Hip-hop artist Rod Wave took over the top spot on the album chart from Justin Bieber, debuting with 122,000 album units to be an easy No. 1 finisher. The premiere for his sophomore effort marks the first time the rapper has made it to the top, even in a week where he announced having collected 12 new gold, platinum or multi-platinum certifications for his songs.
Bieber had a surprisingly good hold, though, in an era where it’s not uncommon for most pop artists’ albums to drop off by more than half after a debut. In week two, “Justice” collected a still strong 94,000 album units, down from 146,000 in its debut frame.
The same holding power didn’t pan out for Lana Del Rey’s “Chemtrails Over the Country Club.” After debuting at No. 2 last week, it fell 39 spots to No. 41 in week two, with a decline to 14,700 units after bowing with 98,000 last week.
Half of the albums in the top 10 of the Rolling Stone album chart were new entries, following a period of months when it’s been rare to see more than one or two. NF’s “Clouds” came in third with 78,200 album units, followed by Carrie Underwood’s “My Savior” at No. 4.
Underwood’s album of Christian music, which scored 71,800 album units in its opening week, is expected to still be doing strong business on next week’s chart, due to increased visibility during Easter weekend.
It once looked like Morgan Wallen might have a shot at returning to No. 1 on the album chart after his streak at the top was broken by Bieber’s entry last week. But he’s down just enough now that a repeat play at No. 1 appears less likely. This week, “Dangerous: The Double Album” came in at No. 5 on album units of 59,600. It’s still a given he won’t be out of the top 10 for quite a while.
Returning albums by Pop Smoke, Dua Lipa and the Weeknd came in at Nos. 6-8. The other debuting albums in the top 10 were “Dum and Dummer 2” by Young Dolph and Key Glock at No. 9 (with 32,500 album units) and pop band AJR’s “OK Orchestra” in the No. 10 spot (with 30,900).
Evanescence’s first album in years, “The Bitter Truth,” bowed at No. 18 (24,000 album units). 24goldn’s smash single has yet to carry over to a smash album, as “El Dorado” premiered at No. 21. Karol G’s “KG0516” entered the chart at No. 30.
On the songs chart, Lil Nas X‘s inescapable “Montero (Call Me By My Name)” came in at No. 1… and a hard-fought No. 1, given how close Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” came to having a second week on top.
“Montero” had 24.2 million song streams, while “Peaches” did nearly as well, with 24.1 million.
Not surprisingly, the week’s album topper, Rod Wave, was also well represented on the songs chart, with “Tombstone” at No. 3, “Street Runner” at No. 6 and “Richer” at No. 9.
Find the full Rolling Stone songs chart here. For the complete albums chart, click here.
