Future‘s decision to take two years off between albums has paid dividends as his latest effort I NEVER LIKED YOU has made his biggest dent on the Billboard charts as a solo artist thus far.
According to Billboard, the Atlanta rapper’s ninth studio album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after notching 222,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Streaming-equivalent albums (SEA) accounted for 214,000 units (283.75 million on-demand streams), while 6,500 came from pure album sales.
Billboard 200: #1(new) @1future, I NEVER LIKED YOU 222,000 [283.75 million on-demand streams | 6,500 pure sales].
— chart data (@chartdata) May 8, 2022
I NEVER LIKED YOU not only boasts the biggest debut of 2022 so far, but it marks the highest first-week sales for a solo album in Future’s career. His previous best was 2020’s High Off Life, which opened with 153,000 album-equivalent units.
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The only time he’s topped that figure was in 2015 when his What a Time To Be Alive collaboration with Drake moved 375,000 first-week copies.
I NEVER LIKED YOU also earns Future his eight consecutive No. 1 album in seven years, a streak that dates back to 2015’s DS2. Hendrix is now fifth on the list of rappers with the most Billboard 200 No. 1s behind only JAY-Z (14), Drake (10), Eminem (10) and Kanye West (10).
Rappers with the most #1 albums in US Billboard 200 history:
#1 Jay-Z (@sc) 14
#2 @Drake 10
#2 @Eminem 10
#2 @kanyewest 10
#5 @1future 8— chart data (@chartdata) May 8, 2022
The 16-song project arrived on April 29 featuring appearances from Drake, Kanye West, Young Thug, Gunna, Kodak Black, EST Gee and Tems. A deluxe edition arrived just days later, boasting a further six songs and guest spots from Lil Baby, Lil Durk, 42 Dugg, Babyface Ray and Young Scooter.
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Future is poised for more chart success as as his Drake and Tems-assisted “WAIT FOR U” single is expected to battle it out with Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the No. 1 spot on this week’s Billboard Hot 100. The song recently received a Game of Thrones-esque visual makeover that saw the Freebandz boss embrace his title as the “Toxic King.”
Review - Future 'I Never Liked You' Is Fan Service Held Back By Dull Beats & Marketed Toxicity
Elsewhere on this week’s Billboard 200, The Weeknd‘s Dawn FM surged from No. 35 to No. 2 following the release of its vinyl LP, cassette and deluxe box sets, which accounted for an additional 57,000 equivalent album units.
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Lil Durk‘s 7220 fell from No. 3 to No. 6 after moving 33,000 units, while NoCap’s Mr. Crawford debuted at No. 8 thanks to 29,000 first-week sales. Drake’s Certified Lover Boy (No. 9) and Doja Cat’s Planet Her (No. 10) continue to hold firm in the top 10.
Stream I NEVER LIKED YOU below.
