Yahoo Lifestyle Kendrick Lamar Scores No. 1 Debut With ‘GNX’
Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the California rapper’s fourth consecutive chart-topping effort. The surprise-released set sold a total of 319,000 album units following its Nov. 22 arrival, per Luminate.
Lamar also occupies seven of the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 songs list, leading with “Squabble Up” at No. 1; “TV Off” at No. 2; “Luther” at No. 3; “Wacced Out Murals” at No. 4; “Hey Now” at No. 5; “Reincarnated” at No. 7; and “Man at the Garden” rounding out the summit at No. 10.
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With such a feat, Lamar breaks the record for most No. 1 hits (three) on the Hot 100 this year, breaking a tie with Ariana Grande, Morgan Wallen and Post Malone. He’s also the fourth artist in history — joining Taylor Swift, Drake and the Beatles — to simultaneously hold the top 5 spots on the Hot 100.
Produced by Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington, and more, “GNX” features a variety of Los Angeles-based rappers and artists including AzChike and Lefty Gunplay, among others. Shortly after its release, “GNX” was supported with the release of a music video for “Squabble Up.”
The album arrived with the sixth-largest opening week numbers for a 2024 album (by equivalent album units), and logged the biggest streaming week for any R&B/hip-hop album (379.72 million).
“GNX” is Lamar’s fourth consecutive studio album to debut at No. 1, following “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” (2022), “Damn.” (2017) and “To Pimp a Butterfly” (2015). Lamar’s “Untitled Unmastered” (2016) and “Black Panther: The Album” (2018) also debuted atop the Billboard 200.
Following Lamar is the “Wicked” film’s soundtrack, which scores the highest debut for a big-screen adaptation of a stage musical ever. The last time a stage-to-screen musical soundtrack debuted in the top five of the albums chart when “Chicago” landed at No. 4 in 2003.
The remainder of the top 10 is filled out by Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Short n’ Sweet” at No. 3; Tyler, The Creator’s “Chromakopia” is at No. 4; Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” is at No. 5; Gracie Abrams’ “The Secret of Us” is at No. 6 and Rauw Alejandro’s “Cosa Nuestra” is at No. 7. Lastly, Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” is at No. 8; Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” at No. 9; and Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” is at No. 10.
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