This week got all eyes have on NBA YoungBoy and Drake to see whose album would land the top spot on the Billboard 200, and according to Chart Data, the Baton Rouge artist's third studio album, Sincerely, Kentrell, was able to outsell Drake's commercial juggernaut after all. Alas, NBA YoungBoy has earned his fourth #1 album, and he has also reportedly become the third rapper in Hip-Hop history to top the charts from behind bars, joining the ranks of Lil Wayne and Tupac Shakur.
Despite YoungBoy's well-deserved victory, the race between Sincerely, Kentrell and Certified Lover Boy was really as tight as previous forecasts suggested. According to Hits Daily Double, YoungBoy's album only outperformed Drake's by less than 3,000 album-equivalent units, with Sincerely, Kentrell moving 137,775 and Certified Lover Boy moving 134,949.
Last week, Lil Nas X attempted to dethrone Drake, but MONTERO's first-week sales of 129k were ultimately not enough to surpass CLB's 170k or so album-equivalent units. Still, Lil Nas X's debut album remains a commercial force, moving 59,869 album-equivalent units and securing the #3 spot on the U.S. albums chart. Kanye West's Donda holds out at the #4 position in its fifth week charting, and Olivia Rodrigo's powerhouse debut SOUR comes in at #5.
Do you think that NBA YoungBoy's ability to replace Drake atop the Billboard 200 cements his placement amongst Hip-Hop's upper echelon? Or was the release of Sincerely, Kentrell just timed well?