He’s earned all eight consecutively, tying Eminem and The Beatles for the longest streak of No. 1s.
Kanye West lands his eighth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as his latest studio effort, Ye, bows atop the list.
The set — which was released on June 1 via G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Recordings — earned 208,000 equivalent album units in the week ending June 7, according to Nielsen Music, and is the fifth-largest week for an album in 2018. Of Ye’s starting sum, 85,000 were in traditional album sales.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The new June 16-dated chart (where West debuts at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard‘s websites on Tuesday, June 12.
Let’s review some of the notable statistics associated with Ye’s No. 1 arrival:
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Kanye West’s Eighth No. 1 Album: West lands his eighth No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with Ye. He ties Eminem for the second-most No. 1 albums among hip-hop acts in the history of the chart. Only JAY-Z is ahead of them, as he owns 14 chart-toppers. (Among all acts, The Beatles have the most No. 1s, with 19.)
Record-Tying Eight No. 1s in a Row: West has earned all eight of his No. 1s consecutively. Every single one of West’s chart entries, except for his first album, 2004’s The College Dropout, have debuted at No. 1. (The College Dropout debuted and peaked at No. 2.) He matches Eminem (2000-2018, a still-active streak) and The Beatles (1965-68) as the only acts to tally eight straight No. 1 albums. Eminem also matches West in terms of eight consecutive No. 1 debuts. (The Beatles’ stretch of eight No. 1s in a row in the ’60s did not include any titles that debuted at No. 1.)
Fifth–Biggest Week of 2018: As Ye starts with 208,000 equivalent album units, it logs the fifth-biggest week for an album this year. The only larger frames were earned by the debut weeks of Post Malone’s beerbongs & bentleys (461,000), J. Cole’s KOD (397,000), Justin Timberlake’s Man of the Woods (293,000) and Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy (255,000 units).
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Seventh–Largest Streaming Debut Week Ever: Of Ye’s first week units, 120,000 were SEA units. That sum equates to 180.1 million on-demand audio streams for the set’s seven songs during the tracking week (as each SEA units equals 1,500 on-demand audio streams). Ye’s streaming launch is the seventh-biggest debut streaming week for an album. That’s a pretty notable feat, considering Ye only has seven songs. Thus, each tune, on average, garnered 25.7 million on-demand audio streams. The only album to tally a larger per-track streaming average was J. Cole’s KOD earlier this year. During its opening frame, the 12-song album earned 322.7 million on-demand audio streams, resulting in a 26.9 million per-track average.
At No. 2 on the new Billboard 200, Post Malone’s former No. 1, beerbongs & bentleys, is a non-mover with 99,000 units (down 5 percent).
Coming in at No. 3 is rock band Ghost with its highest-charting album, and third top 10, Prequelle. The set launches with 66,000 units, of which 61,000 were in traditional album sales — the act’s best sales week ever. (The album’s first week benefits from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer in association with the band’s spring U.S. theater tour, as well as a pair of arena dates later this year.)
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Ghost previously visited the top 10 with a pair of No. 6-peaking efforts: Popestar (EP) in 2016 and Meliora in 2015.
Country singer Luke Combs nabs a new chart high with his This One’s for You album, as the set zooms from No. 39 to No. 4, thanks to a deluxe reissue of the album on June 1. The set, bolstered by five new songs, garnered 55,000 units (up 314 percent). The album blows past its previous best week, logged when it bowed at No. 5 with 43,000 units on the June 24, 2017-dated tally.
Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy is steady at No. 5 on the new Billboard 200 (49,000 units; up 3 percent), Juice WRLD’s Goodbye & Good Riddance continues to climb, as it rises 8-6 (42,000 units; though down 3 percent), and The Greatest Showman soundtrack ascends 9-7 (just under 42,000 units; down 3 percent).
Shawn Mendes’ self-titled album falls from No. 1 to No. 8 in its second week (39,000 units; down 78 percent), Lil Baby’s Harder Than Ever slips 7-9 (37,000 units; down 18 percent) and Jason Aldean’s Rearview Town vaults 27-10 (34,000 units; up 117 percent). The latter set, like Ghost’s Prequelle, is goosed by sales generated from a ticket/album sale redemption offer.
