listening to and now the charts reflect that: On the new Billboard 200 dated August 13, Renaissance debuts at No. 1, making it Beyoncé’s seventh solo no. 1 album. All of Beyoncé’s solo albums have now debuted at No. 1.

Renaissance finds itself on top thanks to 332,000 equivalent album units earned, which is good for the second-biggest week of the year, beaten only by the 521,500 units Harry Styles’ Harry’s House had during its debut week in May. It’s therefore also the biggest week for an album by a woman this year. Renaissance is also the first 2022 album by a woman to top the Billboard 200: The last one was Adele’s 30.

It’s only been about a week since Renaissance came out but the album has already undergone some significant changes. First, Beyoncé vowed to change the lyrics of “Heated” after a negative response to the use of an ableist slur. The album also made use of Kelis’ “Milkshake” but that musical nod has since been removed due to Kelis’ discontent, with her saying recently, “This was personal on many levels which people don’t understand.”