Kendrick Lamar still has the #1 album in the country after debuting at the top spot last week.
This week’s Billboard 200 also finds Action Bronson in the Top 10 for the first time in his career, while Drake added another 18,648 units to his If Youre Reading This Its Too Late pile, bringing him to a total sold count of 793,068 as of Sunday (March 29).
A couple spots down the list, Earl Sweatshirt saw his new album climb up to #12, Big Sean regained two spots and Nicki Minaj ended up at #16.
Kendrick Lamar Holds Onto #1
For a second week in a row, Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly tops the Billboard 200 despite its total activity count stuttering 66% when compared to last week’s first-week performance.
To Pimp A Butterfly sold 106,551 over the last week, bringing the album’s total sold count to 430,954. Meanwhile, K. Dot’s latest saw its streaming numbers more than cut in half after breaking single-day streaming records on Spotify last week.
Empire Sees 44% Sales Drop, Stays At #2
While the total activity count for the Empire soundtrack fell 44% compared to last week’s report, the collection still easily held onto its runner-up spot most recently. The first season soundtrack sold another 47,737 units over the last week and was streamed more than 5.5 million times.
Action Bronson Debuts At #7
Action Bronson’s major label debut earned him his first appearance in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 last week. Bronson moved 43,564 copies of Mr. Wonderful in its first week on the shelves and saw the record streamed more than 3.8 million times. The numbers earn Bronson the third-best selling album on the list if taken from a pure sales perspective. With streaming and single song sales accounted for, the Queens rapper ends up at #7 on the chart.
Top 10 Billboard Top 200 Rap & R&B Albums For The Week Ending 03/29/2015
Note: The first number below is this week’s “total album equivalent units” count, an intersection of album sales, single sales, and streams implemented by Billboard’s new rating system. A pure album sales figure is available in bold in parenthesis and information about each album’s streaming count is available in brackets.
#1. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly – 123,374 (106,551) [17,942,034]
#2. Empire Cast – Original Soundtrack From Season 1 – 61,440 (47,737) [5,699,319]
#7. Action Bronson – Mr. Wonderful – 48,540 (43,564) [3,814,919]
#8. Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late – 44,472 (18,648) [22,521,488]
#12. Earl Sweatshirt – I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside – 30,772 (27,496) [3,271,473]
#14. Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise – 27,115 (12,611) [10,051,531]
#16. Nicki Minaj – Pinkprint – 24,408 (7,160) [8,721,480]
#17. Various – Furious 7 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – 24,347 (6,788) [4,173,696]
#21. Mark Ronson – Uptown Special – 22,554 (3,107) [4,163,289]
#29. J. Cole – 2014 Forest Hills Drive – 16,971 (10,422) [6,302,822]
For additional Kendrick Lamar coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
you guys suck. No mention on Cole gettin his first platinum CD this week???? Yall slackin for real
It was found out that J Cole purchased at least half of the copies himself so it doesn’t count. Why be excited over weak platinum anyway?
^ That’s a lie, Dan. J Cole didn’t buy any copies of his album, his fans did, and there’s no such thing as weak platinum. Platinum is platinum.
Obviously him going platinum is suspect when he started of low in sales. Most album sales drop quickly so him having legs is suscpious.
There’s nothing suspect about Cole going platinum. His sales increased with every album he released, so it’s a natural thing.
Yet kendrick is falling off hard this time around.
How is Kendrick falling off when his newest album is outperforming GKMC? Do you even think?
Drake;s numbers are more suspect. He’s probably the one buying his own albums.
considering how much multi-media exosure son has… Bronson = FLOP
the upside is 1) Billy Joel always fucking sucked 2) Billy Joel-“inspired” Bronson sucks 3) Bronson doesn’t need a dogshit major label album to be a successful performer, personality.
that fat white boy flopped lol even with eminems manger and rapradar behind him
White boy ripoff of rozay flopped hard. Rozay still winning.
^ Action Bronson is nothing like Rick Ross, who isn’t winning anything. Bronson also didn’t flop.
K Dot is the hottest name in rap besides maybe Drake, crazy how no one can even remotely come close to Eminem in sales.
Dumbo ain’t doing big numbers though like Drake.
^What’s your obsession with calling K-Dot Dumbo? It’s getting lame. Besides, he still has a better album than Wheelchair Jimmy.
Drake has the better album himself. Why else would he beat K Dot?
No, he doesn’t. Kendrick has the better album. Drake has pop music fans, so of course he would have higher sales, but that doesn’t mean better music.
Guys, we only report legitmate sales and streams. Copies that an artist bought himself (which J COle did) does not count.
J Cole didn’t buy copies.
Yes he did. His first 2 albums flopped so it pressured him to buy albums of his own.
No, he didn’t. J Cole’s first two albums did not flop, they succeeded and this new one succeeded as well. He didn’t buy any copies, the fans did.
It’s impossible for him to be plaitnum when he has no guest features, no quality, and no promotion. It’s an april fool’s joke.
Anything’s possible. He succeeded with no guest features and little promotion (there is quality in the album, BTW). You’re the only April Fools joke.
Many artists outside of rap have gone platinum without guest features.
It took Cole 3 albums to do it though while drake did it the first time around. That’s not a good look on cole’s resume.
It’s called progression. Cole’s sales have increased with every album, that actually looks good on his resume.
Yet drake went platinum the first time.
Doesn’t matter.
So did Kendrick.
No he didn’t. Kendrick’s first album flopped. GKMC was his second.
Rozay never went platinum ONCE.
GKMC is Kendrick’s first major label album. Sectio.80 didn’t flop.
Ross’s first album went platinum.
Section 80 went gold.
Rick Ross’ first album did not go platinum.
Promo video for mastermind had port of miami listed as platinum. Strong platinum.
Promo video lied. POM is not platinum. No such thing as strong platinum, BTW. There’s just platinum.
Drake don’t even know what label he’ll be on in the future lol. Will he go with Wayne or stick with Birdman Sandusky?
He’s contractually obligated to Cash Money for 2 more albums.
^ Nope.
j cole with the platinum plaque on the worst of his 3 albums. im not hating though. kendrick did not produce a classic. it has 2 gems the rest of the songs have little to no replay value. drake havent even heard his album. big sean has the best of the 4 mentioned. if skills sold truth be told i’d probably be lyrically lupe fiasco.
No mention of FHD going platinum? that’s not surprising HHDX some major Kendrick dick riders and that would’ve taken the spotlight off him
to whom had said this : “it took Cole 3 albums to do it though while drake did it the first time around. That’s not a good look on cole’s resume”
Least Cole is moving forward -leaving POP Rap// becoming wiser
not backwards like Drake – becoming POP rap // leaving real content
so hip hop is going to ignore the hot kid Fashwan,his album is way hotter than some the listed shit,,im mad..its ignorance or hate #soundscan#hiphopdx..one minute love and ya fakes cut him off